jūs

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/juːs/
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A second-person address form for a group or for one person treated politely.

Examples

  • Vai jūs varat man palīdzēt?
    Can you help me?
  • Paldies, jūs esat ļoti laipni.
    Thank you, you are very kind.
  • Vai jūs, Kalniņa kungs, parakstīsiet dokumentu?
    Will you, Mr. Kalniņš, sign the document?
  • Vai jūs zināt, kur atrodas stacija?
    Do you know where the station is?
  • Kur jūs vakar bijāt?
    Where were you yesterday?

Similar words

Meanings

Usage

Choose jūs when respect, distance, or more than one addressee matters, and keep the verb in the second-person plural form.

Common mistakes

Jūs gribi mixes the polite or plural pronoun with a singular verb form.

Etymology

From the Proto-Balto-Slavic second-person plural pronoun reconstructed as jūˀs, from Proto-Indo-European yúHs, with later case forms such as jūsu and jums reshaped within the pronoun paradigm.

FAQ

What does jūs mean?

jūs means you when addressing more than one person, or one person politely.

Is jūs singular or plural?

It is plural by form, but it can also address one person politely.

When should jūs be used instead of tu?

Use jūs in formal, respectful, or plural address. Use tu for familiar singular address.

Does jūs use plural verb agreement?

Yes. The verb takes second-person plural forms, as in jūs esat and jūs gribat.

What are the main case forms of jūs?

The key forms are jūs in nominative and accusative, jūsu in genitive, jums in dative and instrumental, and jūsos in locative.

Is jūs capitalized?

It is normally lowercase, but formal written address may capitalize it as Jūs.

What does jūsu mean?

jūsu is the genitive and possessive form, usually meaning your.

What is the difference between jūs and jums?

jūs is nominative or accusative, while jums is used for dative and instrumental functions.

Is jūs the same as English you?

English you covers the same basic address idea, but Latvian keeps a contrast with informal singular tu.

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