Q&A

Q&A: “Is [singular they] used like “they are” or “they is”?”

mybooklover19 said:

Hi Vesper! I have a doubt and I don’t have anyone to ask… As a non english speaker, no one ever told me how to use the singular “they”. Is this used like “they are” or “they is”? And what about other new pronouns? Anyway thank you for everything!

 

hi there!

singular ‘they’ is used in more or less the same way as plural ‘they’, so “they are” would be correct. for more information on how to use singular ‘they’, this post and my #singular they tag might be of help.

as for other gender neutral third person pronouns, usage depends on the pronoun. many, but not all, can be used similar to how you’d use ‘he’ or ‘she’, ie. “xe is at home” or “ze loves cats.”

if you’d like to see usage examples for these and / or other pronouns, check out the interactive app/site Xe or the Pronoun Dressing Room. 🙂

YouTuber and Blogger, Vesper is an American expat currently living in Japan.

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