they

A1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

Also spelled dey

US /ðeɪ/ UK /ˈðeɪ̯/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like day /ð/ vs /d/

Freq #38

Meanings

1

pron
The people, animals, or things already mentioned.

My parents called; they are arriving tomorrow.
2

pron
A single person whose gender is unknown, unimportant, or non-binary.

Someone left their umbrella, but they didn't say which seat was theirs.
3

pron
People in general; some unspecified people.

They say it is going to be a cold winter.

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms they-unstheyfriendwill-they-won't-they

Related forms he herherselfhersenhershernhimhimselfhisselfhissenhishishisnimeithititselfhitselfitshis

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

let the chips fall where they may
accept whatever consequences follow from an action

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tóy Proto-Germanic *þai Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ) Old Norse þeirbor. Middle English þei English they From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi. The Norse term (whence also Icela…

þei Middle English þeir Old Norse *þai Proto-Germanic *só Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# they

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** pron
**IPA (US):** /ðeɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈðeɪ̯/
**Frequency rank:** 38

## Meanings
1. The people, animals, or things already mentioned.
2. A single person whose gender is unknown, unimportant, or non-binary.
3. People in general; some unspecified people.

## Examples
- My parents called; they are arriving tomorrow.
- Someone left their umbrella, but they didn't say which seat was theirs.
- They say it is going to be a cold winter.

## Derived Forms
- they-uns
- theyfriend
- will-they-won't-they

## Related Forms
- he
- her
- herselfhersen
- hershern
- him
- himselfhisselfhissen
- his
- hishisn
- ime
- ithit
- itselfhitself
- itshis

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: þei
- Root: þeir
- Root: *þai
- Root: *só

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tóy Proto-Germanic *þai Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ) Old Norse þeirbor. Middle English þei English they From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi. The Norse term (whence also Icela…

## AI Etymology
They is from Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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