Language/Multiple-languages/Vocabulary/Pronouns

This chapter of Language comparisons focuses on the comparison of pronouns.

Note: every “word” is in nominative case.

How to indicate the speaker?

By the first-person singular pronoun.

Are there different first-person singular pronouns for different uses?

1. No.

language	word	note
Amharic	እኔ
Arabic	أَنَا‎‎
Basque	ni
Bengali	আমি
English	I
French	je
German	ich
Hausa	ni
Hebrew	אֲנִי
Hindi	मैं; हम
Italian	io
Javanese	aku
Kabyle	nekk
Kannada	ನಾನು
Malayalam	ഞാന്
Mandarin Chinese	我
Marathi	मी
Mon	အဲ
Portuguese	eu
Punjabi	ਮੈਂ
Russian	я
Spanish	yo
Swahili	mimi
Tamil	நான்
Telugu	నేను
Tigrinya	ኣነ
Turkish	ben
Urdu	ہم; میں

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Burmese	ကျွန်တော်; ကျွန်မ; ငါ; ကျုပ်	formal, male; formal, female; informal; more polite
Indonesian	saya; aku	formal; informal
Japanese	私(わたし); 私(わたくし); 僕; あたし; 俺	common; formal; informal; female; male
Khmer	ខ្ញុំ; ខ្ញុំបាទ; នាងខ្; ខ្ញុំព្រះករុណា; ខ្ញុំព្រះអង្គ; ខ្ញុំម្ចាស់	common; formal, male; formal, female; royalty; royalty, male; royalty, female
Korean	나; 저	common; formal
Malay	saya; aku; daku; hamba; patik; beta	formal; informal; poetic; lowest social strata; facing royalties; royalties
Thai	ผม; ดิฉัน; ฉัน; กระหม่อม; ข้าพเจ้า; หนู; กู	male; female; informal; more formal; more formal; child to adult; crude
Tsafiki	la; čiʰké; če	adult male; adult female; immature
Vietnamese	tôi; tớ; ta; mình	common; informal; informal; intimate

How to indicate the listener?

By the second-person singular pronoun.

Are there different second-person singular pronouns for different use?

1. No.

language	word	note
English	you
Esperanto	vi
Malayalam	നീ
Mon	ဗှ်ေ
Swahili	wewe
Tibetan	ཁྱེད་རང
Vietnamese	bạn

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Amharic	አንተ; አንቺ; እርስዎ	to male; to female; formal
Arabic	أَنْتَ‎‎ ; أَنْتِ‎‎ ; حَضْرَتَك‎‎ ; حَضْرَتِك‎‎	to male; to female; to male, formal; to female, formal
Bengali	তুই; তুমি; আপনি	informal; intimate; formal
Burmese	နင်; မင်း; ခင်ဗျား; ရှင်	informal; informal; formal, by male; formal, by female
French	tu; vous	informal; formal
German	du; Sie	informal; formal
Hebrew	אַתָּה; אַתְּ‎‎	to male; to female
Hindi	तू; तुम; आप	informal; polite; more polite
Italian	tu; lei	informal; formal
Japanese	貴方; 君; お前; あんた; てまえ; 貴様	polite; familiar; intimate or rude; by female or by older male; vulgar, by male; insulting
Khmer	លោក; លោកស្រី; នាងស្រី; អ្នក	to male or Buddhist monk; to older female; to younger female; common
Korean	당신; 너; 네; 자네	common; informal; informal; to low social strata
Malay	kamu; awak; anda; dikau; engkau	common; informal; formal; poetic; poetic, informal
Mandarin Chinese	你; 您	informal; formal
Portuguese	tu; você	familiar in Portugal, rarely used in Brazil; polite in Portugal, general in Brazil
Russian	ты; Вы; вы	familiar; polite; polite
Spanish	tú; usted; vos	familiar; polite; familiar
Tamil	நீ; நீங்கள்; தாங்கள்	familiar; polite; more polite
Telugu	నీవు; మీరు	familiar; polite
Thai	คุณ; เธอ; มึง; เอ็ง; ท่าน; นาย; หล่อน; เรา; โยม; ประสก; สีกา	colloquial; polite; vulgar, familiar; less vulgar, familiar; colloquial; colloquial, to male; colloquial, to female; elder to younger; vulgar; priest to layperson; priest to layman; priest to laywoman
Tigrinya	ንስኻ; ንስኺ; ንስኹም; ንስኽን	informal, to male; informal, to female; formal, to male; formal, to female
Turkish	sen; siz	familiar; polite
Urdu	آپ‎‎; تم‎‎; تو‎‎	formal; less informal; informal
Yoruba	ìwọ; ệyin	informal; formal

How to indicate a person being neither the speaker nor the listener?

By the third-person singular pronoun.

Are there different third-person singular pronouns for different use?

1. No.

language	word	note
Hindi	वह; यह
Persian	او
Turkish	o
Urdu	وہ‎‎; يہ‎
Yue Chinese	佢

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Amharic	እሱ; እሷ; እሳቸው	male or non-human; female; polite
Arabic	هُوَ; هِيَ‎‎	male or masculine non-human; female or feminine non-human
Burmese	သူ; သူမ	male or colloquial female or non-human; formal female
English	he; she; it	male; female; non-human
French	il; elle; ce; ça	male or masculine non-human; female or feminine non-human; non-human; non-human
German	er; sie; es	male or masculine non-human; female or feminine non-human; neuter non-human
Hebrew	הוא; היא; זֶה; זֹאת	male; female; masculine non-human; feminine non-human
Italian	lui; lei; esso; essa; egli; ella	male; female; masculine non-human; feminine non-human; male, literary; female, literary
Japanese	彼; 彼女	male; female
Kannada	ಇವನು; ಇವ; ಅವನು; ಅವ; ಇವಳು; ಅವಳು; ಇದು; ಅದು	this male; this male; that male; that male; this female; that female; this non-human; that non-human
Khmer	គាត់; គេ; នាង; វា	polite; polite, male or female; referring to a younger woman; non-human or referring to young children or people of lower rank
Korean	그; 그이; 그녀	male or female; polite, male; female
Malay	dia; ia; baginda; beliau	male or female; male or female or non-human; for kings, queens and Muslim prophets; for notable people
Mandarin Chinese	他; 她; 它	male; female; non-human
Portuguese	ele; ela	male or masculine non-human; female or feminine non-human
Russian	он; она́; оно́	male of masculine non-human; female or feminine non-human; neuter non-human
Spanish	él; ella; ello	male or masculine non-human; female or feminine non-human; neuter non-human
Tigrinya	ንሱ; ንሳ	male or non-human; female
Vietnamese	anh ấy; ông ấy; chị ấy; cô ấy; bà ấy; hắn; nó	young male; older or respected male; young female or older than the speaker; young female; older or respected female; informal or pejorative; child or non-human

How to indicate things in languages without third-person non-human pronoun?

By demonstrative pronouns.

language	word	note
Japanese	それ	thing near the listener
Korean	그것	thing near the listener

How to indicate people including the speaker and excluding the listener?

By the first-person plural pronoun (exclusive “we”).

Are there different first-person plural pronouns (exclusive “we”) for different use?

1. No.

language	word	note
Amharic	እኛ
Arabic	نَحْنُ‎‎
Basque	gu
Bengali	আমরা
English	we
German	wir
Hausa	múu
Hindi	हम
Italian	noi
Kannada	ನಾವು
Khmer	យើង
Malay	kami
Mandarin Chinese	我們／我们
Mon	ပိုဲ
Russian	мы
Swahili	sisi
Tamil	நாங்கள்
Telugu	మేము
Tigrinya	ንሕና
Turkish	biz
Urdu	ہم‎‎
Vietnamese	chúng ta

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Bislama	mitufala; mitrifala; mifala	dual; trial; plural*
Burmese	ကျုပ်တို့; တို့; ကျွန်တော်တို့; ကျွန်မတို့; ငါတို့	informal; informal; formal, by male; formal, by female; informal
French	nous; on	formal; informal
Hawaiian	māua; mākou	dual; plural*
Hebrew	אֲנַחְנוּ; אָנוּ	formal; informal
Japanese	私達; 僕ら; 僕達; 我ら	common; informal, humble; informal; formal, rarely used
Korean	우리; 저희	common; humble
Maori	māua; mātou	dual; plural*
Northern Sami	moai; mii	dual; plural*
Old Church Slavonic	вѣ; мꙑ	dual; plural*
Portuguese	nós; a gente	common; informal
Rapa Nui	maua; matou	dual; plural*
Spanish	nosotros; nosotras	masculine; feminine
Tok Pisin	mitupela; mitripela; mipela	dual; trial; plural*

*“plural” in these languages means more than two or more than three.

How to indicate people excluding the speaker and including the listener?

By the second-person plural pronoun.

Are there different second-person plural pronouns for different use?

1. No.

language	word	note
Amharic	እናንተ
English	you
French	vous
Icelandic	þið
Mandarin Chinese	你們／你们
Malay	kalian
Modern Greek	εσείς
Pashto	تاسې‎
Persian	شما‎
Russian	вы
Swahili	ninyi
Ukrainian	ви
Yue Chinese	你哋
Zulu	nina

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Arabic	أَنْتُمَا; أَنْتُم; أَنْتُنَّ‎; حَضْرَتْكُم	common gender, dual; masculine, plural; feminine, plural; formal
Aramaic	ܐܢܬܘܢ = אנתון‎; אנתין‎ = ܐܢܬܝܢ‎	masculine; feminine
Bengali	তোরা; তোমরা; আপনারা; তোমরা	familiar; very familiar; polite; polite
Burmese	နင်တို့; နင်တို့; ရှင်တို့	to younger people; polite, by male; polite, by female
Danish	I; De	familiar; polite
German	ihr; Sie	familiar; polite
Hawaiian	ʻolua; ʻoukou	dual; plural
Hebrew	אֲתֶּם‎; אֲתֶּן‎	masculine; feminine
Hindi	तुम; आप	mid-polite; polite
Hungarian	ti; önök	familiar; polite
Japanese	貴方達; 貴方方; お前達; 君達; 貴様等	generic; honorific; slightly rude; intimate or toward subordinates; highly insulting
Korean	너희; 여러분; 너희; 당신들; 이놈들; 니네; 니들; 자네들	generic, discourteous if used for a superior; honorific; slightly rude; slightly rude; highly insulting; very familiar; very familiar; intimate toward subordinates
Kyrgyz	силер; сиздер	familiar; polite

How to indicate people including the speaker and the listener?

By the first-person plural pronoun (inclusive “we”).

Are there different first-person plural pronouns (inclusive “we”) for different use?

1. No.

language	word	note
Arabic	نَحْنُ‎‎
French	nous
Malay	kita
Portuguese	nós
Telugu	మనము

How to indicate people excluding the speaker and the listener?

By the third-person plural pronoun.

Are there different third-person plural pronouns for different use?

1. No.

language	word	note
Danish	de
English	they
German	sie
Hungarian	ők
Malay	mereka
Rapa Nui	raua
Russian	они́
Swahili	wao
Tok Pisin	ol
Turkish	onlar
Vietnamese	họ

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Dalmatian	jali; jale	masculine; feminine
Faroese	teir; tær; tey	masculine; feminine; neuter
Galician	elos; elas	masculine; feminine
Hebrew	הֵם‎; הֵן‎	masculine; feminine
Icelandic	þeir; þær; þau	masculine; feminine; neuter
Korean	그들; 그녀들	common; female
Modern Greek	αυτοί; αυτές; αυτά	masculine; feminine; neuter
Scottish Gaelic	iad; iadsan	common; emphatic
Slovak	oni; ony	masculine; feminine or neuter
Slovene	ôni; ône; ôna	masculine; feminine; neuter
Spanish	ellos; ellas	masculine; feminine

Are “exclusive we” and “inclusive we” different words?

1. No.

language	word	note
English	we
Finnish	me
German	wir
Mandarin Chinese	我們／我们

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Bislama	yumitu; yumitri; yumi; mitufala; mitrifala; mifala	inclusive dual; inclusive trial; inclusive plural; exclusive dual; exclusive trial; exclusive plural
Hawaiian	kāua; kākou; māua; mākou	inclusive dual; inclusive plural; exclusive dual; exclusive plural
Vietnamese	chúng ta; chúng tôi	inclusive; exclusive

Is there any plural form the same as or similar to the polite singular form?

1. No.

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Bashkir	һеҙ	second-person plural, second-person singular polite
Estonian	teie, te	second-person plural, second-person singular polite
French	vous	second-person plural, second-person (singular or plural) polite
German	sie; Sie	third-person plural; second-person singular polite
Hindi	वे	third-person plural, third-person singular polite
Latvian	jūs	second-person plural, second-person (singular or plural) polite
Lithuanian	jūs	second-person plural, second-person singular polite
Mongolian	та	second-person plural, second-person singular polite

Is there any pronoun the same as or similar to a determiner?

1. No.

2. Yes.

language	word	note
Danish	de	third-person plural nominative pronoun, plural demonstrative pronoun or plural definite article
Kannada	ಅವರು; ಅವುಗಳು; ಅವು	masculine or feminine plural personal pronoun or demonstrative pronoun; neuter plural personal pronoun or demonstrative pronoun; neuter plural personal pronoun or demonstrative pronoun
Modern Greek	αυτοί; αυτές; αυτά	third-person masculine plural personal pronoun or determiner; third-person feminine plural personal pronoun or determiner; third-person neuter plural personal pronoun or determiner
Norwegian	de	third-person plural nominative pronoun, plural demonstrative pronoun or plural definite article

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