jouw
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /jɑu̯/
Audio: (file) - Hyphenation: jouw
- Rhymes: -ɑu̯
- Homophone: jou
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch juwe, from Old Dutch *jūwa, a northern (Frisian?) variant of *iuwa, from Proto-West Germanic *iuwar, from Proto-Germanic *izweraz. Doublet of uw.
Determiner
jouw (dependent possessive, independent possessive jouwe, contracted form je)
- your; second-person singular possessive determiner
Usage notes
- The form jouwe has a variant joune which is occasionally encountered in very informal speech, but this usage is widely considered to be incorrect.
- See the usage notes at uw.
Declension
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 | u, zich7 | 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 |
3rd person gender-neutral8 | hen | – | hen | – | hun | – | hunne | zich | hunner, huns |
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 | u, zich7 | 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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). |
7) Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' 8) Not officially recognized in standard Dutch. It has gained popularity, especially in mainstream media and queer circles, as a respectful term for non-binary individuals. |
Descendants
- Jersey Dutch: jāu
Etymology 2
Interjection
jouw
- Expression of scorn.
Noun
jouw m (uncountable)
- a jeer
Derived terms
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
jouw
- inflection of jouwen:
- first-person singular present indicative
- (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
- imperative