# Can someone explain how gender pronouns work

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 27, 2022, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296 "2022-09-27T01:05:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296/21 "2022-09-28T02:11:09Z")

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FYI, There are other languages such as spoken Chinese whose pronouns are the exact same for he/she. So, not all languages have such a delineation.

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**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296/22 "2022-09-28T02:20:59Z")

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> [@doreen](#):
>
> she/her/hers  
> they/them/theirs

You left out a couple.

she/her/her/hers  
they/them/their/theirs

And, of course:

he/him/his/his

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**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296/23 "2022-09-28T03:07:39Z")

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I was only referring to why someone might use “she/them”

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**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296/24 "2022-09-28T07:38:57Z")

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> [@bob\_2](#):
>
> I still find sentences like "_Cynthia can do anything they want"_ weird though and try to avoid them.

I find it awkward as well, but as I understand it: using the plural form is common in British English when referring to a company. For example, “Apple are releasing a new iPad next month”. So to make it easier for my poor brain, I sometimes visualise the person as a collection of biological cells. Makes it easier to say something like “that belongs to George; please give it back to them”.

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**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-how-gender-pronouns-work/972296/25 "2022-09-28T16:10:39Z")

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Ok, consensus is it means either the gendered or the nongendered pronoun is fine for both object and subject.

That makes a lot more sense than what I was imagining. Ignorance fought.

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