Why is the plural form of the "Be" verb used with the singular personal pronoun "You", as in "How are you?"

"How am/is I/he/she/it?" vs "How are we/they?"

Linguistics English English grammar

Question added by Jamal Uddin , Translation Project Manager , Translation Specialists
Date Posted: 2015/05/21

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by Noelene Vorster , Teacher , Highveld Park High

'You' is not traditionally a singular pronoun. We used to refer to a singular person as 'thou' and plural as 'you' and now 'you ' refers to both singular and plural.

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Why is the plural form of the "Be" verb used with the singular personal pronoun "You", as in "How are you?"

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