They Pronoun: Meaning, Usage, and Examples

Meaning 1：those people (they)

they 🔊

/ðeɪ/

pron.

Used to talk about a group of people already mentioned.

those people 🔊

➕

/ðoʊz ˈpiːpəl/

pron.

Used as the third-person plural pronoun to refer to a group of individuals already known or specified.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'þā' (plural of 'þæt') influenced by Old Norse 'þeir'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'th' + 'ay' (like 'day') — 'They are the group you see every day.'

📖 Example

My friends are running late, but they will bring the pizza. 🔊 My friends are behind schedule, but they will deliver the pizza.

🔗 Collocations

they say – people in general say

they are – contraction of 'they are'

they have – contraction of 'they have'

🔄 Synonyms

those people (pron.) – another way to refer to a group previously mentioned

the group (n.) – a collection of individuals

others (pron.) – different people apart from oneself

🚫 Antonyms

I (pron.) – first person singular pronoun

you (pron.) – second person singular pronoun

he/she (pron.) – third person singular pronoun

🌱 Derivatives

them (pron.) – objective case of they

their (det.) – possessive form of they

theirs (pron.) – possessive pronoun of they

📖 Cultural Story

Evolved from Old English 'þā' (plural of 'þæt') and later reinforced by Old Norse 'þeir' during Viking invasions, replacing the earlier pronoun 'hīe'.