du
Page categories
Abinomn
Noun
du
Achang
Pronunciation
- (Myanmar) /du˧/
- (Lianghe) [to³¹]
- (Longchuan) [to³¹]
- (Luxi) [tua⁵¹]
- (Xiandao) [to³¹]
Verb
du
- to crawl
Further reading
- Inglis, Douglas, Sampu, Nasaw, Jaseng, Wilai, Jana, Thocha (2005) A preliminary Ngochang–Kachin–English Lexicon[3], Payap University, page 27
Äiwoo
Determiner
du
References
- Ross, M. & Næss, Å. (2007) “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 46, number 2. Cited in: "Äiwoo" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.
Albanian
Verb
du
- dialectal form of dua
Alemannic German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/
Pronoun
du
Declension
nominative | accusative | dative | possessive m | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | 1st person | ich, i | mich, mi | mir, mier, mer | min, miin | |
2nd person |
familiar | du | dich, di | dir, dier, der | din, diin | |
polite | Si | Ine, Ene, -ne | Ire | |||
3rd person |
m | er | in, en | im | sin, siin | |
f | si | ire | ||||
n | es, 's, -s | im | sin, siin | |||
plural | 1st person | mir, mer | üs, öis, ois, eus | üse, öise, oise, euse | ||
2nd person | ir, ier | öi, eu | öie, eure | |||
3rd person | si | ine, ene, -ne | ire |
Amanab
Noun
du
- a kind of bird
Ashkun
< 1 | 2 | 3 > |
---|---|---|
Cardinal : du | ||
Etymology
From Proto-Nuristani *dū, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dwáH, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdu/
Numeral
du (Sanu)[1]
References
Bambara
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [dúù]
Noun
du
References
- 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.
Basque
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/ [d̪u]
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -u
- Hyphenation: du
Verb
du
- Third-person singular (hark), taking third-person singular (hura) as direct object, present indicative form of izan.
Usage notes
Linguistically, this verb form can be seen as belonging to the reconstructed citation form edun instead of izan.
Bavarian
Etymology
Pronoun
du
- you (nominative, singular)
See also
nominative | accusative | dative | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | ||
1st person singular | i | — | mi | — | mia (mir) | ma | |
2nd person singular | informal | du | — | di | — | dia (dir) | da |
formal | Sie | — | Eahna | — | Eahna | — | |
3rd person singular | m | er | a | eahm | 'n | eahm | 'n |
n | es, des | 's | des | 's | |||
f | se, de | 's | se | 's | ihr | — | |
1st person plural | mia (mir) | ma | uns | — | uns | — | |
2nd person plural | eß, ihr | — | enk, eich | — | enk, eich | — | |
3rd person plural | se | 's | eahna | — | eahna | — |
Breton
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *duβ, from Proto-Celtic *dubus, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdyː/
Adjective
du
Mutation
unmutated | soft | aspirate | hard | |
---|---|---|---|---|
simple form | du | zu | never occurs | never occurs |
comparative | duoc'h | zuoc'h | never occurs | never occurs |
superlative | duañ | zuañ | unchanged | tuañ |
Derived terms
Noun
du m
Mutation
Verb
du
- third-person singular present indicative of duañ
Mutation
See also
gwenn | louet | du |
ruz | orañjez, melen-ruz; gell | melen |
gwer, glas | ||
cyan | glas | |
magenta; glasruz | roz |
Burushaski
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [d̪u]
Noun
du (plural duwants)
See also
- halkaas mamushi
- meenis
References
Sadaf Munshi (2015) “Word Lists”, in Burushaski Language Documentation Project[4].
Catalan
Verb
du
- inflection of dur:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person singular imperative
Cimbrian
Etymology
From Middle High German du, from Old High German dū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū. Cognate with German du, archaic English thou (modern dialectal tha).
Pronoun
du
- (Luserna, Sette Comuni) you (thou, singular familiar)
- Bobrall du geast, gedenkhte ber du pist. ― Wherever you go, remember who you are.
Inflection
Sette Comuni:
nominative | accusative | dative | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1st person singular | ich | mich | miar | |
2nd person singular |
familiar | du | dich | diar |
polite | iart | ach | òich | |
3rd person singular |
m | èar, ar | in, en | iime |
f | zi, ze | iar | ||
n | es, is | es, 's | iime | |
1st person plural | bar, bandare |
zich | izàndarn | |
2nd person plural | iart, iartàndare, artàndare |
òich, ach | ogàndarn | |
3rd person plural | ze, zòi, zandare |
zich | innàndarn |
Luserna:
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
1st person | i | biar |
2nd person | du | iar |
3rd person | er, si, 'z | se |
References
- “du” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo
- Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien
Cornish
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *duβ, from Proto-Celtic *dubus, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-.
Pronunciation
- (Revived Middle Cornish) IPA(key): [dyː]
- (Revived Late Cornish) IPA(key): [dɪˑʊ]
Adjective
du
Derived terms
- arth du Amerika (“American black bear”)
- arth du Asi (“Asian black bear”)
- bord du (“blackboard”)
- Du (“November”)
- duhe (“blacken”)
- dulas (“dark green”)
- durudh (“dark red”)
- glasdu (“navy, dark blue”)
- gwaneth du (“buckwheat”)
- hwil du (“cockroach”)
- korynt du (“blackcurrant”)
- lenn dhu (“blind (window)”)
- men du (“jet black”)
- molgh dhu (“blackbird”)
- mor du (“blackberries”)
- penn du (“tadpole”)
- pur dhu (“pitch black”)
- rol dhu (“blacklist”)
- sten du (“tin ore”)
- ys du (“buckwheat”)
Mutation
unmutated | soft | aspirate | hard | mixed | mixed after 'th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
du | dhu | unchanged | tu | tu | tu |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Cornish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
See also
gwynn | loos, glas | du |
rudh; kogh | rudhvelyn, melynrudh; gell, gorm | melyn; losvelyn |
gwyrdh, gwer, glas | ||
glaswyrdh, glaswer; gwerlas | glaswyn, blou | glas |
glasrudh, purpur; indigo | majenta; purpur, glasrudh | gwynnrudh, kigliw |
Danish
Etymology 1
From Old Danish thu, from Old Norse þú, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂ (“you”). Cognate with English thou, Latin tū, Sanskrit त्वम् (tvam), Avestan 𐬙𐬏𐬨 (tūm), Russian ты (ty).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈd̥u], [d̥u]
Pronoun
du (objective dig)
See also
Number | Person | Type | Nominative | Oblique | Possessive | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
common | neuter | plural | |||||
Singular | First | – | jeg | mig | min | mit | mine |
Second | modern / informal | du | dig | din | dit | dine | |
formal (uncommon) | De | Dem | Deres | ||||
Third | masculine (person) | han | ham | hans | |||
feminine (person) | hun | hende | hendes | ||||
common (noun) | den | dens | |||||
neuter (noun) | det | dets | |||||
indefinite | man | en | ens | ||||
reflexive | – | sig | sin | sit | sine | ||
Plural | First | modern | vi | os | vores | ||
archaic / formal | vor | vort | vore | ||||
Second | – | I | jer | jeres | |||
Third | – | de | dem | deres | |||
reflexive | – | sig |
Etymology 2
From Old Danish dughæ, from Old Norse duga, from Proto-Germanic *duganą (“to be useful”), cognate with Swedish duga, German taugen, Gothic 𐌳𐌿𐌲𐌰𐌽 (dugan).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈd̥uːˀ]
Verb
du (imperative du, present dur or duer, past duede, past participle duet)
Conjugation
Dena'ina
Particle
du
- interrogative particle (placed at the end of the sentence to make a question)
Dutch
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle Dutch du, from Old Dutch thū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dy/
- Hyphenation: du
- Rhymes: -y
Pronoun
du
- (obsolete or dialectal) Second-person singular informal pronoun; thou
- 1620, Jacob Cats, Velt-teycken, alle eerbare jonge lieden toegeeygent:
- Sy roept, du bist een slaef, in mijne dienst gebonden
- She calls, thou art a slave, bound to my service
- 1625, Joost van den Vondel, Wiech-liedt:
- Soo leyt dyn memmetje dy in dyn wiechje te rust.
- So thy mama lays thee to rest in thy cradle.
Usage notes
- Du was already falling out of general use in early modern Dutch. It was still relatively common in the oblique cases, in vocatives or close to vocative appositions and when indicating contempt.
- The corresponding verbal ending was -st. The present form of zijn was bist, for hebben the present forms hebst and hest were in use. When the nominative directly followed the verb, contraction usually occurred: -stu; bistu, hebstu.
Declension
Elfdalian
Etymology
From Old Norse þú, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂. Cognate with Swedish du.
Pronoun
du
Esperanto
20 | ||
← 1 | 2 | 3 → |
---|---|---|
Cardinal: du Ordinal: dua Adverbial: due Multiplier: duobla, duopa Fractional: duona, duono |
Etymology
From Latin duo, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -u
- Hyphenation: du
Numeral
du
Derived terms
Fala
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Galician-Portuguese do, equivalent to de (“of”) + u (masculine singular definite article).
Contraction
du m sg (plural dus, feminine da, feminine plural das)
References
- Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)[5], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French del. The expected modern form would be *deau or *deu, but it underwent stronger contraction, due to its unstressed use. Akin to Galician do, Portuguese do, Sicilian dû, Italian and Spanish del.
Pronunciation
Contraction
du
- contraction of de + le (“of the”)
- « Eussent » est la troisième personne du pluriel de l'imparfait du subjonctif de « avoir ».
- "Eussent" is the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive [form] of "avoir."
- 1802, Charles Brillat, Pierre Bazaine, Métrologie française, page 249:
- Le bouge donne 9 [neuf] litres plus que le point qui correspond à celui du diamètre des fonds indiqué par la jauge […]
- The bulge gives 9 [nine] liters more than the point which corresponds to that of the diameter of the base indicated by the gauge […]
Usage notes
- Only used before nouns (or nominalized forms of other parts of speech, most often adjectives) that begin with consonants; before vowel-initial words, the form de l' is used, e.g., as seen above, de l'imparfait.
Related terms
Article
du m sg (feminine singular de la, plural des)
- Forms the partitive article.
- Il mange du pain. ― He eats bread. / He eats some bread.
Usage notes
- The partitive article is used with uncountable nouns instead of the indefinite article (which is only used with countable nouns). English and most other European languages do not use any article in such cases.
- Like the indefinite article, the partitive article becomes simple de with grammatical objects in negated sentences: Il ne mange pas de pain. (“He doesn't eat bread.”)
- After the actual preposition de (“of, from”), the partitive article is deleted. So one can never say *de du or *de de la.
Further reading
- “du”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Gaikundi
Noun
du
Further reading
German
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle High German du, duo, dū, from Old High German dū (akin to Old Saxon thū and English thou), itself from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.
Pronunciation
- (stressed) IPA(key): /duː/
Audio: (file) Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -uː
- (unstressed, standard) IPA(key): /du/
- (unstressed, colloquial) IPA(key): /də/
- After the second person singular verb ending -st, the /d/ is generally lost when the pronoun is unstressed. Thus hast du is pronounced [ˈhast‿u] even in purposefully enunciated speech.
- In colloquial speech, chiefly of northern and central Germany, the /d/ can be lost after any preceding coronal. Thus wenn du may be pronounced [ˈvɛn‿u] or [ˈvɛn‿ə].
Pronoun
du
Usage notes
- Du is the informal second person pronoun. In formal speech, the third person plural Sie (always capitalised) is used instead.
- A general rule of thumb is that du is used to address one's friends, relatives, and those under about 16 years of age. Du is always used to address children and non-human beings.
- Usage also depends on the setting: two unacquainted, middle-aged persons are likely to use du when they meet at social gatherings, but much less so when they happen on each other in the street. People under 30 often use du among each other, but they still use Sie when one of them is at work, e.g. in a shop (some cafés and most pubs are an exception).
- There is also a great deal of (often subtle) regional variation throughout the German-speaking world.
Declension
singular | plural | sing. and pl. | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st person | 2nd person familiar1 |
3rd person | 1st person | 2nd person familiar1 |
3rd person | 2nd person polite/formal | |||
m | f | n | |||||||
nominative | ich | du -e2 |
er | sie -se2 |
es | wir | ihr | sie -se2 |
Sie Ihr3 |
genitive | meiner mein3 |
deiner dein3 |
seiner sein3 |
ihrer | seiner sein3 |
unser | euer | ihrer | Ihrer Euer3 |
dative | mir | dir | ihm | ihr | ihm | uns | euch | ihnen | Ihnen Euch3 |
accusative | mich | dich | ihn | sie -se2 |
es | uns | euch | sie -se2 |
Sie Euch3 |
1These forms are sometimes capitalized, especially in letters. 2enclitic, colloquial 3archaic
Derived terms
Further reading
Gothic
Romanization
du
- romanization of 𐌳𐌿
Gun
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Gbe *ɖu.[1] Cognates include Fon ɖù, Saxwe Gbe ɖù, Adja ɖù, Ewe ɖu
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɖù/
Verb
dù (Nigeria)
- to eat
- to bite
- Àgọ̀sú hò àvún dàhó dé bọ̀ àvún wá dù ví étọ̀n ― Agosu bought a certain big dog and the dog eventually bit his child
- to win
Derived terms
- dù gbẹ́ (“to enjoy life”)
- dù gán (“to become a chief”)
- dù hwè (“to celebrate”)
- dù kwẹ́ (“to spend money”)
- dù nùgò (“to boast”)
- dù nú (“to eat something”)
- dù wìyán (“to be ashamed”)
- dù yà (“to suffer”)
- dù àdì (“to be angry”)
- dù àxọ́ (“to go bankrupt/have debt”)
- núdùdù (“food”)
- vòdùtọ́ (“candidate”)
References
- ^ Capo, Hounkpati B.C. (1991) A Comparative Phonology of Gbe (Publications in African Languages and Linguistics; 14), Berlin/New York, Garome, Benin: Foris Publications & Labo Gbe (Int), page 215
Hunsrik
Alternative forms
- tuu (Wiesemann spelling)
Etymology
From Middle High German and Old High German dū (akin to Old Saxon thū and English thou).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tuː/, /tə/
Pronoun
du
Inflection
nominative | accusative | dative | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
proclitic | enclitic | stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | |||
singular | 1st person | ich eich |
-ich | mich meich |
meer | mer m'r | ||
2nd person (informal) |
du dau/Dau |
-du, -de -Dau, -De |
dich deich/Deich |
deer | der d'r/D'r | |||
3rd person |
m | er; där | -er | ihn | en | ihm | em | |
f | sie; die | -se | sie / ihns | se | eer ehr |
re | ||
n | es; das et, 't |
's | es et |
-et, -'t |
ihm | em | ||
plural | 1st person | meer | mer | uns uhs | ||||
2nd person | deer Ehr, Dehr |
der | eich Auch | |||||
3rd person | sie; die | -se | sie | se | denne |
Further reading
Ido
20 | ||
← 1 | 2 | 3 → |
---|---|---|
Cardinal: du Ordinal: duesma Adverbial: dufoye Multiplier: duopla Fractional: duima |
Etymology
From Esperanto du, from French deux, Spanish dos, Italian due, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁.
Numeral
du
- two (2)
Jamaican Creole
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/
Verb
du
- to do
- Shi aks im fi du sitn fi ar.
- She asked him to do something for her.
- Singin muotaim du ina gruup a ada myuuzishan
- Singing is often done in a group of other musicians
- 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, Filipiyan 4:13:
- Mi kyan du eniting, kaaz Krais Jiizas gi mi di powa fi du it.
- I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength [to do it].
Further reading
- du at majstro.com
Japanese
Romanization
du
Kalasha
Etymology
From Sanskrit द्व (dva), from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Compare Hindi दो (do), Bhojpuri दू (dū), Konkani दोन (don).
Numeral
du
- two (2)
Lithuanian
Etymology
From Proto-Baltic *d(u)u̯ō, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Compare Latvian divi. Cognate to Latin duo.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [d̪ʊ]
Numeral
< 1 | 2 | 3 > |
---|---|---|
Cardinal : du Ordinal : antras | ||
dù m (feminine dvi̇̀)
- two (2)
Declension
masculine | feminine | |
---|---|---|
nominative | dù | dvi̇̀ |
genitive | dviejų̃ | dviejų̃ |
dative | dvi̇́em | dvi̇́em |
accusative | dù | dvi̇̀ |
instrumental | dviẽm | dviẽm |
locative | dviejuosè | dviejosè |
Lower Sorbian
Etymology
From Proto-Slavic *jьdǫ (first-person singular) and *jьdǫtь (third-person plural), inflected forms of *jьti.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/
Verb
du
- inflection of hyś:
- first-person singular present
- third-person plural present
Synonyms
- (first-person singular): źom
Luxembourgish
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *þū.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/, [du(ː)]
Pronoun
du
Declension
nominative | accusative | dative | reflexive | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | ||||||
singular | 1st person | ech | — | mech | — | mir | mer | like dat. and acc. | |||
2nd person | informal | du | de | dech | — | dir | der | like dat. and acc. | |||
formal | Dir | Der | Iech | Iech [əɕ] | Iech | Iech [əɕ] | Iech | ||||
3rd person | m | hien | en | hien | en | him | em | sech | |||
f | si | se | si | se | hir | er | sech | ||||
n | hatt | et ('t) | hatt | et ('t) | him | em | sech | ||||
plural | 1st person | mir | mer | eis (ons) | — | eis (ons) | — | eis (ons) | |||
2nd person | dir | der | iech | iech [əɕ] | iech | iech [əɕ] | iech | ||||
3rd person | si | se | si | se | hinnen | en | sech |
Mandarin
Romanization
du
- nonstandard spelling of dū
- nonstandard spelling of dú
- nonstandard spelling of dǔ
- nonstandard spelling of dù
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch thū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū.
Pronunciation
Pronoun
du
Usage notes
This pronoun began to be replaced by gi in formal address during the Middle Dutch period, and eventually fell out of use altogether.
Inflection
nominative | accusative | dative | genitive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | 1st person | ic | mi | mijn | ||
2nd person | du | di | dijn | |||
3rd person |
m | hi | hem, hen | sijn | ||
f | si | haer | haer | |||
n | het | hem, hen | sijn | |||
plural | 1st person | wi | ons | onse | ||
2nd person | gi | u | uwe | |||
3rd person | si | hem, hen | haer |
Descendants
Further reading
- “du”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “du”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Middle English
Adjective
du
- alternative form of dewe (“due”)
Middle High German
Etymology
Inherited from Old High German dū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, whence also Old English þū, Old Norse þú, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.
Pronoun
du or dû
Inflection
nominative | genitive | dative | accusative | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | first person | ich | mīn | mir | mich | |
second person | du, dū | dīn | dir | dich | ||
third person |
m | ër CG hë(r) |
sīn | im(e) | in | |
f | siu | ir(e) | ir(e) | sie | ||
n | ëȥ CG iȥ, it |
es | im(e) | ëȥ CG iȥ, it | ||
plural | first person | wir | unser | uns | uns, unsich | |
second person | ir | iuwer | iu, iuch | iuch | ||
third person |
m | sie | ir(e) | in | sie | |
f | ||||||
n | siu | siu |
Descendants
- Alemannic German: du
- Bavarian:
- Central Franconian: du, dou
- German: du
- Luxembourgish: du
- Rhine Franconian:
- Yiddish: דו (du)
Middle Low German
Etymology
From Old Saxon thū, from Proto-Germanic *þū.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /duː/
Pronoun
dû
Declension
nominative | accusative | dative | genitive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | 1st person | ik (ek) | mî (mê, mik, mek) | mîn (mîner) | ||
2nd person | dû | dî (dê, dik, dek) | dîn (dîner) | |||
3rd person | m | hê (hî, hie) | ēne, en (ȫne, ȫn) | ēme, em (ȫme, en) | sîn (sîner) | |
n | it (et) | |||||
f | sê (sî, sie, sü̂) | ēre, ēr (ērer, ȫrer) | ||||
plural | 1st person | wî (wê, wie) | uns (ûs, ös, ü̂sik) | unser (ûser) | ||
2nd person | gî (jê, î) | jû (jûwe, û, jük, gik) | jûwer (ûwer) | |||
3rd person | sê (sî, sie) | em, öm, jüm (en, ēnen, ȫnen) | ēre, ēr (ērer, ȫrer) |
For an explanation of the forms in brackets see here.
Descendants
Mòcheno
Etymology
From Middle High German du, from Old High German dū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū. Cognate with German du, archaic English thou (modern dialectal tha).
Pronoun
du
Inflection
References
- “du” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.
Mokilese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdu/
Verb
du
- (intransitive) to sink
Derived terms
Norman
Etymology
From Latin dux, ducem.
Noun
du m
Related terms
- duchie
North Frisian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Frisian dwā, from Proto-Germanic *dōną. Cognates include West Frisian dwaan, English do.
Verb
du
- (Föhr-Amrum) to do
- (Föhr-Amrum) to give
Conjugation
infinitive I | du | |
---|---|---|
infinitive II | (tu) dun | |
past participle | den | |
imperative singular | du | |
imperative plural | du’m | |
present | past | |
1st singular | du | ded, diad |
2nd singular | deest | dedst, diadst |
3rd singular | dee | ded, diad |
plural | du | ded, diad |
perfect | pluperfect | |
1st singular | haa den | hed den |
2nd singular | heest den | hedst den |
3rd singular | hee den | hed den |
plural | haa den | hed den |
future (skel) | future (wel) | |
1st singular | skal du | wal du |
2nd singular | skääl du | wääl du |
3rd singular | skal du | wal du |
plural | skel du | wel du |
Northern Kurdish
< 1 | 2 | 3 > |
---|---|---|
Cardinal : du | ||
Etymology
From Proto-Iranian *dwáH (compare Persian دو (do), Pashto دوه (dwa), Avestan 𐬛𐬎𐬎𐬀 (duua)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dwáH (compare Sanskrit द्व (dvá), Marathi दोन (don), Hindi दो (do)/Urdu دو (do), Punjabi ਦੋ (do)), from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (compare Russian два (dva), Lithuanian du, Greek δύο (dýo), Spanish dos, English two).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʊ/
- Hyphenation: du
- Rhymes: -ʊ
Numeral
Central Kurdish | دوو (dû) |
---|
du
- two (2)
Northern Sami
Pronunciation
- (Kautokeino) IPA(key): /ˈtuː/
Pronoun
dū
- accusative/genitive of don
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Old Norse þú (“you”), from Proto-Germanic *þū (“you”), from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂ (“you”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʉː/, [dÿː]
Audio: (file)
Pronoun
du (objective case deg)
Derived terms
- due (“to say 'you' to someone”)
Verb
du
- imperative of due
References
- “du” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
See also
Number | Person | Type | Nominative | Oblique | Possessive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
feminine | masculine | neuter | plural | |||||
Singular | First | – | jeg | meg | mi | min | mitt | mine |
Second | general | du | deg | di | din | ditt | dine | |
formal (rare) | De | Dem | Deres | |||||
Third | feminine (person) | hun | henne | hennes | ||||
masculine (person) | han | ham / han | hans | |||||
feminine (noun) | den | dens | ||||||
masculine (noun) | ||||||||
neuter (noun) | det | dets | ||||||
reflexive | – | seg | si | sin | sitt | sine | ||
Plural | First | – | vi | oss | vår | vårt | våre | |
Second | general | dere | deres | |||||
formal (very rare) | De | Dem | Deres | |||||
Third | general | de | dem | deres | ||||
reflexive | – | seg | si | sin | sitt | sine |
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse þú, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂. Akin to English thou.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʉː/
Pronoun
du (objective case deg)
References
- “du” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
See also
first person | second person | reflexive | third person | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | |||||
singular | nominative | eg, je1 | du | — | han | ho | det, dat2 |
accusative | meg | deg | seg | han, honom2 | ho, henne2 | det, dat2 | |
dative2 | meg | deg | seg | honom | henne | di2 | |
genitive | min | din | sin | hans | hennar, hennes1 | dess3 | |
plural | nominative | me, vi | de, dokker | — | dei | ||
accusative | oss, okk | dykk, dokker | seg | dei, deim2 | |||
dative | oss, okk | dykk, dokker | seg | deim2 | |||
genitive | vår, okkar | dykkar, dokkar | sin | deira, deires1 |
1Obsolete. 2Landsmål. 3Rare or literary. Italic forms unofficial today.
Nupe
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dū/
Verb
du
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dù/
Verb
dù
- (of rain) to fall
- Ele è dù à ― It's not raining (literally, “Rain is not falling”)
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dū/
Verb
du
- to shake
Obokuitai
Noun
du
Further reading
Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages
Old French
Alternative forms
Contraction
du
Old High German
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *þū, from Proto-Germanic *þū, whence also Old English þū, Old Norse þú, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂. Perhaps the earliest attestation of the pronoun is the inscription on the Bülach fibula, which may show ᛞᚢ (du) already differentiated from other Germanic languages’ þu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /duː/
Pronoun
dū
- thou, you (second-person singular pronoun)
- 6th-7th century, inscription on the Bülach fibula:
- ᚠᚱᛁᚠᚱᛁᛞᛁᛚ / ᛞᚢ / ...
frifridil / du / […]- frifridil / du / ...
frifridil / du / […] - [my] beloved, you / […]
- frifridil / du / ...
- 6th-7th century, inscription on the Bülach fibula:
Usage notes
Some speakers of Old High German appear to have contrasted the "polite" singular (plural forms) with the regular, informal singular (singular forms), as in New High German (Modern German) Sie versus du. This distinction is however not well-attested, and may have been regional, genre-dependent, or only in Late Old High German.
Inflection
nominative | genitive | dative | accusative | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | first person | ih (ihha, ihcha) |
mīn | mir | mih | |
second person | dū | dīn | dir | dih | ||
third person |
m | er (her) | (sīn) | imu, imo | inan, in | |
f | siu; sī, si | ira (iru, iro) | iru, iro | sia | ||
n | iz | es, is | imu, imo | iz | ||
plural | first person | wir | unsēr | uns | unsih | |
second person1 | ir | iuwēr | iu | iuwih | ||
third person |
n | sie | iro | im, in | sie | |
f | sio | iro | im, in | sio | ||
n | siu | iro | im, in | siu |
1 Also polite singular form
Descendants
- Middle High German: du
References
- Heinz Klingenberg, Runenfibel von Bülach, Kanton Zürich. Liebesinschrift aus alemannischer Frühzeit, in the Alemannisches Jahrbuch (1973/75), page 308
- Heinz Klingenberg, Die Runeninschrift aus Bülach, in Helvetia archaeologica, volume 7 (1976), pages 116–121
- Stephan Opitz, Südgermanische Runeninschriften im älteren Futhark aus der Merowingerzeit (Freiburg im Breisgau, 1977)
Old Irish
Preposition
du
- alternative form of do
Mutation
radical | lenition | nasalization |
---|---|---|
du | du pronounced with /ð-/ |
ndu |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
Compare German du, English thou, Swedish du.
Pronoun
du
Declension
Number | singular | plural | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Person/ Gender |
1st | 2nd person | 3rd person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
familiar | polite/formal | m | f | n | |||||
nominative | ich | du de1 |
dihr der1 Sie |
er | sie se1 |
es | mir mer1 |
dihr der1 |
sie |
dative | mir mer1 |
dir der1 |
eich Ihne Ne1 |
ihm em1 |
ihre re1 |
ihm em1 |
uns | eich | ihne ne1 |
accusative | mich | dich | eich Sie |
ihn en1 |
sie se1 |
es | sie |
1 unstressed
Pite Sami
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tu/
Pronoun
du
See also
References
- Joshua Wilbur (2014) A grammar of Pite Saami, Berlin: Language Science Press
Plautdietsch
Pronoun
du (oblique die)
- you (singular)
Romagnol
20 | ||
[a], [b] ← 1 | 2 | 3 → [a], [b] |
---|---|---|
Cardinal: du Ordinal: șgónd Multiplier: dópi Fractional: mëẓ |
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Central Romagnol): IPA(key): [ˈduː]
- (Ville Unite):
Numeral
du (feminine dó)
References
- Masotti, Adelmo (1996) Vocabolario Romagnolo Italiano [Romagnol-Italian dictionary] (in Italian), Bologna: Zanichelli, pages 189, 194
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [du]
Verb
du
- second-person singular imperative of duce
Saterland Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian thū, from Proto-West Germanic *þū.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du/
- Hyphenation: du
- Rhymes: -u
Pronoun
du (oblique die)
Usage notes
- du is at times omitted when used with a verb.
See also
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) “du”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN
Scots
Pronoun
du (objective case dee, vocative dee, possessive determiner dines)
- Northern Isles form of thou (“thou”)
Further reading
“du”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.
Sranan Tongo
Etymology 1
Verb
du
- to do
Noun
du
Etymology 2
Probably from Ewe ɖú (“dance”), Fon ɖùwè (“dance”).[1]
Noun
du
- (historical) a festival of song and dance organised and performed by and for enslaved people
Descendants
- → Dutch: doe
References
- ^ Norval Smith (2009) “A preliminary list of probable Gbe lexical items in the Surinam Creoles”, in P. Muysken, N. Smith, editors, Surviving the Middle Passage: The West Africa-Surinam Sprachbund, Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, page 465.
Sumerian
Romanization
du
- romanization of 𒁺 (du)
Swedish
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Swedish þū, from Old Norse þú, from Proto-Germanic *þū, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂. Cognate with English thou, German du.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dʉː/, [d̪ʉː], (unstressed) /dɵ/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ʉː
Pronoun
du
- you (singular subjective case)
- Nisse, du är en liten groda
- Nisse, you are a small frog
- Du är här, så jag ser dig
- You [subject] are here, so I see you [object]
- 1981, X Models, “Två av oss [Two of us]”[6]:
- Det finns bara en av mig och det är jag. Det finns bara en av dig och det är du. Det finns bara två av oss, och det är vi.
- There is only one of me and that is I. There is only one of you [object] and that is you [subject]. There are only two of us, and that is us [we – subject]. [Swedish has some of the same subject/object fuzziness as English, but a standalone "Det är <pronoun>" idiomatically (through intuition rather than being taught) uses the subject form]
- thou (if fitting for the context)
- 1649, Jacobus Petri Chronander, Bele-Snack, Eller Een Ny Comœdia, act I, scene IV, page 40:
- TV Konstrijke Mästare, godt rådh giff,
Skall man nu skona thenna skelmens lijff?- THOU artful Master, good counsel give,
Should one now spare this scoundrel's life?
- THOU artful Master, good counsel give,
- Used as a vocative (to get someone's attention, or for emphasis or the like); hey
- 1984, “Vargsången [The wolf song]”, Astrid Lindgren (lyrics), Björn Isfält (music)[7]performed by Lena Nyman:
- Vargen ylar i nattens skog. Han vill men kan inte sova. Hungern river hans vargabuk, och det är kallt i hans stova. Du varg, du varg, kom inte hit. Ungen min får du aldrig.
- The wolf howls in the forest of the night. He wants to sleep but cannot. ["He wants to but cannot sleep" – "He wants to X" is "Han vill X"] [The] hunger tears his wolf belly, and it is cold in his stove [archaic, dialectal, in the dated English sense]. Hey wolf, hey wolf, do not come [to] here [hither]. My child you will never have.
- 1994, Uno Svenningsson, “Tro på varann [Believe in Each Other]”, in Uno[8], performed by Uno Svenningsson and Eva Dahlgren:
- Du, jag vill att vi tror på varann.
- Hey, I want us to believe in each other.
- Du Nisse, har du matat katten?
- Hey Nisse, have you fed the cat?
- Jo du, jag kom precis på en till grej vi måste göra
- Oh, by the way [roughly – literally, "yeah you," or "listen you" or the like – see jo], I just remembered another thing we need to do
- Du, du ska ge fan i min hamster
- Hey, [you shall] stay away from my hamster [with an aggressive and somewhat threatening tone]
- – Varför gör han det inte bara? – Ja du, vem vet? / Ja du, det är en bra fråga.
- – Why doesn't he just do it? – Yeah, who knows? / Yeah, that's a good question. [with the du acknowledging the question, adding a confounded tone]
- Nej du, så lätt slipper du inte undan!
- Oh no, you're not getting away that easily! [Compare the change in tone between "No, you're not getting away that easily!" and "No, dragon, you're not getting away that easily!"]
Usage notes
While du is the traditionally familiar mode of address, it is since the early '70s the standard in almost all circumstances, possibly capitalized in formal communications. This was the result of the so-called du-reformen.
Recently, use of the second-person plural pronoun ni as a less familiar (and thus more formal) pronoun has appeared to some extent, but mainly amongst shopkeepers towards customers.
The same pronoun ni has also been used historically as a formal way of address, but its use has (in particular in Sweden, not so much in Swedish-speaking parts of Finland) been restricted to addressing people of lower social status, whereby a plethora of different constructions were employed as to avoid the issue of pronouns whatsoever. See also the article about T-V distinction in Wikipedia.
Declension
Number | Person | nominative | oblique | possessive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
common | neuter | plural | |||||
singular | first | — | jag | mig, mej3 | min | mitt | mina |
second | — | du | dig, dej3 | din | ditt | dina | |
third | masculine (person) | han | honom, han2, en5 | hans | |||
feminine (person) | hon | henne, na5 | hennes | ||||
gender-neutral (person)1 | hen | hen, henom7 | hens | ||||
common (noun) | den | den | dess | ||||
neuter (noun) | det | det | dess | ||||
indefinite | man or en4 | en | ens | ||||
reflexive | — | sig, sej3 | sin | sitt | sina | ||
plural | first | — | vi | oss | vår, våran2 | vårt, vårat2 | våra |
second | — | ni | er | er, eran2, ers6 | ert, erat2 | era | |
archaic | I | eder | eder, eders6 | edert | edra | ||
third | — | de, dom3 | dem, dom3 | deras | |||
reflexive | — | sig, sej3 | sin | sitt | sina |
Derived terms
See also
- hallå ("Hey!", more literally)
- ni (“you (plural subjective case)”)
- öh (also used to get someone's attention)
References
- du in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- du in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- du in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
Anagrams
Tlingit
Pronoun
du
See also
Tregami
< 1 | 2 | 3 > |
---|---|---|
Cardinal : du | ||
Etymology
From Proto-Nuristani *dū, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *dwáH, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdu/
Numeral
du (Gambir)[1]
References
Venetan
Etymology
Numeral
du m
Synonyms
Vietnamese
Etymology
Both characters below depict a single etymology. 遊 (MC yuw) also has a less common reading do, now seen only in do thám.
Pronunciation
Romanization
du
- Sino-Vietnamese reading of 遊
- Sino-Vietnamese reading of 游
Derived terms
Welsh
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *duβ, from Proto-Celtic *dubus, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-.
Pronunciation
- (North Wales) IPA(key): /dɨː/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): /diː/
- Homophone: dŷ; (South Wales) di
- Rhymes: -ɨː
Adjective
du (feminine singular du, plural duon, equative dued, comparative duach, superlative duaf)
- black
- Mae ganddo fo fwstash du.
- He has a black mustache
Derived terms
- du a gwyn (“black and white; piebald”)
- duedd, düwch (“blackness”)
- twll du (“black hole”)
- tyngu'r du yn wyn (“to swear black is white”)
Mutation
radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
---|---|---|---|
du | ddu | nu | unchanged |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
See also
gwyn | llwyd | du |
coch; rhudd | oren, melyngoch; brown | melyn; melynwyn |
melynwyrdd | gwyrdd | |
gwyrddlas; glaswyrdd | asur, gwynlas | glas |
fioled, rhuddlas; indigo | majenta; porffor | pinc, rhuddwyn |
White Hmong
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /du˧/
Adjective
du
Yoruba
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dù/
Verb
dù
Usage notes
- du before a direct object
Derived terms
- ìdu
- ìjàdù (“scramble; struggle”)
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dū/
Verb
du
Derived terms
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dú/
Verb
dú
- (intransitive, of a person or animal) to bleed
- Synonyms: dújẹ̀, ṣẹ̀jẹ̀
Derived terms
- ìdú (“the act of bleeding”)
Etymology 4
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dú/
Verb
dú
Derived terms
- Adú (“A Yoruba nickname for someone who is dark in complextion”)
- adú (“something that is black”)
- dú láwọ̀ (“to have a black skin color”)
- dúdú (“black”)
- igbódú (“dark or dense forest”)
- Ilẹ̀ Adúláwọ̀ (“Africa”)
- ilẹ̀dú (“dark, nutrient rich soil”)
- èédú (“coal, charcoal”)
- òdú (“the plant American black nightshade”)