jouw

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑu̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: jouw
• Rhymes: -ɑu̯
• Homophone: jou

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch jouwe, from Old Dutch *jūwa, a northern (Frisian?) variant of *iuwa, from Proto-West Germanic *iuwar, from Proto-Germanic *izweraz. Doublet of uw.

Determiner

jouw (dependent possessive, independent possessive jouwe, contracted form je)

1. your; second-person singular possessive determiner

Usage notes

• The form jouwe has a variant joune which is occasionally encountered in very informal speech, but this usage is widely considered to be incorrect.
• See the usage notes at uw.

Declension

Dutch personal pronouns

	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	u, zich7	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
3rd person gender-neutral8	hen	–	hen	–	hun	–	hunne	zich	hunner, huns
plural	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	pred.
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	u, zich7	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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people").
⁷⁾ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.'
⁸⁾ Not officially recognized in standard Dutch. It has gained popularity, especially in mainstream media and queer circles, as a respectful term for non-binary individuals.

Descendants

• Jersey Dutch: jāu

Etymology 2

Interjection

jouw

1. Expression of scorn.

Noun

jouw m (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. a jeer

Derived terms

• jouwen

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

jouw

1. inflection of jouwen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative