wie

See also: Wie, wië, and wîe

Acehnese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wiə/

Noun

wie

1. left (direction)

References

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

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch wie.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

wie

1. (interrogative, personal) who, whom (object use predominantly with vir)

   Coordinate term: (non-personal) wat

   Wie het jou gesien? ― Who saw you?

   (Vir) wie het jy gesien? ― Whom did you see?

2. (relative, personal, after prepositions) whom

   Synonyms: (also non-personal) waar-, (with stranded preposition) wat

   die man met wie ek gespreek het ― the man with whom I spoke

3. (relative, personal, before se) whose

   Coordinate term: (non-personal) wat

   die man wie se vrou dood is ― the man whose wife died

Usage notes

• For speakers of Dutch there is a rather simple rule for the use of Afrikaans relative pronouns: Where Dutch uses wie, use the same. Where Dutch uses die, dat, wat, waar, use wat. In possessive constructions use wie se with persons and wat se with things.
• Relative wie with a personal referent in contexts other than the above-mentioned does occasionally occur. However, this is considered nonstandard and an anglicism.

See also

Afrikaans interrogative and relative pronouns

		interrogative		relative
		personal	other	personal	other
subject / object		wie	wat	wat
possessive		wie se	wat se	wie se	wat se
with preposition	prepositioned	met wie	met wat	met wie	—
	stranded	—	wat … mee	wat … mee
	adverbial		waarmee	waarmee

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wie, from Old Dutch wie, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wie
• Rhymes: -i
• Homophone: Wie

Pronoun

wie

1. (interrogative, subjective or objective) who, whom

   Wie is daar? ― Who’s there?

   Wie heb jij gezien? ― Whom did you see?

2. (relative, subjective or objective) who, whom; the one who, whoever

   Wie dit leest is geletterd. ― The one who reads this is literate.

   De receptionist aan wie ik het pakket heb afgegeven, werkte er pas net.

   The receptionist to whom I handed over the parcel had only recently started working there.

Usage notes

• In Dutch it is entirely standard and common to construe wie with a plural verb if the speaker expects the answer to encompass several persons. For example: Wie hebben dit gedaan? (literally “Who have done this?”).

Derived terms

• wien
• wiens
• wier

Descendants

• Afrikaans: wie
• Berbice Creole Dutch: wi
• Jersey Dutch: wî
• Negerhollands: wie, awi, awidi, widi

Anagrams

• wei

German

Etymology

From Middle High German wie, a merger of two interrelated forms: 1.) Old High German hwio, from older hwēo, from Proto-Germanic *hwaiwa; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰 (ƕaiwa). 2.) Old High German hwē, hwie, from Proto-Germanic *hwē; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌴 (ƕē). The latter is a variant of Proto-Germanic *hwī, whence English why, and is further a fossilized instrumental case of *hwaz, *hwat (“who, what”). Form 1 is also related to this stem. Outside of High German the only direct modern cognate is Limburgish wie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː

Adverb

wie

1. how

   Wie groß bist du?

   How tall are you?

   Ich weiß nicht, wie die Katze hereingekommen ist.

   I don't know how the cat got in.

   Wie wunderbar!

   How wonderful!

Related terms

• wieso
• wie dem auch sei
• wie geht es

Conjunction

wie

1. like

   Freunde sind wie Sterne in der Nacht.

   Friends are like stars in the night.

2. as

   Wie ihr wisst, bin ich in Dortmund aufgewachsen.

   As you know, I grew up in Dortmund.

   Ich bin so schnell wie du.

   I’m as fast as you are.

3. (colloquial, nonstandard) than

   Der Junge ist größer wie sein Vater.

   The boy is taller than his father.

4. (chiefly colloquial) when (referring to the past)

   Ich hab ihn gesehen, wie ich in Köln war.

   I saw him when I was in Cologne.

   Wie ich zur Tür herauskomme, steht da mein alter Schulfreund.

   When I came out the door, my old school-day friend was standing in front of me.

Synonyms

• (when, than): als (more properly standard)

Further reading

• “wie” in Duden online
• “wie” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “wie” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “wie” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Hunsrik

Alternative forms

• wii (Wiesemann spelling system)

Etymology

From Middle High German wie, a merger of two interrelated forms: 1.) Old High German hwio, from older hwēo, from Proto-Germanic *hwaiwa; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰 (ƕaiwa). 2.) Old High German hwē, hwie, from Proto-Germanic *hwē; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌴 (ƕē). The latter is a variant of Proto-Germanic *hwī, whence English why, and is further a fossilized instrumental case of *hwaz, *hwat (“who, what”). Form 1 is also related to this stem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viː/

Adverb

wie

1. how

   Wie schreibd-ma das?

   How do you spell that?

Related terms

• wieso

Conjunction

wie

1. like

   Sie brilld wie en Kind.

   She cries like a child.

2. as
3. than

   Er is schun greser wie ich.

   He's already bigger than me.

4. when (referring to the past)

   Wie-ich en Kind waar

   When I was a child

Synonyms

• (when, than): als

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch wie, from earlier wē, *hwē, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wiə/, /wi/

Pronoun

wie

1. who

Descendants

• Dutch: wie
• Limburgish: wae

Further reading

• “wie (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “wie (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle Low German

Pronunciation

• Stem vowel: ê⁴
  • IPA^(key): /wiə/, /wiɛ/

Pronoun

wie

1. (interrogative pronoun) Alternative form of wê.
2. (personal pronoun) Alternative form of wî.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From earlier wē, *hwē, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

Pronoun

wie

1. who

Alternative forms

• uuie
• wē

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: wie
  • Dutch: wie
  • Limburgish: wae

Further reading

• “wie (I)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German wie, a merger of two interrelated forms: 1.) Old High German hwio, from older hwēo, from Proto-Germanic *hwaiwa; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰 (ƕaiwa). 2.) Old High German hwē, hwie, from Proto-Germanic *hwē; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌴 (ƕē). The latter is a variant of Proto-Germanic *hwī, whence English why, and is further a fossiled instrumental case of *hwaz, *hwat (“who, what”). Form 1 is also related to this stem. Compare German wie.

Adverb

wie

1. (interrogatory) how

   Wie weess mer as es warricklich Friehyaahr iss?

   How do we know that it really is spring?

Plautdietsch

Etymology

From German Low German wi, from Middle Low German wi.

Pronoun

wie

1. we

   Wäa wie sent.

   Who we are.

Antonyms

• ekj (I)

See also

• wäa (who)
• wieda (further)
• ons (our)
• dü (you, thou)
• hee (he)
• see (she)
• jie (you)
• see (they)

Further reading

• Plautdietsch Lexicon of 17,000 words

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvjɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: wie

Verb

wie

1. third-person singular present of wiedzieć

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian wī, from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ. Cognates include West Frisian wy and German wir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi/
• Hyphenation: wie
• Rhymes: -i

Pronoun

wie (oblique uus)

1. we

See also

Saterland Frisian personal pronouns

			subject case		object case
			stressed	unstressed
singular	1st		iek		mie
	2nd		du		die
	3rd	m	hie	er	him
		f	ju	ze	hier
		n	dät	et	dät
plural	1st		wie		uus
	2nd		jie		jou
	3rd		jo	ze	hier

References

• Marron C. Fort (2015) “wie”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Yola

Preposition

wie

1. Alternative form of wee (“with”)
   • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 12, page 88:

     Than stalket, an gandelt, wie o! an gridane.

     Then stalked and wondered, with oh! and with grief.

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 88