we

See also WE, wè, wē, and w/e

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Wikipedia

From Middle English, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with Scots wee, we (“we”), North Frisian we (“we”), West Frisian wy (“we”), Low German wi (“we”), Dutch we, wij (“we”), German wir (“we”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vi (“we”), Icelandic vér, við (“we”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: wē, IPA: /wiː/, X-SAMPA: /wi:/
• (US) enPR: wē, IPA: /wi/, X-SAMPA: /wi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Homophones: wee, whee (in accents with the wine-whine merger)
• Rhymes: -iː

Pronoun

we first person plural, nominative case (objective case us, reflexive ourselves, possessive our, possessive noun ours)

1. (personal) The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person.
2. (personal) The speaker/writer alone. (The use of we in the singular is the editorial we, used by writers and others, including royalty—the royal we—as a less personal substitute for I. The reflexive case of this sense of we is ourself.)
3. (personal) Plural form of you, including everyone being addressed.

   How are we all tonight?

Usage notes

• The meaning of you, plural is generally restricted to specific contexts such as where a server is addressing a table of guests in a restaurant.

Translations

the speaker and at least one other person

• Abkhaz: ҳара (ab) (ẋara)
• Albanian: ne (sq)
• Alviri-Vidari: جیمه (jime)
• American Sign Language: 1^o-f@IpsiChest-FingerBack RoundHoriz 1^o-f@ContraChest-FingerBack (also inclusive and exclusive forms (not listed), as well as numeral incorporation)
• Ancient Greek: ἡμεῖς (hēmeís)
• Arabic: نحن (ar) (náḥnu)

  Egyptian Arabic: احنا (’íḥna)

  Tunisian Arabic: أَحْنَا (ʾaḥnā) m and f

• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ܚܢܢ (khnan) c

  Hebrew: חנן (khnan) c

• Armenian: մենք (hy) (menk’)

  Old Armenian: մեք (mekʿ)

• Aromanian: noi (rup)
• Azeri: biz (az)
• Bakhtiari: ایما (imâ)
• Bashkir: беҙ (beð)
• Basque: gu (eu)
• Bavarian: mia
• Belarusian: мы (be) (my)
• Bengali: আমরা (bn) (āmrā)
• Bislama: yumi (bi)
• Breton: ni
• Bulgarian: ние (bg) (níe)
• Burmese: ကျုပ်တို့ (my) (kyokto.), တို့ (my) (do.), ကျွန်တော်တို့ (my) (kyundawdo.) (male speaker), ကျွန်မတို့ (my) (kyunma.do.) (female speaker), ငါတို့ (my) (ngado.) (informal)
• Catalan: nosaltres
• Chamicuro: a'ti
• Chechen: вай
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 我們 (cmn), 我们 (cmn) (wǒmen) (exclusive in some dialects)

• Chuvash: эпир
• Cree: kiyanaw
• Czech: my (cs)
• Dalmatian: nu
• Danish: vi (da)
• Dutch: wij (nl), we (nl)
• Dyirbal: ŋaliɖi (dual), ŋanaɖi pl
• Esperanto: ni (eo)
• Estonian: meie, me
• Finnish: me (fi)
• French: nous (1,2)

  Old French: nos

• Friulian: nô, noaltris
• Georgian: ჩვენ (ka) (çven)
• German: wir (de)
• Greek: εμείς (el) (emeís) (emeís)
• Gurani: ئێمە (êmæ)
• Hausa: múu (independent form), mún (perfective 1), múkà (perfective 2), bàmù...bá (neg. perfective), záamù (future), mâa (predictive), múkàn (habitual), mù (subjunctive), múnàa (continuous 1), múkè(e) (continuous 2), báamàa (neg. continuous)
• Hebrew: אנחנו (he) (anákhnu), אנו (he) (ánu)
• Hindi: हम (hi) (ham)
• Hopi: itam
• Hungarian: mi (hu)
• Icelandic: við (is)
• Ido: ni
• Interlingua: nos (ia)
• Irish: muid (ga) (conjunctive), sinn (ga) (disjunctive); muidne (ga), sinne (ga) (emphatic)

  Old Irish: sní

• Italian: noi (it), noialtri (it)
• Japanese: 私達 (ja) (わたしたち, watashi-tachí), 我ら (ja) (われら, waréra), 我々 (ja) (われわれ, wareware), 僕ら (ja) (bokura), (mainly vulgar/informal) 俺達 (ja) (oretachi), (dialect) 俺等 (ja) (oira), うち (ja) (uchi), 僕達 (ja) (bokutachi), 私ども (ja) (watashi-domo)

• Kazakh: біз (kk) (biz)
• Khmer: យើង (km) (yəəng)
• Korean: 우리 (ko) (uri)
• Kurdish: em (ku), me (ku)
• Kyrgyz: биз (ky) (biz)
• Ladino: mozotros, מוזוטרוס
• Lao: ພວກເຮົາ (lo) (phuak-hau)
• Latgalian: mes
• Latin: nōs (la)
• Latvian: mēs (lv)
• Lithuanian: mes (lt)
• Lojban: mi (jbo) ((undifferentiated): see also below)
• Low German: wi (nds)
• Macedonian: ние (mk) (níe)
• Malay: kita (ms)
• Manx: mayd, shin, emphatic shinyn
• Mongolian: бид (mn) (bid)
• Navajo: nihí dual, danihí pl
• Neapolitan: nuje
• Ngarrindjeri: ngurn
• Northern Sami: moai dual, mii pl
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vi (no)

  Nynorsk: me, vi

• Novial: nus (1,2)
• Occitan: nos (oc), nosautres (oc)
• Old Church Slavonic: мꙑ (my)
• Old English: wit (dual), wē pl
• Persian: ما (fa) (mâ)
• Pipil: tejemet, tehemet
• Polish: my (pl)
• Portuguese: nós (pt)
• Romanian: noi (ro)
• Romansch: nus (rm), nous (rm)
• Russian: мы (ru) (my)
• Sardinian: nois (sc), noso (sc), nosu (sc)
• Scottish Gaelic: sinn nonemphatic, sinne emphatic
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: mi (sh)

  Roman: ми (sh)

• Sicilian: nuàutri, nui
• Sinhalese: අපි (si) (api)
• Slovak: my (sk)
• Slovene: mí (sl) m, mé (sl) f and n
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: my

• Spanish: nosotros (es) m, nosotras (es) f
• Swahili: sisi (sw)
• Swedish: vi (sv)
• Tajik: мо (tg) (mo)
• Taos: ną
• Tatar: без (tt) (bez)
• Thai: เรา (th) (rao)
• Tlingit: uháan
• Tok Pisin: yumi (tpi)
• Turkish: biz (tr)
• Turkmen: biz (tk)
• Ukrainian: ми (uk) (my)
• Urdu: هَم (ur) (ham)
• Uyghur: بىز (ug) (biz)
• Uzbek: biz (uz)
• Vietnamese: chúng ta (vi)
• Volapük: obs (vo)
• Welsh: ni, ninnau (emphatic)
• West Frisian: wy (fy)
• Yiddish: מיר (yi) (mir)
• Zazaki: ma
• Zulu: thina (zu)
• ǃXóõ: īh, (emphatic) īhʻī, īsî, (emphatic) īsîʻī

the speaker and the listener (inclusive: you and me)

• Bislama: yumi, yumitupela (dual); yumitripela (trial); yumipela pl;
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 咱們 (cmn), 咱们 (cmn) (zánmen) (dialectical)

  Min Nan: 咱 (nan) (lán), 咱人 (nan) (lán-lâng)

  Teochew: 俺 naŋ˥˨ (nang2)

• Fijian: kedaru (dual), kedatou (paucal), keda pl
• Hawaiian: kāua (dual), kākou pl

  exclusive: māua (dual), mākou pl

• Indonesian: kita
• Lojban: mi'o (jbo) ((you and I)), ma'a (jbo) ((you and I and some other(s)))
• Malay: kita (ms)

• Manchu: ᠮᡠᠰᡝ (muse)
• Ojibwe: giinawind
• Quechua: ñuqanchik
• Rapa Nui: taua (dual), tatou (plural)
• Tagalog: natin (ng form), atin (sa form), tayo (unmarked form);
• Tamil: நாம் (naam), யாம் (yaam)
• Telugu: మనము (te) (manamu)
• Tok Pisin: yumi, yumipela
• Vietnamese: chúng ta (vi)
• Zulu: thina (zu)

the speaker and at least one other person, but not the listener (exclusive)

• Bislama: mitupela (dual); mitripela (trial); mipela pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 我們 (cmn), 我们 (cmn) (wǒmen) (generic 'we' in most dialects)

  Min Nan: 阮 (nan) (góan, gún)

  Teochew: 阮 ŋ˥˨ (ng2)

• Fijian: keirau (dual), keitou (paucal), keimami pl
• Hawaiian: māua (dual), mākou pl
• Indonesian: kami
• Lojban: mi'a (jbo)
• Malay: kami (ms)

• Manchu: be
• Ojibwe: niinawind
• Quechua: ñuqayku
• Rapa Nui: maua (dual), matou (plural)
• Tagalog: namin (ng form), amin (sa form), kami (unmarked form)
• Tamil: நாங்கள் (naangaL)
• Telugu: మేము (te) (mEmu)
• Tok Pisin: mipela, mitupela (tpi) (dual)
• Vietnamese: chúng tôi (vi), các tôi (vi)

Determiner

we

1. The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person.

   We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: so · me · an · #42: we · who · said · would

Anagrams

• ew

---

Dutch

Etymology

See wij.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wə/, X-SAMPA: /w@/

• Audio

  (file)

Pronoun

we (personal pronoun)

1. we

Declension

Dutch personal pronouns

	subject		object		possessive			reflexive
singular	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	pred.
1st person	ik	'k1	mij	me	mijn	m'n1	mijne	me
2nd person	jij	je	jou	je	jouw	je	jouwe	je
2nd person dialectal	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	zich
3rd person masculine	hij	ie1	hem	'm1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich
3rd person feminine	zij	ze	haar	'r1, d'r1	haar	'r1, d'r1	hare	zich
3rd person neuter	het	't1	het	't1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich
plural
1st person	wij	we	ons	–	ons, onze2	–	onze	ons
2nd person	jullie	je	jullie	je	jullie	je	–	je
2nd person dialectal	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	zich
3rd person	zij	ze	hen3, hun4	ze	hun	–	hunne	zich
1) Not as common in written language. 2) Inflected as an adjective.				3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). 4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative).

Synonyms

• wij

See also

• ons

---

Fwâi

we

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Haeke

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Haveke

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Japanese

Romanization

we

1. See ゐ
2. See ヱ
3. See うぇ
4. See ウェ

---

Jawe

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA: [vɛ]

Preposition

we (with locative; especially before labial consonants and consonant clusters)

1. Alternative form of w.

---

Mapudungun

Adjective

we (using Raguileo Alphabet)

1. new, recent

References

• Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

---

Nemi

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Nyâlayu

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wiz, *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy-, plural of *éǵh₂. Cognate with Old Frisian wī (West Frisian wy), Old Saxon wī (Low German wi), Old Dutch wī (Dutch wij), Old High German wir (German wir), Old Norse vér (Danish and Swedish vi), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (weis).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /weː/

Pronoun

wē (personal pronoun)

1. we (nominative plural form of iċ)

Descendants

• Middle English:
  • English: we

---

Pije

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Polish

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *vъ(n), from Proto-Indo-European *én

Pronunciation

• IPA: [vɛ]

• Audio

  (file)

Alternative forms

• w

Preposition

we (before words that begin with awkward consonant clusters)

1. at, in, into

---

Tocharian A

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *dwóy(h₁). Cf. also wu.

Numeral

we f

1. (cardinal) two

Related terms

• wu

---

Tok Pisin

Etymology

English where.

Adverb

we

1. where
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:9 (translation here):

     Tasol God, Bikpela i singaut long man na i tok, “Yu stap we?”

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

---

Yuaga

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

---

Zulu

Pronoun

-we

1. Combining stem of wena.

See also

2nd person singular concords^[edit]

Full noun prefix:	–
Basic noun prefix:	–
Subject concord:	u-, -wu-
Object concord:	-ku-
Possessive concord:	–
Adjective concord:	omu-2, om-
Relative concord:	o-
Pronoun:	wena, -we, -kho1
1 With possessive concords. 2 With single-syllable adjectives.
See Appendix:Zulu concords for a full table.