wij

Translingual

Symbol

wij

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Wik-Iiyanh.

Dutch

Alternative forms

  • we (muted)

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. we; first-person plural subjective personal pronoun
    Wij gaan naar huis.
    We are going home.

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.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: wy
  • Jersey Dutch: wāi
  • Negerhollands: wellie

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvij/
  • 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
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.