wij

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wi, from Old Dutch wī, from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy-, plural of *éǵh₂.

Compare Low German wi, West Frisian wy, German wir, English we, Danish vi.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): (stressed) /ʋɛi̯/, (unstressed) /ʋə/
  • audio(file)
  • Homophone: wei

Pronoun

wij

  1. the first-person plural personal pronoun; refers to the speakers

Inflection
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 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, and in a similar vein to "you lot" or "you guys" in English, it is common to use gijlui ("you people") or gijlieden ("you people") or one of their contracted variants, and their corresponding objects, possessives and reflexives, in the plural.

Synonyms

Descendants
  • Jersey Dutch: wāi
  • Negerhollands: wellie

See also

Polish

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /vij/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ij
  • Syllabification: wij

Etymology 1

Probably related to Ukrainian вій (vij), which refers to the same creature. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

wij m animal

  1. myriapod (arthropod belonging to the subphylum Myriapoda)
  2. (Slavic mythology) viy (creature with gigantic eyelids and eyelashes from hell who kills by looking at people)
Declension
Declension of wij
singular plural
nominative wij wije
genitive wija wijów
dative wijowi wijom
accusative wija wije
instrumental wijem wijami
locative wiju wijach
vocative wiju wije

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

wij

  1. second-person singular imperative present of wić

Further reading
  • wij in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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