A second-person pronoun that refers to one person or a group of people. It is used in sentences such as: “I’ll lend you the book.”
In some dialects, it is possible to make it plural, as in “You guys”. Plural you may also take possessive forms that indicate a group of individuals. Examples include youse (singular) and yous’ (plural), though it is more common for the group to be referred to without a possessive pronoun.
It may also be used to describe an individual or a group in the present, past, or future. It is possible to use it as an interjection, such as You rascal! or That rascal is going to be so mad.
You is often shortened to u in informal communication, especially when texting or tweeting. This form is sometimes considered slang, although it can also be acceptable in some contexts. However, using u as a substitute for you or your is considered incorrect by many grammarians.
The word you has a complex etymology. Its roots stem from Old English, where there were separate forms for the singular and plural second-person pronouns thou and ye. These distinct forms were used as more respectful and deferential ways of addressing strangers or social superiors, with thou being reserved for intimates and ye being used in formal situations.
It has also been influenced by other languages, including Latin, Arabic, and Sanskrit. It is also cognate with Scots you, West Frisian joe and oe, Low German yow and jou, Dutch jou and u, German euch, and the Indo-European root yus.
In addition to its use as a second-person pronoun, you may be used in legal documents to refer to an individual or group of individuals who owes money to the government. This is called a debt obligation and may be an individual or collective responsibility, depending on the circumstances.
‘Do you’ may have originated in the black vernacular, according to Whitehead (2015). He points to turn-of-the-millennium Hip Hop tracks, such as ‘Do You’ by Funkmaster Flex and DMX as evidence of the construction. It has a similar construction to other black vernacular expressions such as ‘haters gon’ hate’ and ‘do your thing/thang’, which have been in use for much longer.
A variant of you is you’re, which is often confused with y’all. It is a common form of the second-person plural pronoun in some American dialects, especially the southern United States. It is also common in nonstandard English as a way to evoke a regional accent or tone of speech. It is occasionally used in other regions as well, but not as widely as y’all or you all. It is also a common form of address in informal situations, such as when addressing an audience. It is less common in written English.