Du (personal pronoun)
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Du is a common Germanic second-person personal pronoun that can be found in many of the modern Germanic languages.
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[edit] Germanic languages
[edit]
In Swedish it is nowadays used on both informal and formal occasions due to reform in the 1970s.[citation needed] This means one can address anyone including nobility and politicians with du.[citation needed] However, it is rarely used when addressing a member of the Swedish royal family.[citation needed]
Du is also used in Danish and Norwegian.
[edit] German
In German du is only used as an informal pronoun. It is only addressed to persons that one knows very well, like family members and close friends. It is also most commonly used among young people. In formal cases one uses Sie.
[edit] Equivalents in other languages
- In English there is the archaic thou. The neutral you is used today.
- In Romance languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French the direct equivalent is tu (or tú in Spanish). Du and tu have a common root.
[edit] See also
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Look up du in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
[edit] References
- Du in danish language: http://da.wiktionary.org/wiki/du and http://www.ordbogen.com/opslag.php?word=you&dict=a000#daen
- Du in norwegian language: http://no.wiktionary.org/wiki/du
