þū
þū is the Old English way to say 'you'.
The term is used as a subject pronoun to refer to the person being addressed.
Meaning: subject pronoun: the person being addressed (pron)
Which one should you use?
gē is the subject form for multiple people.
How does it change in a sentence?
þū is the nominative singular subject form. However, when 'you' becomes the object of a verb or follows a preposition, the form changes from þū to þē.
Did you know?
- Old English had no polite 'you'. Using the plural for one person as a sign of respect came later, in Middle English, under French influence.
- The letter þ in þū is called 'thorn'. It represents the 'th' sound and was created by adapting a rune from the older Germanic alphabet into the Latin alphabet.
- The word þū is structurally very different from the modern 'you', which actually originated from a different Germanic root used for the plural.
Examples in context
- Hū eald eart þū?How old are you?This sentence shows how to use þū to ask about someone's age.Tatoeba #8466119 by Rawrren, translation #436243 by lukaszpp
- Hui, hū færst þū?Hey, how are you?This sentence demonstrates using þū in a greeting to ask how someone is doing.Tatoeba #8466161 by Rawrren, translation #8466162 by Rawrren
- Wrīt þæt þū wāst.Write what you know.This sentence illustrates the use of þū as a subject in an imperative-style instruction.Tatoeba #13919371 by rul, translation #10056951 by espamatics
- Þē ic lufie swīðe micle.I love you very much.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Godric and Eadgyth are standing in a village field.
- GodricHwǣr eart þū, Eadgyth?Where are you, Eadgyth?
- EadgythIc eom hēr, Godric.I am here, Godric.
- GodricEart þū gearu?Are you ready?
- EadgythĠēa, iċ eom ġearu.Yes, I am ready.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
