Lots of languages have distinct plural forms foryou . When talking to more than one person , the Gallic usevous ; the Italians , voi ; the Spanish , ustedes ; and the Germans , ihr . Would n’t it be useful if English had one too ?
In fact , English speakers have come up with a bunch of words for pluralyou . Snooty grammar teachers might not like them , but they get the job done .
Y’all
Used primarily in the Southern U.S.,y’allis a shortening of the phraseyou all , " which is also used in its full form as a plural computer address . It may have been bring in to America by Ulster Scots immigrants who used the phraseye aw . Y’all also has a possessive descriptor , as in , “ How was y’ all ’s day ? ”
Yinz
Yinzis a hallmark of the dialect love as Pittsburghese . People who speak this dialect are refer to as yinzers .
You-uns
Yinzoriginatesfromthis form , which is also used in the Ohio River Valley around Pittsburgh . You - unsis a shortening ofyou ones . “ There ’s a camp of our men out there , two hundred of them , and they will pay you’ns for pestering me ! ” someone wrote inThe Atlanticin 1865 .
You Guys
According tothe Dictionary of American Regional English , you guyswas originally institute mostly in the northerly areas of the U.S. but is “ now widespread … esp{ecially } freq{uently } among younger speaker . ” DARE cites usages for the set phrase as far back as 1894 .
You Lot
Theyou guysof Britain .
Yous/Youse
This one is found all over the English - speaking human race , from Ireland to South Africa to New Zealand to New Jersey . It construct a set of sense . How do you make something plural form ? sum Associate in Nursing !
Ye
When English had a plural form back in the Renaissance , this was it . Yecame into English from Germanic , and it ’s still used in Ireland .
Super Plurals
Sometimes a plural is simply not plural enough . That ’s when it ’s time to pull outyees , all y’ all , andyouse guy .
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A version of this story run in 2012 ; it has been updated for 2025 .
