You or they/help

You or they/help
Message from qaz879 posted on 12-09-2013 at 06:50:29 (D | E | F)
Hello,

Could help me please?
Thank you for your replies.
'Peter! Mary! Do they you want some chocolate?'
Why does this sentence use "you" not "they"?

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Edited by lucile83 on 12-09-2013 08:25

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Re: You or they/help from violet91, posted on 12-09-2013 at 12:16:22 (D | E)
Hello ,

This sentence is direct speech . Somebody ( mother ?) is calling two children ( hers ?) , so it is like:
" -Hey children ! Peter and Mary ! Do you want some chocolate ? ...Come on, then .."
' They ' is the pronoun for the 3rd plural : it can't address somebody directly.
Just imagine another situation and a dialogue :
- Mother speaking to Father:
- Darling ! Would you like some chocolate ? By the way , do you know where Peter and Mary are?
- Yes , they ( Peter and Mary ) are upstairs ...shall I call them and tell them ( Peter and Mary) to come down and have some with us?

Hoping you understand.

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Re: You or they/help from margarita89, posted on 12-09-2013 at 18:43:11 (D | E)
Hello, about the question of you and they I understand that you is singular and plural.

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Edited by lucile83 on 12-09-2013 19:17

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Re: You or they/help from kathryn, posted on 12-09-2013 at 20:45:23 (D | E)
Hello,

You use "you" for talking TO someone, singular and/or plural.
You use "they" when talking ABOUT someone, plural only.

In your sentence, you are talking TO them, not ABOUT them.
Good luck!

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Edited by lucile83 on 12-09-2013 22:28

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Re: You or they/help from violet91, posted on 13-09-2013 at 12:51:16 (D | E)
Hello again ,

Direct speech = in a dialogue .( for the beginning)
When we say : ' you' can be singular , it means it refers to a single person ( one) you are speaking to , but the verb which follows is in the plural .
= You are and live in China , gaz...Are you a student ? Do you study English ? Have you got a dog ? ...
We are trying to help you .
- 'You' can also be plural when it refers to at least two or several or more people you are speaking to . The verb is in the plural which is logical .
= You ( your family and you) are and live in ...Are you all Chinese ? Do you all study English ?

- Do you understand? ( addressing you only = singular ).
Have a nice day .

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Re: You or they/help from heba, posted on 14-09-2013 at 06:07:24 (D | E)
Hello,
(you) is used to speak in the single and plural..

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Edited by lucile83 on 14-09-2013 07:11

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