we

See also: Appendix:Variations of "we"

Languages (53)

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Page categories

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

we (disambiguation)

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

From Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with Scots wee, we (“we”), North Frisian we (“we”), West Frisian wy (“we”), Low German wi (“we”), Dutch we, wij (“we”), German wir (“we”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vi (“we”), Icelandic vér, við (“we”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 (vaēm), Sanskrit वयम् (vayám).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation, Canada) enPR: wē, IPA^(key): /wiː/
Audio (UK): (file)
Audio: (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /wi/
Audio (US): (file)
Homophones: oui, wee, Wii (wine–whine merger); whee
Rhymes: -iː

Pronoun

we (first-person plural personal pronoun nominative case, objective case us, possessive determiner our, possessive pronoun ours, reflexive ourselves, reflexive singular ourself)

Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s).
2. Excluding the person(s) being addressed. (This is the exclusive we.)
  We are here to arrest you.
  - 2017 February 20, Paul Mason, “Climate scepticism is a far-right badge of honour – even in sweltering Australia”, in the Guardian‎^[1]:
    It’s time to overcome queasiness and restraint. We, the liberal and progressive people of the world, are at war with the far right to save the earth.
4. Including the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.)
  We need to have a talk, you and me.
The institution which the speaker/writer is acting for. (This is the editorial we, used by writers and others when speaking with the authority of their publication or organisation.)
We will in due course state our reasons for publishing the name of the accused.

As the government, we have a duty to ensure public safety.
- 2021, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, “Paper No. CMAB C4/9/1”, in Documents of the Hong Kong Legislative Council‎^[2], page 1:
  In light of the promulgation of the aforementioned laws and decisions, we (the administration) propose to make the following amendments to local legislation to implement the relevant requirements on oath taking by public officers.
Any other entity that the speaker is a part of or identifies with, such as place of employment or education, nation, region, language, etc.
I went to watch our school football match against Puddletown High. We lost 2-0.

In English, we do not inflect adjectives for gender.
People in general.
We live and learn.

We still have much to learn about quantum mechanics.
- 2013 July-August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, in American Scientist:
  As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels.
(royal) The sovereign alone in his or her capacity as monarch. (This is the royal we. The reflexive case of this sense of we is ourself.)
We are Queen of all these Isles.
(colloquial) Everyone being addressed.
Good evening everyone. How are we all tonight?
(colloquial; may sometimes seem patronising) An individual being addressed; used especially to a person in the speaker's care, or to whom advice or instruction is being given. (Sometimes called the nurse's we or the doctor's we.)
Hello Mrs Miggins. How are we feeling this morning?

You've been spending all your money boozing when you have a wife and family to support. I think we need to get our priorities straight.
- 1836, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “The Boarding-House”, in Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume I, London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC, chapter II, page 204:
  “Well, my dear ma’am, and how are we?” inquired Wosky in a soothing tone. / “Very ill, doctor—very ill,” said Mrs. Bloss in a whisper.
- 2008 May 13, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):
  Are we ready to go to bed, sweetie?
(colloquial, uncommon) Used to refer to a third person, especially someone in the speaker's care.
"I've just been to see Mrs Miggins." — "And how is she?" — "I'm afraid we aren't too good today."
Used to connect to or include readers or listeners.
1. (colloquial) Used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences or activities and a group of listeners. (Compare the plural of modesty.)
  Hey guys, in this video I'll show you how I make my upside-down sponge cake. First we take 200 g of butter and we whisk in 200 g of sugar. Next, we ...
  - 2021 January 6, 3:38:03 from the start, in Rally on Electoral College Vote Certification‎^[3] (television broadcast), spoken by Donald Trump, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN):
    All Vice President [Mike] Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.
  - 2021 June 24, “Far from Home” (3:07 from the start), in Alone‎^[4], season 9, episode 4 (televison production), spoken by Theresa Emmerich Kamper, via HISTORY Channel:
    [Today is] not a day to think about fishing so we will get back to working on the shelter. [cut in video] Cool, so I guess the best analogy for this, then, is that we've basically framed the house, and now we get to shingle.
  - 2022 October 25, 32:11 from the start, Vote 2022, in Joseph Camp, director, PBS NewsHour‎^[5] (television production), spoken by John Fetterman, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived from the original on 25 October 2022:
    The elephant in the room, you know, we had a stroke back in May.
2. Used in explanatory or procedural writing, such as mathematical explanations, to imply inclusion of the reader in the undertaking.
  To solve the equation, we first collect all the terms in x on one side.
(colloquial) Used when talking to oneself to refer to oneself.
Now then ... let me see ... I hope I'm doing this right ... if we just connect these two wires together ...
(West Country, archaic) Us.
(bridge) The side which is keeping score.
Antonym: they

Derived terms

Descendants

Jamaican Creole: wi
Sranan Tongo: wi

Translations

generic we (the speaker and at least one other person, regardless of whether it's the person being addressed)

Abinomn: awp
Abkhaz: ҳара (ḥara)
Abom: neː
Afar: nanu
Afrikaans: ons (af)
Aghwan: 𐔷𐔰𐕎 (žan)
Akan: yɛn
Albanian: ne (sq)
Alviri-Vidari: جیمه (jime)
American Sign Language: 1^o-f@IpsiChest-FingerBack RoundHoriz 1^o-f@ContraChest-FingerBack (also inclusive and exclusive forms (not listed), as well as numeral incorporation)
Amharic: እኛ (ʾəña)
Arabic: نَحْنُ (ar) pl (naḥnu)
Chadian Arabic: أنحن (ʔanīna)

Egyptian Arabic: احنا (ʔíḥna)

North Levantine Arabic: نحنا pl (niḥna)

South Levantine: إحنا pl (ʔíḥna)

Tunisian Arabic: أَحْنَا m pl or f pl (ʔaḥnā)
Aragonese: nusatros m pl, nusatras f pl
Aramaic:
Hebrew: אֲנַחְנָא (ʾănaḥnā), אֲנַן (ʾănan)

Syriac: ܐ̄ܢܲܚܢܲܢ (naḥnan), ܚ̱ܢܲܢ (ḥənan)
Armenian: մենք (hy) (menkʻ)
Old Armenian: մեք (mekʻ)
Aromanian: noi
Assamese: আমি (ami)
Asturian: nosotros (ast) m pl, nosotras (ast) f pl
Avestan: 𐬬𐬁 du (vā), 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 pl (vaēm)
Azerbaijani: biz (az)
Bakhtiari: ایما (imâ)
Bambara: an
Bangi: biso
Bashkir: беҙ (beź)
Basque: gu (eu)
Bavarian: mia
Beja: hinin
Belarusian: мы (be) (my)
Bengali: আমরা (bn) (amra)
Breton: ni (br)
Bulgarian: ни́е (bg) (níe)
Burmese: ကျုပ်တို့ (kyuptui.), တို့ (my) (tui.), ကျွန်တော်တို့ (kywantautui.) (male speaker), ကျွန်မတို့ (kywanma.tui.) (female speaker), ငါတို့ (ngatui.) (informal)
Burushaski: mî
Buryat: бидэ (bide)
Carpathian Rusyn: мы (mŷ)
Catalan: nosaltres (ca)
Chamicuro: a'ti
Chichewa: ife
Chinese:
Dungan: вәму (vəmu)

Eastern Min: 我各儂 / 我各侬 (nguāi-gáuk-nè̤ng)

Gan: 我個俚 / 我个俚 (ngo³ go li), 我等 (ngo³ diin)

Hakka: 𠊎兜 (ngài-têu), 𠊎等 (ngài-tén, ngài-tên, ngài-nên), 𠊎等人 (ngai² dên¹ ngin² / ngai² dên³ ngin²) (Meixian)

Jin: 我們 / 我们 (ghe² me), 俺們 / 俺们 (ghan² me / gha² me)

Mandarin: 我們 / 我们 (zh) (wǒmen) (generic in most dialects, but exclusive in some), 俺們 / 俺们 (zh) (ǎnmen) (dialectal, Northern China)

Northern Min: 我人 (uòi-nêng)

Wu: 阿拉, 伲

Xiang: 我們 / 我们 (ngo³ men)
Chukchi: моргынан (morgynan)
Chuvash: эпир (ep̬ir)
Classical Nahuatl: tehhuān, tehhuāntin
Czech: my (cs)
Dalmatian: nu
Danish: vi (da)
Dutch: wij (nl), we (nl)
Dyirbal: ŋaliɖi du, ŋanaɖi pl
Edo: ìmà (emphatic), mà (regular)
Efik: nnyin
Esperanto: ni (eo)
Estonian: meie (et), me (et)
Even: бу (ʙu)
Evenki: бу (bu)
Extremaduran: nusotrus
Finnish: me (fi)
French: nous (fr) (formal), on (fr) (informal)
Old French: nos
Friulian: nô, noaltris
Galician: nós (gl) m pl or f pl
Georgian: ჩვენ (čven)
German: wir (de)
Alemannic German: mir
Greek: εμείς (el) (emeís)
Ancient Greek: νώ du (nṓ), ἡμεῖς pl (hēmeîs)
Gurani: ئێمە (ême)
Haitian Creole: nou
Hausa: (independent form) ^{(please verify)} múu, (perfective 1) ^{(please verify)} mún, (perfective 2) ^{(please verify)} múkà, (neg. perfective) ^{(please verify)} bàmù...bá, (future) ^{(please verify)} záamù, (predictive) ^{(please verify)} mâa, (habitual) ^{(please verify)} múkàn, (subjunctive) ^{(please verify)} mù (ha), (continuous 1) ^{(please verify)} múnàa, (continuous 2) ^{(please verify)} múkè(e), (neg. continuous) ^{(please verify)} báamàa
Hebrew: אֲנַחְנוּ (he) (anákhnu), אָנוּ (he) (ánu)
Hindi: हम (hi) (ham)
Hopi: itam
Hungarian: mi (hu), (usually indicated by the suffix only) -unk, -ünk
Icelandic: við (is)
Ido: ni (io)
Igala: àwa (emphatic), à
Igbo: ànyị (ig)
Indonesian: kita (id) (informal)
Ingrian: möö
Interlingua: nos (ia)
Irish: muid (conjunctive), sinn (disjunctive), muidne, sinne (emphatic)
Old Irish: sní
Istriot: nu
Italian: noi (it), noialtri
Izon: wó (short form), wónì (regular form), wómịnị̀ (emphatic form)
Japanese: 私達 (ja) (わたしたち, watashitachi), 我ら (ja) (われら, warera), 我々 (ja) (われわれ, wareware), 僕ら (ja) (ぼくら, bokura), (mainly vulgar, informal) 俺達 (ja) (おれたち, oretachi), (dialect) 俺等 (おいら, oira), うち (ja) (uchi), 僕達 (ぼくたち, bokutachi), 私ども (わたしども, watashidomo)
Jeju: 우리 (uri)
Kabuverdianu: anos, nu
Kalmyk: бид (bid), бидн (bidn)
Kannada: ನಾವು (kn) (nāvu)
Kashubian: më
Kazakh: біз (kk) (bız)
Khmer: យើង (km) (yəəng)
Kikuyu: ithuĩ
Korean: 우리 (ko) (uri), 저희 (ko) (jeohui) (humble)
Kumyk: биз (biz)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: em (ku), me (ku)
Kyrgyz: биз (ky) (biz)
Ladino: mozotros, מוזוטרוס, mozós
Lao: ພວກເຮົາ (phūak hao), ເຮົາ (hao), ຮາ (hā) (poetic), ຕູ (tū) (colloquial; I, we), ເຜືອ (phư̄a) (archaic), ເຜືອຂ້ອຽ (phư̄a khǭi) (archaic)
Latgalian: mes
Latin: nōs (la)
Latvian: mēs (lv)
Lingala: biso (ln)
Lithuanian: mes (lt)
Livonian: mēg
Lombard: nun (lmo)
Louisiana Creole French: nouzòt, nou, no
Low German: wi (nds)
Lü: ᦣᧁ (haw) (inclusive), ᦎᦴ (ṫuu) (exclusive), ᦎᦴᦃᦾᧉ (ṫuuẋoay²) (exclusive, deferential), ᦕᦴᧉᦃᦱᧉᦎᦴ (ṗhuu²ẋaa²ṫuu) (exclusive), ᦎᦴᦃᦱᧉ (ṫuuẋaa²) (exclusive, deferential), ᦣᦱᦎᦴ (haaṫuu) (exclusive)
Macedonian: ние (nie)
Manx: mayd, shin, (emphatic) shinyn
Mauritian Creole: nou
Mazanderani: اما (amâ)
Middle English: we
Middle Korean: 우리 (wuli)
Mòcheno: biar
Mon: ပိုဲ (mnw) (poi)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: бид (mn) (bid)
Mwani: ofwe
Nanai: буэ (bue)
Navajo: nihí du, danihí pl
Neapolitan: nuje
Nepali: हामी (ne) (hāmī)
Ngarrindjeri: ngurn
Nheengatu: yandé
Norwegian:
Bokmål: vi (no)

Nynorsk: me (nn), vi
Occitan: nos (oc), nosautres (oc)
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: мꙑ pl (my), вѣ du (vě)
Old East Slavic: мꙑ (my)
Old English: wit (ang) du, wē (ang) pl
Old Korean: 吾里 (*WUli)
Old Turkic: 𐰋𐰃𐰕 (b²iz /⁠biz⁠/)
Oromo: nuyi
Ossetian: мах (max)
Pannonian Rusyn: ми (mi)
Papiamentu: nos
Pashto: موږ (muẓ̌), مونږ (mung)
Persian:
Dari: مَا (mā)

Iranian Persian: ما (fa) (mâ)
Piedmontese: noi
Pipil: tejemet, tehemet
Polish: my (pl)
Portuguese: nós (pt), a gente (pt) (informal)
Prakrit: 𑀅𑀁𑀳𑁂 (aṃhe), 𑀯𑀬𑀁 (vayaṃ)
Romanian: noi (ro)
Romansch: nus
Russian: мы (ru) (my)
Sami:
Northern Sami: ^{(please verify)} moai du, ^{(please verify)} mii pl

Southern Sami: mijjieh
Sardinian: nois, noso, nosu
Scottish Gaelic: sinn (nonemphatic), sinne (emphatic)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ми̑

Latin: mȋ
Sicilian: nuàutri (scn), nui (scn)
Sidamo: ninke
Sindhi: اسين (āsẽ)
Sinhalese: අපි (si) (api)
Slovak: my
Slovene: mí (sl) m pl, mé (sl) f pl or n pl
Somali: innaga
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: my
Southern Altai: бис (bis)
Spanish: nosotros (es) m pl, nosotras (es) f pl
Sranan Tongo: wi
Svan: please add this translation if you can
Swahili: sisi
Swedish: vi (sv)
Tajik: мо (tg) (mo)
Talysh: əmə
Taos: ną
Tat: umu
Tatar: без (tt) (bez)
Tedim Chin: ei
Ternate: ngomi
Thai: เรา (th) (rao)
Tibetan: ང་ཐསོ (nga thso)
Tigrinya: ንሕና (nəḥna)
Tlingit: uháan
Tocharian B: wene du, wes pl
Tooro: itwe
Turkish: biz (tr)
Turkmen: biz (tk)
Tuvan: бис (bis)
Udi: йан (jan)
Ukrainian: ми (uk) (my)
Urdu: ہَم (ur) (ham)
Uyghur: بىز (ug) (biz)
Uzbek: biz (uz)
Venetan: noaltri (vec), noantri, nualtri, naltri
Volapük: obs (vo)
Walloon: nos (wa), nozôtes (wa)
Welsh: ni, (emphatic) ninnau
West Frisian: wy (fy)
Wolof: nun
Yaghnobi: мох (mox)
Yakut: биһиги (bihigi)
Yámana: xan
Yiddish: מיר (mir)
Yoruba: àwa (emphatic), a (regular)
Zande: ani
Zazaki: ma (diq)
Zealandic: oôns, wulder, (unemphatic) me
Zou: ei
Zulu: thina
ǃXóõ: īh, (emphatic) īhʻī, īsî, (emphatic) īsîʻī

exclusive we (the speaker and at least one other person, but excluding the person(s) being addressed)

Aklanon: kami
Avar: ниж (niž)
Aymara: nanaka
Bikol Central: kami (bcl)
Bislama: (dual) mitufala du, (trial) mitrifala, (plural) mifala pl
Chechen: вай (vaj)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 我哋 (yue) (ngo⁵ dei⁶), 我們 / 我们 (yue) (ngo⁵ mun⁴) (formal)

Hokkien: 阮 (zh-min-nan) (góan, gún)

Mandarin: 我們 / 我们 (zh) (wǒmen) (generic in most dialects, but exclusive in some)

Teochew: 阮 (ng²)
Fijian: keirau du, keitou (paucal), keimami pl
Finnish: me (fi)
Gujarati: અમે (ame)
Hadza: ôbee f, ûbii m
Hawaiian: māua du, mākou pl
Hiligaynon: kami
Hiri Motu: ai
Indonesian: kami (id)
Ingush: вай (vaj)
Kaitag: ниса (nisa), нисса (nissa)
Laboya: nami
Malay: kami (ms)
Malayalam: ഞങ്ങൾ (ml) (ñaṅṅaḷ)
Manchu: ᠪᡝ (be)
Mansaka: kami
Maori: māua du, mātou pl
Maranao: kami
Marathi: आम्ही (āmhī)
Mbya Guarani: ore
Mori Bawah: kami
Motu: ai
Niuean: maua du, mautolu pl
Ojibwe: niinawind
Old Tupi: oré
Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} ore
Pijin: mifala
Quechua: ñuqayku (qu), ñogaiku, nogakuna
Rapa Nui: maua du, matou pl
Samoan: please add this translation if you can
Sranan Tongo: wi
Tagalog: kami (tl)
Tamil: நாங்கள் (ta) (nāṅkaḷ), யாம் (ta) (yām)
Tausug: kami
Telugu: మేము (te) (mēmu)
Tetum: ami
Tok Pisin: mipela (tpi), mitupela (tpi) du
Tokelauan: māua du, mātou pl
Udihe: бу (bu)
Vietnamese: chúng tôi (vi)
Zhuang: dou

inclusive we (the speaker and the person(s) being addressed, and possibly others)

Aklanon: kita
Avar: нилъ (nilˢ)
Aymara: jiwasa (ay), jiwasanaka
Bikol Central: kita (bcl)
Bislama: ^{(please verify)} yumi, (dual) ^{(please verify)} yumitupela du, (trial) ^{(please verify)} yumitripela, ^{(please verify)} yumipela pl
Chechen: тхо (txo)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 你我 (nei⁵ ngo⁵)

Hokkien: 咱 (zh-min-nan) (lán), 咱人 (zh-min-nan) (lán-lâng)

Mandarin: 咱們 / 咱们 (zh) (zánmen), 咱 (zh) (zán) (dialectal), 你我 (zh) (nǐwǒ)

Teochew: 俺 (nang²)
Fijian: kedaru du, kedatou (paucal), keda pl
Finnish: me (fi)
Gujarati: આપણે (āpaṇe)
Hadza: onebee f, unibii m
Hawaiian: kāua du, kākou pl
Hiligaynon: kita
Hiri Motu: ita
Indonesian: kita (id)
Ingush: тхо (txo)
Kaitag: нихьва (nixva), ниххьва (niꭓxva)
Laboya: yitta
Malay: kita (ms)
Malayalam: നമ്മൾ (ml) (nammaḷ)
Manchu: ᠮᡠᠰᡝ (muse)
Mansaka: kita
Maori: tāua du, tātou pl
Maranao: kita
Marathi: आपण (mr) (āpaṇ)
Mbya Guarani: nhande
Mori Bawah: kita
Motu: ita
Niuean: taua du
Ojibwe: giinawind
Old Tupi: îandé
Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} ñande
Pijin: iumi
Quechua: ñuqanchik (qu)
Rapa Nui: taua du, tatou pl
Samoan: tā du, tātou pl
Santali: ᱟᱵᱚ (abô)
Sranan Tongo: unu, un
Tagalog: tayo (tl)
Tamil: நாம் (ta) (nām), நம்மள் (nammaḷ)
Tausug: kita
Telugu: మనము (te) (manamu)
Tetum: ita
Tok Pisin: yumi, yumipela
Tokelauan: tāua du, tā du, tātou pl
Udihe: минти (minti)
Vietnamese: chúng ta (vi)
Zhuang: raeuz

items to check for clusivity

Tagalog: kita (tl)
Turkish: ikimiz (tr) (you and I), üçümüz (we three etc.) [clusivity depends on context?]
Venetan: noi doi [clusivity depends on context?]

the royal we (referring to the sovereign alone acting in their capacity as monarch)

Arabic: نحن (ar)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 朕 (zam⁶), 寡人 (gwaa² jan⁴)

Mandarin: 朕 (zh) (zhèn), 寡人 (zh) (guǎrén)
Danish: please add this translation if you can
Dutch: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: me (fi)
French: nous (fr)
German: wir (de)
Italian: please add this translation if you can
Japanese: 朕 (ja) (chin)
Korean: 짐 (ko) (jim)
Malay: beta (ms)
Polish: my (pl)
Russian: мы (ru) (my)
Spanish: please add this translation if you can
Swedish: please add this translation if you can
Tamil: யாம் (ta) (yām)
Tangut: 𗧅 (*ɣjɨr¹), 𘓊𗸦 (*zjɨ̱r¹ dźjwu¹)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Vietnamese: trẫm (vi)

Determiner

we

Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as belonging to or constituting the stated category of people.
We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.

We the undersigned wish to express our disapproval.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wə/
Audio (Southern England): (file)

Pronoun

we

(Geordie) Us.
He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift.
He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.

And what have you done for we since? Nowt!
And what have you done for us since? Nothing!

Usage notes

Not to be confused with Tyneside us (“me”).

Anagrams

EW, e͞w, ew, E&W

Abinomn

Noun

we (dual werom, plural wekon)

tree kangaroo

References

Newguineaworld, citing Donohue and Musgrave, Abinomn nominal number (2007: 365)

Anguthimri

Noun

we

(Mpakwithi) owl

References

Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189

Caac

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/

Noun

we

water
kô-ny we
'my (glass/drink of) water'

References

A Study of Space in Caac, an Oceanic Language

Cameroon Pidgin

Alternative forms

wi, wu

Etymology

From English we.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wi/

Pronoun

we

we, us 1st person plural subject and object personal pronoun

Determiner

we

our, 1st person plural possessive determiner

Chuukese

Determiner

we (plural kewe)

(possessive subject marker) the (singular)

Dadibi

Noun

wẹ

water

Synonyms

ạị

References

Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN, page 130: Polopa so/sou woman, cf. DAR sou female animal but we woman. Several multiple cognate sets appeared in the data. Daribi uses both ạị and wẹ for water; some Polopa speakers gave one term, some another. Both are probably known everywhere.

Dutch

Etymology

See wij.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʋə/
Audio: (file)

Pronoun

we

unstressed form of wij (“we”)

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: wê

Fijian

Noun

we

scar

Fwâi

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

Galoli

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiR.

Noun

we

(Talur) water

References

Bryan Hinton, The languages of Wetar, in Spices from the east: Papers in languages of eastern Indonesia (2000), page 121

Gullah

Etymology

From English we.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wiː/

Pronoun

we

(first-person plural subject) we
(first-person plural object-oblique) us

Inflection

Gullah Geechee personal pronouns
Number	singular		plural
puss'n	subject	object-oblique	subject	object-oblique
fus	Uh, A¹	me	we
sekint	yuh, ya¹		oonuh, oona¹
tud	e, i¹	um	dey	dem

¹ alternate spelling

References

Virginia Mixson Geraty, Gulluh fuh oonuh: Gullah for You (1997)
Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1969)
Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association. Afro-Seminole Creole Wikitongues Language Class
David B. Frank. Gullah Grammar Sketch

Haeke

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla, Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)

Haveke

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla, Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)

Hmwaveke

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water

References

Leenhardt, M. (1946), Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "ʰMoavekɛ" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Ido

Etymology

From w +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/, /wɛ/

Noun

we (plural we-i)

The name of the Latin script letter W/w.

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch wee.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/, [we]

Noun

wé (plural we-we)

The name of the Latin-script letter W/w.

Synonyms

dabel yu (Standard Malay)

Jamaican Creole

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Conjunction

we

that
- 2023, Yuunivorshal Deklarieshan a Yuuman Raits, United Nations, Aatikl 25:
  Uman we a mada an pikni disorv speshal kier an elp.
  Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.
  (literally, “Women that are mothers, and children, deserve special care and help.”)

Etymology 2

Derived from English where.

Conjunction

we

where
- 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, Maak 14:14:
  Wen im go iina wan ous, tel di uona fi di ous se, "Di tiicha se fi aks yu se: We di ges ruum de we mi kyan nyam di Paasuova fuud wid mi speshal falara dem?"
  and when he goes into a house, ask the owner where I and my disciples can celebrate the Passover.

Japanese

Romanization

we

Rōmaji transcription of ゑ
Rōmaji transcription of ヱ
Rōmaji transcription of うぇ
Rōmaji transcription of ウェ

Jawe

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

Kashubian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈvɛ/
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: we

Preposition

we

alternative form of w

Kikuyu

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɛ(ː)/

Pronoun

we (second person singular)

you, thou

Related terms

-aku (“your, thy”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɛ/

Pronoun

we (third person singular)

s/he

Related terms

-ake (“his/her”)

References

“we” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 561. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Laboya

Noun

we

water

References

Greenhill, S. J.; Blust. R; Gray, R. D. (2008), “The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics”, in Evolutionary Bioinformatics‎^[6], number 4, archived from the original on 18 April 2017, pages 271-283
Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*wahiR”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɛ/

Preposition

we [with locative]

alternative form of w (especially before labial consonants and consonant clusters)

Mandarin

Romanization

we (we⁵ / we⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄨㄝ)

Hanyu Pinyin reading of 喂

Romanization

we

nonstandard spelling of wē

Usage notes

Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mapudungun

Adjective

we (Raguileo spelling)

new, recent

References

Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

Middle English

Etymology 1

from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Compare wit (first person dual pronoun).

The Southwest Midland pronunciation with /øː/ is due to the rounding effect of the preceding /w/.

Alternative forms

ve, whe
huue, hwe, vue, wæ (Early Middle English)
weo, woe, wue (Southwest Midlands)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /weː/, (Southwest Midlands) /wøː/

Pronoun

we (accusative us, we, genitive oure, possessive determiner oures)

First-person plural pronoun: we
First-person plural accusative pronoun: us

Descendants

English: we
- Jamaican Creole: wi
- Sranan Tongo: wi
Scots: we, oo
Yola: wough, wu, wee, we, w'

References

“we, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 May 2018.
Stenroos, Merja (2019), “The Development of Old English eo/ēo and the Systematicity of Middle English Spelling”, in Rhona Alcorn, Joanna Kopaczyk, Bettelou Los and Benjamin Molineaux, editors, Historical Dialectology in the Digital Age, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 150.

Etymology 2

From Old English wēa, from Proto-Germanic *waiwô. Doublet of wowe.

Alternative forms

wee, wea, wæ

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wɛ̝ː/, /weː/

Noun

we (uncountable)

woe, grief, sadness

References

“wẹ̄, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 30 December 2018.

Etymology 3

Noun

we

alternative form of wye (“man, warrior”)

Middle Low German

Pronunciation

Certainly: Stem vowel: ê⁴
- (originally) IPA^(key): /weː/

Etymology 1

From Old Saxon hwē, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

Pronoun

wê (accusative wēne or wen, dative wēme or wem, genitive wes)

(interrogative, masculine, feminine) who

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *wiz.

Pronoun

wê

(personal, first person, in the plural, nominative) alternative form of wî

Nedebang

Noun

we

blood

References

Gary Holton and Laura Robinson, The Internal History of the Alor-Pantar language family, in The Alor-Pantar languages: History and Typology, edited by Marian Klamer
transnewguinea.org (wæ), ASJP 1 (wE i.e. wɛ), ASJP 2 (we)

Nemi

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

North Ambrym

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water

North Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian wī, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy.

Pronoun

we (Mooring)

we (first-person plural personal pronoun)

Alternative forms

wi (Föhr-Amrum)
wü (Sylt)

Nyelâyu

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman, Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1991), page 81

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wiz, *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy, plural of *éǵh₂.

Cognate with Old Frisian wī (West Frisian wy), Old Saxon wī (Low German wi), Old Dutch wī (Dutch wij), Old High German wir (German wir), Old Norse vér (Danish and Swedish vi), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (weis).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /weː/

Pronoun

wē (personal pronoun)

we (nominative plural of iċ)
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 6:9-13
  Fæder ūre, þū þe eart in heofenum, sī þīn nama ġehālgod. Tōbecume þīn rīċe. Ġeweorþe þīn willa on eorþan, swā swā on heofenum. Ūrne dæġhwāmlīċan hlāf syle ūs tōdæġ. And forġȳf ūs ūre ġyltas, swā swā wē forġȳfaþ ūrum ġyltendum. And ne ġelǣde þū ūs on costnunge, ac alȳs ūs of yfle: sōþlīċe.
  Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Declension

Old English personal pronouns
			nominative	accusative	dative	genitive
singular	first person		iċ	mē, mec	mē	mīn
	second person		þū	þē, þec	þē	þīn
	third person	neuter	hit		him	his
		masculine	hē	hine	him	his
		feminine	hēo	hīe	hire
dual	first person		wit	unc, uncit	unc	uncer
dual	second person		ġit	inc, incit	inc	incer
plural	first person		wē	ūs, ūsiċ	ūs	ūre, ūser
	second person		ġē	ēow, ēowiċ	ēow	ēower
	third person		hīe		him	heora

Descendants

Middle English: we, ve, whe, huue, hwe, vue, wæ (Early Middle English), weo, woe, wue (Southwest Midlands)
- English: we
  - Jamaican Creole: wi
  - Sranan Tongo: wi
- Scots: we, oo
- Yola: wough, wu, wee, we, w'

Old Javanese

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *waʀi, from Proto-Austronesian *waʀi. Doublet of wari.

Noun

we

sun
day

Usage notes

Zoetmulder used Old Javanese we as primary entry for sun and day sense, while Old Javanese wwe used for water as primary entry.

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Descendants

> Javanese: ꦮꦺ (wé) (inherited)

Etymology 2

Noun

we

alternative spelling of wwe (“water”)

Old Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /vɛ/
IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /vɛ/

Preposition

we

alternative form of w

Pije

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈvɛ/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: we

Preposition

we

alternative form of w, used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters

Scots

Alternative forms

oo

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with English we.

Pronunciation

(stressed) IPA^(key): /wi/
- (Southern Scots) IPA^(key): /wəi/ (sometimes spelled wey)
(unstressed) IPA^(key): /wə/ (sometimes spelled wa)

Pronoun

we

we
us

References

“we, pers. pron.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 24 May 2024, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.
“we, pron.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 24 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

Silesian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈvɛ/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: we

Preposition

we

alternative form of w, used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters

Slovincian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈvə/
Rhymes: -və
Syllabification: we

Preposition

we

alternative form of w

Spanish

Etymology

Variant of güey, representing the relaxed pronunciation of the /gw/ sounds and in some cases loss of the /i/ sound.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈwe/ [ˈwe]
Rhymes: -e
Syllabification: we

Noun

we m or f by sense (plural wees)

(colloquial) dude, guy, buddy
Synonyms: carnal, cuate, tonto, bato
(Mexico, colloquial slang) chump, punk, dumbass, idiot, jerk

Tocharian A

cardinal numbers
Previous:	sas
Next:	tre

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Compare Tocharian B wi.

Numeral

we f

two

Related terms

wu

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English where.

Adverb

we

where
- 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:9:
  Tasol God, Bikpela i singaut long man na i tok, “Yu stap we?”
  →New International Version translation

Turkmen

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Persian (va).

Conjunction

we

and

Etymology 2

Noun

we (definite accusative [please provide], plural [please provide])

The name of the Latin-script letter W/w.

Uyghur

Other scripts
Arabic	ۋە
Latin	we‍
Cyrillic	вә (we)

Note: The Cyrillic follows the Kazakhstani standard.

Noun

we

Latin (ULY) transcription of ۋە (we)

Vamale

Noun

we

water

References

Greenhill, S.J., Blust. R, & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271-283.

Welsh

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /weː/

Noun

we

soft mutation of gwe

Mutation

Mutated forms of *gwe*
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
gwe	we	ngwe	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

West Makian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/

Noun

we

leaf

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[8], Pacific linguistics

Yola

Pronoun

we

alternative form of wough
- 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 7-9:
  and whilke we canna zei, albeit o' 'Governere,' 'Statesman,' an alike.
  and for which we have no words but of 'Governor,' 'Statesman,' &c.
- 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 21-23:
  Ye pace——yea, we mai zei, ye vaste pace whilke bee ee-stent owr ye londe zince th'ast ee-cam,
  The peace——yes, we may say the profound peace—which overspreads the land since your arrival,
- 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 116, lines 6-8:
  Na oure gladès ana whilke we dellt wi' mattoke, an zing t'oure caulès wi plou,
  In our valleys where we were digging with the spade, or as we whistled to our horses in the plough,

References

Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 114

Yuanga

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

we

water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman, Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1999), page 81

Zaghawa

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /we/

Noun

we

head lice

Numeral

we

three

References

Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad

Zulu

Pronoun

-we

Combining stem of wena.

Personal and possessive pronouns (Mooring dialect)
			personal				possessive
			subject case		object case		masculine referent	feminine / neuter / plural referent
			full	reduced	full	reduced	masculine referent	feminine / neuter / plural referent
singular	1st		ik	'k	me		man	min
	2nd		dü	–	de		dan	din
	3rd	m	hi	'r	ham	'n	san	sin
		f	jü	's	har	's	harn	har
		n	hat	et, 't	ham	et, 't	san	sin
plural	1st		we		üs		üüsen	üüs
	2nd		jam	'm	jam		jarnge
	3rd		ja	's	ja, jam	's	jare