zij

Dutch

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /zɛi̯/ (stressed), IPA(key): /zə/ (unstressed)
  • audio(file)
  • Homophones: zei

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch sī, from Old Dutch siu, sia, from Proto-Germanic *iz and *hiz.

Pronoun

zij

  1. Third person singular feminine pronoun; she
  2. Third person plural pronoun; they
Inflection
Dutch personal pronouns
subject object possessive reflexive genitive5
singular full unstr. full unstr. full unstr. pred.
1st person ik 'k1 mij me mijn m'n1 mijne me mijner, mijns
2nd person jij je jou je jouw je jouwe je jouwer, jouws
2nd person archaic or regiolectal gij ge u – uw – uwe u uwer, uws
2nd person formal u – u – uw – uwe zich uwer, uws
3rd person masculine hij ie1 hem 'm1 zijn z'n1 zijne zich zijner, zijns
3rd person feminine zij ze haar h'r1, 'r1, d'r1 haar h'r1, 'r1, d'r1 hare zich harer, haars
3rd person neuter het 't1 het 't1 zijn z'n1 zijne zich zijner, zijns
plural
1st person wij we ons – ons, onze2 – onze ons onzer, onzes
2nd person jullie je jullie je jullie je – je –
2nd person archaic or regiolectal6 gij ge u – uw – uwe u uwer, uws
2nd person formal u – u – uw – uwe zich uwer, uws
3rd person zij ze hen3, hun4 ze hun – hunne zich hunner, huns
1) Not as common in written language.
2) Inflected as an adjective.
3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative).
4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative).		 5) Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions.
6) To differentiate from the singular gij, and in a similar vein to "you lot" or "you guys" in English, it is common to use gijlui ("you people") or gijlieden ("you people") or one of their contracted variants, and their corresponding objects, possessives and reflexives, in the plural.


Derived terms
Descendants
  • Afrikaans: sy

Etymology 2

Contraction of zijde (“side”).

Noun

zij f (plural zijden, diminutive zijtje n)

  1. side (the side of one's body); flank

Etymology 3

Contraction of zijde (“silk”).

Noun

zij f (uncountable)

  1. silk

Etymology 4

Verb

zij

  1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of zijn
  2. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of wezen
  3. (Belgium) singular imperative of zijn
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