# How do you phrase the 2nd person plural **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672 "2011-12-09T22:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/61 "2011-12-12T15:29:49Z")
I vary between options 1, 3 and 5 (“you”, “y’all” and “you guys”) depending on context (including whom I’m addressing and how formal I’m being). I’ll also use other forms occasionally, including “you all” and “the X of you” (where X is, of course, the appropriate number). ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/62 "2011-12-12T16:58:33Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > You. All of you if I want to emphasize. > [@minlokwat](#): > > “all y’all” is for used for emphasis. Thank you! I say “y’all” and sometimes “you guys.” When I’m dorking around, I’ll say “yous guys” or just “yous” which is pronounced more like “yiz” than “you” with an ‘s’ at the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/63 "2011-12-12T17:20:32Z")
3 out of 3 for the Paddies 😃 Ye for me too. ETA: I am a jackeen BTW 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/64 "2011-12-12T18:03:49Z")
I use y’all often, generally with people I don’t know or who are older than me. It’s the register I use when waiting tables or working a cash register. When I am with good friends, I tend to say ‘guys’ or ‘you guys’ - regardless of gender. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/65 "2011-12-12T19:13:17Z")
Y’all is singular. All y’all is plural. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/66 "2011-12-12T19:55:19Z")
> [@Scathach](#): > > Incidentally, I didn’t include it as a poll option because I’d never heard of it, but has anyone ever heard “Yinz” > > from [Grammatical person - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_person) in the “colloquial” section. That’s what the majority of native Pittsburghers use. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/67 "2011-12-13T00:44:48Z")
You left out “yinz.” ---
**Author:** ![\_mostly\_Harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/9d8465/32.png) [@\_mostly\_Harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_mostly_Harmless)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/68 "2011-12-13T00:48:46Z")
I voted “you” because that is most common for me but I also use “you guys” and “y’all” with statistically significant frequency. And yes, it does make for some awkward phrasing sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672/69 "2011-12-13T00:51:15Z")
> [@Scathach](#): > > Heh, I see I’m still the sole “Ye” sayer so far anyway 🙂 > > Incidentally, I didn’t include it as a poll option because I’d never heard of it, but has anyone ever heard “Yinz” > > from [Grammatical person - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_person) in the “colloquial” section. Went to school with a buncha Picksburghers. Heard yinz all the time. I think it might also be common among NE Pennsylvanians, but I might be wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-phrase-the-2nd-person-plural/605672.md?page=3)