तू
tū/t̪u/
In Marathi, the word for "you" is तू (tū).
तू is a subject pronoun used to address the person being spoken to.
Meaning: subject pronoun: the person being addressed (pron)
Which one should you use?
The form तू is used for a single person in informal or intimate settings. In contrast, the form तुम्ही is used to address multiple people (plural) or to show respect to a single person (formal singular).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
तू is an informal and intimate version used with friends, family members, close acquaintances, children or those younger than you. To maintain politeness when addressing elders, strangers or superiors, you should use the formal form तुम्ही.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the informal तू in the present tense, the verb "to be" typically takes the form आहेस.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is tū. The sound /t̪/ is like the [t] in bi[t] (dental), and the sound /u/ is like the [u] in p[u]ll.
Did you know?
- In highly emotional or romantic poetry, तू is often used to address a deity to express a sense of intimate friendship with the divine.
- Marathi speakers often drop the word तू entirely in a sentence because the verb ending आहेस already tells the listener that the subject is 'you'.
- In some traditional Marathi households, children are taught to never use तू when speaking to their parents, regardless of how close the relationship is.
Examples in context
- तू गे आहेस का?Are you gay?This sentence is useful for asking a question using तू.Tatoeba #2277276 by sabretou, translation #2183944 by Hybrid
- ए, तू! इथे ये.Hey, you! Come here.This sentence is useful for a command using तू.Tatoeba #3496685 by sabretou, translation #2592855 by WestofEden
- तू रडत का आहेस?Why are you crying?Tatoeba #2087892 by sabretou, translation #36405 by CK
- तुम्ही कसे आहात?How are you?
- प्लीज आपलं कार्यालय कुठे आहे?Where is your office, please?
- तू आज खूप खुश दिसतोस!You look very happy today!
- 3692 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nilesh and Sayali are talking about a book.
- निलेश Nileshतू हे पुस्तक वाचले आहेस का?Tū he pustak vāchle āhes kā?Have you read this book?
- सायली Sayaliनाही, मी अजून वाचले नाही.Nāhī, mī ajun vāchle nāhī.No, I haven't read it yet.
- निलेश Nileshतू ते उद्या वाचून बघ.Tū te udya vāchūn bagh.You try reading it tomorrow.
- सायली Sayaliहो, मी नक्की वाचिन.Ho, mī nakkī vāchīn.Yes, I will definitely read it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry तू, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
