gij

gij - Dutch

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɣɛi̯/
  • Hyphenation: gij

Pronoun

gij

  1. (dialectal, colloquial) you
    • Motte gij nog een pilske?
      • Do you want another beer?
  2. (archaic, literary, religious) thou
    • Gij zult niet doden.
      • Thou shalt not kill.

Usage notes

  • In most of the Netherlands, the personal pronoun gij and its variants are now mainly used in religious context and are otherwise considered archaic. In Belgium and the southern Netherlands, gij is still the go-to second-person singular in colloquial language; in formal written language it is not used unless the referred second person is "God" or the "king".
  • The best translation when used in archaic contexts would be thou; when used in Belgium or the southern Netherlands, it would typically be a familiar you (singular), like tu in French. Unlike in English, gij usually takes the same verb form as jij except when there is inversion or with some irregular verbs or in the past tense. Compare heb jij dit gedaan? versus hebt gij dit gedaan? (have you / hast thou done this?). Also: jij zal versus gij zult (you shall/will / thou shalt/wilt), jij bent versus gij zijt (you are / thou art), jij vloog versus gij vloogt (you flew / thou flewest) etc.

Inflection

subject object possessive reflexive genitive5
singular full unstr. full unstr. full unstr. pred.
1st person ik 'k1 mij me mijn m'n1 mijne me mijner, mijns
2nd person jij je jou je jouw je jouwe je jouwer, jouws
2nd person archaic or regiolectal gij ge u uw uwe u uwer, uws
2nd person formal u u uw uwe zich uwer, uws
3rd person masculine hij ie1 hem 'm1 zijn z'n1 zijne zich zijner, zijns
3rd person feminine zij ze haar h'r1, 'r1, d'r1 haar h'r1, 'r1, d'r1 hare zich harer, haars
3rd person neuter het 't1 het 't1 zijn z'n1 zijne zich zijner, zijns
plural
1st person wij we ons ons, onze2 onze ons onzer, onzes
2nd person jullie je jullie je jullie je je
2nd person archaic or regiolectal6 gij ge u uw uwe u uwer, uws
2nd person formal u u uw uwe zich uwer, uws
3rd person zij ze hen3, hun4 ze hun hunne zich hunner, huns
1) Not as common in written language. 2) Inflected as an adjective. 3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). 4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). 5) Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. 6) To differentiate from the singular gij, and in a similar vein to "you lot" or "you guys" in English, it is common to use gijlui ("you people") or gijlieden ("you people") or one of their contracted variants, and their corresponding objects, possessives and reflexives, in the plural.

gij - Zhuang

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Zhuang) IPA: /ki˥/
  • Tone numbers: gi3
  • Hyphenation: gij

Classifier

gij (Sawndip forms 𰂌 or or or or , 1957–1982 spelling giз)

  1. Classifier for abstract nouns.
  2. Classifier for a group of objects.
  3. Derives a noun from a verb.

Derived terms

  • gijgueng
  • gijgwn
  • gijgvangq
  • gijlawz
  • gijlaeng
  • gijmaz
  • gijndei
  • gijsieng

Noun

gij (1957–1982 spelling giз)

  1. (dialectal) faeces; stool; dung

Verb

gij (1957–1982 spelling giз)

  1. to elect; to choose; to recommend
    • Synonym: gawj
Meaning and Definition of gij
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