Word Choice – Correct Usage of ‘Who Is You’ Not ‘Are’

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Why do we say "who are you" when talking to a single person?



Related question: "Who is speaking with each other?" Is this correct?

Best Answer

In modern English "You" is both singular and plural but it always takes a verb form that originally marked the word as plural. This happens because of the way "to be" conjugates in modern English.

  • You are for singular
  • You are for plural

Examples: You are, you have, you weren't, and so on... They may all mean a single object or multiple objects.

In Early Modern English there was "thou" for the singular version of "you" and "ye" for the plural version of "you" but nowadays you will hear it mostly never.

If you wish to use "you" to speak about every single person of a group, use Each one of you, Every single one of you:

  • Each one of you is going to take this exam!
  • There shouldn't to be a single one of you to skip my lessons!

In English "you" can stand to refer to an unspecified person and is primarily used as a colloquial or less formal substitute for "one".

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