u

Meaning

Pron

1. (personal,second-person,singular,subjective) you (polite)
2. (objective,personal,second-person,singular) you (polite)
3. (objective,personal,second-person,singular) thee (dialectal)
4. (personal,plural,second-person,subjective) you (polite)
5. (objective,personal,plural,second-person) you (polite)
6. (reflexive,second-person,singular) thyself (dialectal)
7. (plural,reflexive,second-person) yourselves (dialectal)

Character

The twenty-first letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/y/

Etymology

Originally the dative and accusative form of jij/gij, from Middle Dutch u, from Old Dutch iu, from Proto-West Germanic *iwwiz, from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz, West Germanic variant of *izwiz, dative/accusative of *jūz, from Proto-Indo-European *yū́. Doublet of jou.
The use as a nominative form is linked to the polite address uwe edelheid (“your nobility, your gentility”), which was shortened to U E. in writing and at times accordingly pronounced /yˈ(w)eː/. It is debated, however, whether this was the actual cause of the development or whether it merely reinforced it. Compare English you, which was originally an object form, as well as Afrikaans ons and nonstandard Dutch hun.
Cognate with West Frisian jo, Low German jo, ju, English you, German euch.

Sentences

Vandaag denk ik aan ons , aan u en mij .

I think of us, of you and me today.

Er klopt dus duidelijk iets niet in wat u zegt .

We did not ask for information on the reasons why the EIB granted the funding.

Stelt u zich eens voor wat daar gebeurt .

We have to imagine what is happening over there.

Staat u mij toe twee duidelijke vragen te stellen .

However, I also have two formal comments to make.

Hartelijk dank en ik verzoek u allen dit verslag morgen te steunen .

Thank you very much and I ask you all to support this report tomorrow.

Ik verzoek u dit probleem met spoed te behandelen .

I would ask you to look at this matter urgently.

Ik dank u voor uw aandacht en verheug me op dit debat .

Thank you for your attention and I look forward to this debate.

Ook in dat kader zouden we graag overleg met u willen voeren .

We would, of course, be pleased if this body were to be able to have talks with you.