# we
## English
### Etymology 1

From Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with Scots wee, we (“we”), North Frisian we (“we”), West Frisian wy (“we”), Low German wi (“we”), Dutch we, wij (“we”), German wir (“we”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vi (“we”), Icelandic vér, við (“we”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 (vaēm), Sanskrit वयम् (vayám).

#### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation, Canada) enPR: wē, IPA: /wiː/
* Audio (UK):(file)
* Audio:(file)
* (General American) IPA: /wi/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Homophones: oui, wee, Wii (wine–whine merger); whee
* Rhymes: -iː

#### Pronoun

we (first-person plural personal pronoun nominative case, objective case us, possessive determiner our, possessive pronoun ours, reflexive ourselves, reflexive singular ourself)
* Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s).
** Excluding the person(s) being addressed. (This is the exclusive we.)
    We are here to arrest you.
*** 2017 February 20, Paul Mason, “Climate scepticism is a far-right badge of honour – even in sweltering Australia”, in the Guardian‎:It’s time to overcome queasiness and restraint. We, the liberal and progressive people of the world, are at war with the far right to save the earth.
** Including the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.)
    We need to have a talk, you and me.
* The institution which the speaker/writer is acting for. (This is the editorial we, used by writers and others when speaking with the authority of their publication or organisation.)
    We will in due course state our reasons for publishing the name of the accused.
    As the government, we have a duty to ensure public safety.
** 2021, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, “Paper No. CMAB C4/9/1”, in Documents of the Hong Kong Legislative Council‎, page 1:In light of the promulgation of the aforementioned laws and decisions, we (the administration) propose to make the following amendments to local legislation to implement the relevant requirements on oath taking by public officers.
* Any other entity that the speaker is a part of or identifies with, such as place of employment or education, nation, region, language, etc.
    I went to watch our school football match against Puddletown High. We lost 2-0.
    In English, we do not inflect adjectives for gender.
* People in general.
    We live and learn.
    We still have much to learn about quantum mechanics.
** 2013 July-August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, in American Scientist:As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels.
* (royal) The sovereign alone in his or her capacity as monarch. (This is the royal we. The reflexive case of this sense of we is ourself.)
    We are Queen of all these Isles.
* (colloquial) Everyone being addressed.
    Good evening everyone. How are we all tonight?
* (colloquial; may sometimes seem patronising) An individual being addressed; used especially to a person in the speaker's care, or to whom advice or instruction is being given. (Sometimes called the nurse's we or the doctor's we.)
    Hello Mrs Miggins. How are we feeling this morning?
    You've been spending all your money boozing when you have a wife and family to support. I think we need to get our priorities straight.
** 1836, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “The Boarding-House”, in Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume I, London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC, chapter II, page 204:“Well, my dear ma’am, and how are we?” inquired Wosky in a soothing tone. / “Very ill, doctor—very ill,” said Mrs. Bloss in a whisper.
** 2008 May 13, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):Are we ready to go to bed, sweetie?
* (colloquial, uncommon) Used to refer to a third person, especially someone in the speaker's care.
    "I've just been to see Mrs Miggins." — "And how is she?" — "I'm afraid we aren't too good today."
* Used to connect to or include readers or listeners.
** (colloquial) Used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences or activities and a group of listeners. (Compare the plural of modesty.)
    Hey guys, in this video I'll show you how I make my upside-down sponge cake. First we take 200 g of butter and we whisk in 200 g of sugar. Next, we ...
*** 2021 January 6, 3:38:03 from the start, in Rally on Electoral College Vote Certification‎ (television broadcast), spoken by Donald Trump, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN):All Vice President [Mike] Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.
*** 2021 June 24, “Far from Home” (3:07 from the start), in Alone‎, season 9, episode 4 (televison production), spoken by Theresa Emmerich Kamper, via HISTORY Channel:[Today is] not a day to think about fishing so we will get back to working on the shelter. [cut in video] Cool, so I guess the best analogy for this, then, is that we've basically framed the house, and now we get to shingle.
*** 2022 October 25, 32:11 from the start, Vote 2022, in Joseph Camp, director, PBS NewsHour‎ (television production), spoken by John Fetterman, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived from the original on 2022-10-25:The elephant in the room, you know, we had a stroke back in May.
** Used in explanatory or procedural writing, such as mathematical explanations, to imply inclusion of the reader in the undertaking.
    To solve the equation, we first collect all the terms in x on one side.
* (colloquial) Used when talking to oneself to refer to oneself.
    Now then ... let me see ... I hope I'm doing this right ... if we just connect these two wires together ...
* (West Country, archaic) Us.
* (bridge) The side which is keeping score.
    Antonym: they

##### Derived terms

* are we there yet
* as we know it
* as we speak
* author's we
* can we say
* even as we speak
* here we are
* here we go
* here we go again
* Houston, we have a problem
* imperial we
* lest we forget
* let's not and say we did
* shall we say
* the devil we know is better than the devil we don't
* the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know
* the poor we will always have with us
* the real treasure is the friends we made along the way
* there we go
* this is where we came in
* this is why we can't have nice things
* today we are all
* until we meet again
* we all bleed red
* we all make mistakes
* we are where we are
* we aye
* we come in peace
* we got company
* we-group
* we have always been at war with Eastasia
* we have company
* we haven't got all day
* we live in a society
* we-uns
* we wuz kangz
* what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive
* what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive
* where are we
* where are we going

##### Descendants

* Jamaican Creole: wi
* Sranan Tongo: wi

##### Translations
#### Determiner

we
* Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as belonging to or constituting the stated category of people.
    We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.
    We the undersigned wish to express our disapproval.

### Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /wə/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)

#### Pronoun

we
* (Geordie) Us.
    He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift.He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.
    And what have you done for we since? Nowt!And what have you done for us since? Nothing!

##### Usage notes

Not to be confused with Tyneside us (“me”).

### Anagrams

* EW, e͞w, ew, E&W

## Abinomn
### Noun

we (dual werom, plural wekon)
* tree kangaroo

### References

* Newguineaworld, citing Donohue and Musgrave, Abinomn nominal number (2007: 365)

## Anguthimri
### Noun

we
* (Mpakwithi) owl

### References

* Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189

## Caac
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/

### Noun

we
* water
    kô-ny we
       'my (glass/drink of) water'

### References

* A Study of Space in Caac, an Oceanic Language

## Cameroon Pidgin
### Alternative forms

* wi, wu

### Etymology

From English we.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /wi/

### Pronoun

we
* we, us 1st person plural subject and object personal pronoun

#### See also
### Determiner

we
* our, 1st person plural possessive determiner

#### See also
## Chuukese
### Determiner

we (plural kewe)
* (possessive subject marker) the (singular)

## Dadibi
### Noun

wẹ
* water

#### Synonyms

* ạị

### References

* Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
* Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN, page 130: Polopa so/sou woman, cf. DAR sou female animal but we woman. Several multiple cognate sets appeared in the data. Daribi uses both ạị and wẹ for water; some Polopa speakers gave one term, some another. Both are probably known everywhere.

## Dutch
### Etymology

See wij.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʋə/
* Audio:(file)

### Pronoun

we (personal pronoun)
* we

#### Declension

| | subject | subject | object | object | possessive | possessive | possessive | reflexive | genitive$^5$ |
| singular | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | pred. | | |
| 1st person | ik | 'k$^1$ | mij | me | mijn | m'n$^1$ | 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 | u, zich$^7$ | uwer, uws |
| 3rd person masculine | hij | ie$^1$ | hem | 'm$^1$ | zijn | z'n$^1$ | zijne | zich | zijner, zijns |
| 3rd person feminine | zij | ze | haar | h'r$^1$, 'r$^1$, d'r$^1$ | haar | h'r$^1$, 'r$^1$, d'r$^1$ | hare | zich | harer, haars |
| 3rd person neuter | het | 't$^1$ | het | 't$^1$ | zijn | z'n$^1$ | zijne | zich | zijner, zijns |
| plural | | | | | | | | | |
| 1st person | wij | we | ons | – | ons, onze$^2$ | – | onze | ons | onzer, onzes |
| 2nd person | jullie | je | jullie | je | jullie | je | – | je | – |
| 2nd person archaic or regiolectal$^6$ | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u | uwer, uws |
| 2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u, zich$^7$ | uwer, uws |
| 3rd person | zij | ze | hen$^3$, hun$^4$ | 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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{1)}$ 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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{1)}$ 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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{1)}$ 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, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' |

#### Synonyms

* wij

#### Descendants

* Jersey Dutch: wê

#### See also

* ons

## Fijian
### Noun

we
* scar

## Fwâi
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

## Galoli
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiR.

### Noun

we
* (Talur) water

### References

* Bryan Hinton, The languages of Wetar, in Spices from the east: Papers in languages of eastern Indonesia (2000), page 121

## Haeke
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla, Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)

## Haveke
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla, Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)

## Hmwaveke
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water

### References

* Leenhardt, M. (1946) Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "ʰMoavekɛ" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

## Ido
### Etymology

From w +‎ -e.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/, /wɛ/

### Noun

we (plural we-i)
* The name of the Latin script letter W/w.

#### See also

* Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze

## Indonesian
### Etymology

From Dutch wee.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/, [we]

### Noun

wé (plural we-we)
* The name of the Latin-script letter W/w.

#### Synonyms

* dabel yu (Standard Malay)

#### See also

* (Latin-script letter names) huruf; a, be, ce, de, e, ef, ge, ha, i, je, ka, el, em, en, o, pe, ki, er, es, te, u, ve, we, eks, ye, zet

### Further reading

* “we” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Jamaican Creole
### Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Conjunction

we
* that
** 2023, Yuunivorshal Deklarieshan a Yuuman Raits, United Nations, Aatikl 25:Uman we a mada an pikni disorv speshal kier an elp.Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.(literally, “Women that are mothers, and children, deserve special care and help.”)

### Etymology 2

Derived from English where.

#### Conjunction

we
* where
** 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, Maak 14:14:Wen im go iina wan ous, tel di uona fi di ous se, "Di tiicha se fi aks yu se: We di ges ruum de we mi kyan nyam di Paasuova fuud wid mi speshal falara dem?"and when he goes into a house, ask the owner where I and my disciples can celebrate the Passover.

### Further reading

* we at majstro.com

## Japanese
### Romanization

we
* Rōmaji transcription of ゑ
* Rōmaji transcription of ヱ
* Rōmaji transcription of うぇ
* Rōmaji transcription of ウェ

## Jawe
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

## Kashubian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvɛ/
* Rhymes: -ɛ
* Syllabification: we

### Preposition

we
* Alternative form of w.

## Kikuyu
### Etymology 1
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /wɛ(ː)/

#### Pronoun

we (second person singular)
* you, thou

##### Related terms

* -aku (“your, thy”)

### Etymology 2
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /wɛ/

#### Pronoun

we (third person singular)
* s/he

##### Related terms

* -ake (“his/her”)

### References

* “we” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 561. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

## Laboya
### Noun

we
* water

### References

* Greenhill, S. J., Blust. R, Gray, R. D. (2008) “The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics”, in Evolutionary Bioinformatics‎, number 4, archived from the original on 18 April 2017, pages 271-283
* Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*wahiR”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

## Lower Sorbian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /wɛ/

### Preposition

we [with locative]
* Alternative form of w (especially before labial consonants and consonant clusters)

## Mandarin
### Romanization

we (we$^5$ / we$^0$, Zhuyin ˙ㄨㄝ)
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 喂

### Romanization

we
* Nonstandard spelling of wē.

#### Usage notes

* Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

## Mapudungun
### Adjective

we (Raguileo spelling)
* new, recent

### References

* Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

## Middle English
### Etymology 1

from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Compare wit (first person dual pronoun).
The Southwest Midland pronunciation with /øː/ is due to the rounding effect of the preceding /w/.

#### Alternative forms

* ve, whe
* huue, hwe, vue, wæ (Early Middle English)
* weo, woe, wue (Southwest Midlands)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /weː/, (Southwest Midlands) /wøː/

#### Pronoun

we (accusative us, we, genitive oure, possessive determiner oures)
* First-person plural pronoun: we
* First-person plural accusative pronoun: us

##### Descendants

* English: we
** Jamaican Creole: wi
** Sranan Tongo: wi
* Scots: we, oo
* Yola: wough, wu, wee, we, w'

##### References

* “we, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 May 2018.

### Etymology 2

From Old English wēa, from Proto-Germanic *waiwô. Doublet of wowe.

#### Alternative forms

* wee, wea, wæ

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /wɛː/, /weː/

#### Noun

we (uncountable)
* woe, grief, sadness

##### References

* “wẹ̄, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-30.

## Middle Low German
### Pronunciation

* Certainly: Stem vowel: ê⁴
** (originally) IPA: /weː/

### Etymology 1

From Old Saxon hwē, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

#### Pronoun

wê (accusative wēne or wen, dative wēme or wem, genitive wes)
* (interrogative, masculine, feminine) who

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *wiz.

#### Pronoun

wê
* (personal, first person, in the plural, nominative) Alternative form of wî.

## Nedebang
### Noun

we
* blood

### References

* Gary Holton and Laura Robinson, The Internal History of the Alor-Pantar language family, in The Alor-Pantar languages: History and Typology, edited by Marian Klamer
* transnewguinea.org (wæ), ASJP 1 (wE i.e. wɛ), ASJP 2 (we)

## Nemi
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

## North Ambrym
### Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water

### Further reading

* Darrell T. Tryon, New Hebrides languages: an internal classification (1976)
* George William Grace, The position of the Polynesian languages within the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family (1959)

## North Frisian
### Etymology

From Old Frisian wī, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy.

### Pronoun

we (Mooring)
* we (first-person plural personal pronoun)

#### Alternative forms

* wi (Föhr-Amrum)
* wü (Sylt)

### See also

The reduced forms with an apostrophe are enclitic; they immediately follow verbs or conjunctions. Dü is deleted altogether in such contexts. Et is not enclitic and can stand in any unstressed position; the full subject form hat is now rarely used. In reflexive use, only full object forms occur. Dual forms wat / unk and jat / junk are obsolete. Attributive and independent possessives are not distinguished in Mooring.

## Nyelâyu
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman, Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1991), page 81

## Old English
### Alternative forms

* wœ̄ — Northumbrian
* wæ
* ƿē

### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wiz, *wīz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy, plural of *éǵh₂.
Cognate with Old Frisian wī (West Frisian wy), Old Saxon wī (Low German wi), Old Dutch wī (Dutch wij), Old High German wir (German wir), Old Norse vér (Danish and Swedish vi), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (weis).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /weː/

### Pronoun

wē (personal pronoun)
* we (nominative plural of iċ)
** c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 6:9-13
    Fæder ūre, þū þe eart in heofenum, sī þīn nama ġehālgod. Tōbecume þīn rīċe. Ġeweorþe þīn willa on eorþan, swā swā on heofenum. Ūrne dæġhwāmlīċan hlāf syle ūs tōdæġ. And forġȳf ūs ūre ġyltas, swā swā wē forġȳfaþ ūrum ġyltendum. And ne ġelǣde þū ūs on costnunge, ac alȳs ūs of yfle: sōþlīċe.Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

#### Declension

| | | | nominative | accusative | dative | genitive |
| singular | first person | first person | iċ | mē, mec | mē | mīn |
| singular | second person | second person | þū | þē, þec | þē | þīn |
| singular | third person | neuter | hit | hit | him | his |
| singular | third person | masculine | hē | hine | him | his |
| singular | third person | feminine | hēo | hīe | hire | hire |
| dual | first person | first person | wit | unc, uncit | unc | uncer |
| dual | second person | second person | ġit | inc, incit | inc | incer |
| plural | first person | first person | wē | ūs, ūsiċ | ūs | ūre, ūser |
| plural | second person | second person | ġē | ēow, ēowiċ | ēow | ēower |
| plural | third person | third person | hīe | hīe | him | heora |

#### Descendants

* Middle English: we, ve, whe, huue, hwe, vue, wæ (Early Middle English), weo, woe, wue (Southwest Midlands)
** English: we
*** Jamaican Creole: wi
*** Sranan Tongo: wi
** Scots: we, oo
** Yola: wough, wu, wee, we, w'

## Old Javanese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *waʀi, from Proto-Austronesian *waʀi. Doublet of wari.

#### Noun

we
* sun
* day

##### Usage notes

Zoetmulder used Old Javanese we as primary entry for sun and day sense, while Old Javanese wwe used for water as primary entry.

##### Alternative forms

* wai
* way
* wwai
* wway
* wwe

##### Derived terms

* tistis we
* titis iṅ way
* tĕṅahwe
* tĕṅahṅwe
* we göṅ
* we tis

##### Descendants

* > Javanese: ꦮꦺ (wé) (inherited)

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

we
* Alternative spelling of wwe (“water”)

### Further reading

* "we" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

## Old Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (10th–15th CE) /vɛ/
* IPA: (15th CE) /vɛ/

### Preposition

we
* Alternative form of w

## Pije
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvɛ/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛ
* Syllabification: we

### Preposition

we
* Alternative form of w, used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters.

## Scots
### Alternative forms

* oo

### Etymology

Inherited from Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with English we.

### Pronunciation

* (stressed) IPA: /wi/
** (Southern Scots) IPA: /wəi/ (sometimes spelled wey)
* (unstressed) IPA: /wə/ (sometimes spelled wa)

### Pronoun

we
* we
* us

### See also

| | | | personal pronoun | personal pronoun | personal pronoun | possessive pronoun | possessive determiner |
| | | | subjective | objective | reflexive | possessive pronoun | possessive determiner |
| first person | singular | singular | A, I, Ik | me | mysel | mine, mines | mine, my |
| first person | plural | plural | we | us, we | oorsel, oorsels | oors | our |
| second person | singular | standard (formal) | ye you, yow | ye you, yow | yersel yoursel | yers yours | yer your |
| second person | singular | Insular (informal) | thoo | thee | thysel, theesel | thines | thy, thee, thees |
| second person | plural | plural | ye, yese you, youse | ye, yese you, youse theer | yesels yoursels | yers yours | yer your |
| third person | singular | masculine | he, e | him, im | himsel, hissel | his, is | his, is |
| third person | singular | feminine | scho, she, shu | her, er | hersel | hers | her, er |
| third person | singular | neuter | it hit | it hit | itsel hitsel | its hits | its hits |
| third person | singular | genderless, nonspecific (formal) | ane | ane | – | – | ane's |
| third person | plural | plural | thay | thaim | thaimsel, thaimsels | thairs | thair |

### References

* “we, pers. pron.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 24 May 2024, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.
* “we, pron.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 24 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

## Silesian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvɛ/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛ
* Syllabification: we

### Preposition

we
* Alternative form of w, used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters

## Slovincian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvə/
* Rhymes: -və
* Syllabification: we

### Preposition

we
* Alternative form of w.

### Further reading

* Lorentz, Friedrich (1912) “we”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎ (in German), volume 2, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 1279

## Spanish
### Etymology

Variant of güey, representing the relaxed pronunciation of the /gw/ sounds and in some cases loss of the /i/ sound.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈwe/ [ˈwe]
* Rhymes: -e
* Syllabification: we

### Noun

we m or f by sense (plural wees)
* (colloquial) dude, guy, buddy
    Synonyms: carnal, cuate, tonto, bato
* (Mexico, colloquial slang) chump, punk, dumbass, idiot, jerk

## Tocharian A

cardinal numbers :
| Previous: | sas |
| Next: | tre |

### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Compare Tocharian B wi.

### Numeral

we f
* two

#### Related terms

* wu

## Tok Pisin
### Etymology

From English where.

### Adverb

we
* where
** 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:9:Tasol God, Bikpela i singaut long man na i tok, “Yu stap we?”→New International Version translation

## Turkmen
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Persian وَ (va).

#### Conjunction

we
* and

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

we (definite accusative [please provide], plural [please provide])
* The name of the Latin-script letter W/w.

## Uyghur
### Noun

we
* Latin (ULY) transcription of ۋە (we)

## Vamale
### Noun

we
* water

### References

* Greenhill, S.J., Blust. R, & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271-283.

## Welsh
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /weː/

### Noun

we
* Soft mutation of gwe.

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

## West Makian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/

### Noun

we
* leaf

### References

* Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics

## Yola
### Pronoun

we
* Alternative form of wough
** 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 7-9:and whilke we canna zei, albeit o' 'Governere,' 'Statesman,' an alike.and for which we have no words but of 'Governor,' 'Statesman,' &c.
** 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 21-23:Ye pace——yea, we mai zei, ye vaste pace whilke bee ee-stent owr ye londe zince th'ast ee-cam,The peace——yes, we may say the profound peace—which overspreads the land since your arrival,
** 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 116, lines 6-8:Na oure gladès ana whilke we dellt wi' mattoke, an zing t'oure caulès wi plou,In our valleys where we were digging with the spade, or as we whistled to our horses in the plough,

### References

* Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 114

## Yuanga
### Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

### Noun

we
* water (clear liquid H₂O)

### References

* Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman, Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1999), page 81

## Zaghawa
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /we/

### Noun

we
* head lice

### Numeral

we
* three

### References

* Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad

## Zulu
### Pronoun

-we
* Combining stem of wena.