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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

why 'are ' is use with you(single person) not is?
  

Top answer

Probably because you was originally the plural form (used when talking to more than one person), while the singular form was thou . Thou is not normally used now, and you is used for both singular and plural.

— Blue Jay

  • Probably because you was originally the plural form (used when talking to more than one person), while the singular form was thou .
  • Thou is not normally used now, and you is used for both singular and plural.
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3 Answers
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Probably because you was originally the plural form (used when talking to more than one person), while the singular form was thou. Thou is not normally used now, and you is used for both singular and plural.
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Anonymous why 'are ' is use with you(single person) not is?
Why is 'are', not' 'is', used for singular 'you'?

Standard English lost the singular form 'thou', except, for some people, in speaking to ***. The plural form 'you', with its plural verb, is now used for both singular and plural,

(crossposted with BJ)
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Anonymous why 'are ' is use with you(single person) not is?
For purposes of verb agreement "you" is always treated as plural. It doesn't matter how many people you're talking to.

Previous posts have already explained the historical background that led to this anomaly in the conjugation of English verbs.

CJ
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