wij

Dutch

Alternative forms

• we (muted)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wi, from Old Dutch wī, from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy, plural of *éǵh₂.

Compare Low German wi, West Frisian wy, German wir, English we, Danish vi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (stressed) /ʋɛi̯/, (unstressed) /ʋə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: wei

Pronoun

wij

1. the first-person plural personal pronoun; refers to the speakers; we

Declension

Dutch personal pronouns

	subject		object		possessive			reflexive	genitive5
singular	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	pred.
1st person	ik	'k1	mij	me	mijn	m'n1	mijne	me	mijner, mijns
2nd person	jij	je	jou	je	jouw	je	jouwe	je	jouwer, jouws
2nd person archaic or regiolectal	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u	uwer, uws
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u, zich7	uwer, uws
3rd person masculine	hij	ie1	hem	'm1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich	zijner, zijns
3rd person feminine	zij	ze	haar	h'r1, 'r1, d'r1	haar	h'r1, 'r1, d'r1	hare	zich	harer, haars
3rd person neuter	het	't1	het	't1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich	zijner, zijns
plural
1st person	wij	we	ons	–	ons, onze2	–	onze	ons	onzer, onzes
2nd person	jullie	je	jullie	je	jullie	je	–	je	–
2nd person archaic or regiolectal6	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u	uwer, uws
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u, zich7	uwer, uws
3rd person	zij	ze	hen3, hun4	ze	hun	–	hunne	zich	hunner, huns
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). 5) Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. 6) To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people").				7) Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.'

Synonyms

• we

Descendants

• Afrikaans: wy
• Jersey Dutch: wāi
• Negerhollands: wellie

See also

• ons, onze

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvij/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ij
• Syllabification: wij

Etymology 1

Probably related to Ukrainian вій (vij), which refers to the same creature. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

wij m animal

1. myriapod (arthropod belonging to the subphylum Myriapoda)
2. (Slavic mythology) viy (creature with gigantic eyelids and eyelashes from hell who kills by looking at people)

Declension

Declension of wij

	singular	plural
nominative	wij	wije
genitive	wija	wijów
dative	wijowi	wijom
accusative	wija	wije
instrumental	wijem	wijami
locative	wiju	wijach
vocative	wiju	wije

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

wij

1. second-person singular imperative present of wić

Further reading

• wij in Polish dictionaries at PWN