Etymology
From Middle Dutch ji, northern form of gi, from Old Dutch gī, from Proto-Germanic *jīz, a northwest Germanic variant of *jūz, from Proto-Indo-European *yū́. Cognate with Low German ji, jie, English ye, West Frisian jimme, German ihr.
Until the earlier 20th century, jij was considered exclusively colloquial and hardly appeared in writing. The standard equivalent was the doublet gij. However, the latter’s object and possessive forms u and uw interfered with the polite pronoun u that had developed in the northern Netherlands and this could be odd-sounding e.g. in private letters. Therefore the Hollandic colloquial system (with jij, jou and jullie) came to be fully standardized after WWII. Gij has since been restricted to religious and highly formal contexts in the Netherlands, but remains common in Belgium.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /jɛi̯/
- Hyphenation: jij
- Rhymes: -ɛi̯
- IPA(key): /jə/ (unstressed, usually written je)
Pronoun
jij
- (second-person singular subjective personal pronoun) you
- Jij was er niet. ― You weren't there.
Usage notes
- Like several other Dutch personal pronouns, jij has the unstressed variant je, which is used when the pronoun lacks sentence stress. This is usually also reflected in writing.
In dat restaurant kun je heerlijk eten, ben je daar wel eens geweest? — Nee, jij?- You can get great food in that restaurant, have you ever been? — I haven't, have you?
Declension
More information subject, object ...
|
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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). |
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Descendants
- Afrikaans: jy
- Berbice Creole Dutch: ju
- Jersey Dutch: jāi
- Negerhollands: joe, ju
- Petjo: jij
Noun
jij m (Tifinagh spelling ⵊⵉⵊ, plural ijijen, diminutive tjitš)
- stake
- peg
Declension
More information Declension of, Singular ...
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