In English, the use of plural pronouns to refer to a single individual is commonly referred to as the «Royal We.» It is extremely rare, and is never used by non-royal individuals, even extremely pretentious ones. You could use it as a humorous affectation, but it would be an extremely broad and quite unrealistic effect. It is so unusual that the effect would be more bizarre or delusional than pretentious, unless the person was actually claiming to be royalty.
A similar, more commonly seen pretentious affectation is for individuals to refer to themselves in the third person. For example, in an interview with Madonna, if Madonna said:
No, you will never see a Madonna perfume. Madonna doesn’t sell out like that.
that would be an example of referring to oneself in the third person, and would be seen as extremely pretentious, but not as bizarre as if she said:
…We don’t sell out like that.
In your example, this would be something like, if the speaker was named Robert:
Robert does not use the vocabulary of ordinary people.
Another, milder, pretension, at least in American English, would be to use the pronoun «one.» In your example:
One does not use the vocabulary of ordinary people.
The pronoun «one» is considered formal and somewhat archaic even when used properly, to refer to an indefinite person; when used to refer to oneself, it is also considered highly pretentious.
Did you know that pronouns love to gossip? It is true! There is nothing they like more than joining us to talk about other people. In particular, pronouns that are focused on the third-person point of view can’t stop themselves from talking about everything and everyone. Did you hear what she said? What was he doing? Why are they here? Well, why don’t we give them a taste of their own medicine and gab a little about the third-person pronouns that always seem to be interested in everyone else’s business.
What is third person?
The third person is the point of view used by a writer or speaker when talking about another person or people not being addressed directly. What does this mean? For example, the sentence Jeff has two sisters uses the third person. By using the name Jeff, this sentence implies that Jeff is neither the speaker (I have two sisters) nor is being directly spoken to (You have two sisters).
Third person is a commonly used point of view in both writing and everyday speech. In general, we use third person to describe events that involve people besides ourselves and whomever we are talking to.
Additionally, the third person is the only point of view that can refer to inanimate objects. When talking about things that are not alive, it usually only makes sense to use the third person.
What is a third-person pronoun?
A third-person pronoun is a pronoun that refers to someone besides the speaker or writer and whomever they are addressing.
The following sentences give examples of how we use third-person pronouns.
List of third-person pronouns
There are a lot of third-person pronouns. Some of the most commonly used third-person pronouns include:
- she, her, hers, herself
- he, him, his, himself
- it, its, itself
- they, them, theirs, themself, themselves
Each of these words has a specific function for its use:
- She and he are gendered personal pronouns used to refer to people and animals. Both of these words are singular and only used as subject pronouns. It is a pronoun used to refer to objects or animals of unknown sex. It is singular and can be used as either a subject or an object.
- They is the plural third-person pronoun and is a subject pronoun. While the word they is usually plural, it is acceptable to use they as a singular word. As a singular pronoun, they is often used neutrally to refer to a person without specifying their gender. They is sometimes used as a singular pronoun by those who identify as nonbinary.
- Her, him, and them are third-person object pronouns. Her and him are singular, and them can be either singular or plural.
- Hers, his, its, and theirs are third-person possessive pronouns. These pronouns can be either singular or plural and can be used either as subjects or objects.
- Herself, himself, itself, themself, and themselves are third-person reflexive and intensive pronouns. Besides themselves, all of these words are treated as singular.
- Like they, the pronouns them, theirs, themself, and themselves can be used as singular words to refer to a person without specifying their gender. Each of these pronouns can also be used as a singular pronoun by those who identify as nonbinary.
Examples of third-person pronouns
The following sentences give examples of how we use third-person pronouns.
- Lisa locked the door when she left for work.
- That is my favorite book. I have read it several times.
- The cats won’t stop meowing. They want to go outside.
- My car is nice but Trent’s is better. His is brand new.
- The chimpanzees built a treehouse by themselves.
Why and when to use third-person pronouns
To discuss non-living things
Because an inanimate object is incapable of talking about itself or addressing someone, it only makes sense to refer to non-living objects using third-person pronouns. Third-person pronouns are also used to refer to actions and abstract concepts, too. For example,
- I bought a new guitar today. It is bigger than my old one.
- The bowling ball smashed into the bowling pins, and they went flying.
- We learned about the Renaissance. It was an interesting historical period.
- The group rejected both of my ideas. They weren’t very good.
To state facts
Often, we use the third person to state general facts about the universe. In particular, third person can be used to describe scientific and historical facts that don’t involve people.
- The ancient Egyptians built huge monuments. They had amazing building techniques.
- Carbon is a very important element. It is needed for life.
To write a third-person narrative
The third person is often used in writing to tell a story from the point of view of an outside observer. A third-person narrator can describe a story without being part of it. By doing this, an author is able to describe events that the main character(s) cannot see or is not present for. An author may also use the third person if a story’s narrative jumps between multiple main characters. By using the third person, the author doesn’t limit the point of view to the perspective of a single character.
Make that third-person narrative soar with these tips on how to write a great hook.
Third vs. first and second-person pronouns
Third person is one of three points of view. The other two are first person and second person. The first person is used by a writer or speaker to refer to themselves or to a group they are part of. First-person pronouns include I, me, we, us, mine, ours, myself, and ourselves. The second person is used to refer to a person or people that the speaker or writer is addressing. Second-person pronouns include you, yours, and yourself.
In general, a pronoun is chosen based on who is doing what in a sentence. For example:
- I am a firefighter. (The speaker is a firefighter.)
- You are a firefighter. (The person the speaker is talking to is a firefighter.)
- They are firefighters. (A group of people that doesn’t include the speaker nor their audience consists of firefighters.)
- I helped you. (The speaker helped the person they are talking to.)
- You helped him. (The person that the speaker is addressing helped a person that isn’t the speaker or the person being addressed.)
- They helped us. ( A group of people that doesn’t include the speaker helped a group of people that includes the speaker.)
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Whether you’re writing in second or third person, perfect grammar has never been easier.
Subject Pronouns in English — I, We, You, He, She, They, and It
What are Subject Pronouns?
Personal pronouns are words we use instead of nouns to refer to (talk about) people, animals, places, and things. Subject pronouns are personal pronouns that are used as the subject of a verb.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use the subject pronouns I, we, you, she, he, they, and it.
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First Person, Singular
We use the subject pronoun ‘I’ to refer to ourselves.
Example:
My name is Susan. I am British. I come from Liverpool. Note that the personal pronoun ‘I’ is always written with a capital letter.
First Person, Plural
We use the subject pronoun ‘we’ to refer to a group of people that includes us, or an organisation that we belong to.
Examples:
I am on holiday in Spain with my family. We are having a wonderful time! We would like you to take part in our survey. Your feedback is important to us.Second Person, Singular
We use the subject pronoun ‘you’ when we are speaking directly to another person.
Example:
Excuse me. Do you know where the passport office is?Second Person, Plural
We use the subject pronoun ‘you’ when we are addressing to two or more people.
Example:
Can you hand your homework in by tomorrow, please? (teacher to a group of students) Third Person, Singular, Gender Specific
1. We use the subject pronoun ‘she’ to refer to women and girls (people who identify as female).
Example:
Anita Roddick was a political activist and entrepreneur. She led a campaign to ban testing cosmetics on animals.2. You can also use the word ‘she’ to refer to pets and domesticated animals that we know are female.
Example:
This is my dog. Her name is Sheba. She is very gentle. She doesn’t bite.3. We use the subject pronoun ‘he’ to talk about men and boys (people who identify as male).
Example:
Alan Turing was a British mathematician and scientist. He invented a code breaking machine that helped the Allied forces win World War II.4. You can also use the word ‘he’ to talk about domestic animals we know are male.
Example:
My cat is a bit grumpy. He doesn’t like to be picked up. Third Person, Singular, Gender Neutral
1. We use the subject pronoun ‘they’ to refer to someone when we don’t know their gender.
Example:
We have a new upstairs neighbour. They are much quieter than the previous tenants.2. You can also use the word ‘they’ to refer to someone with a non-binary identity (a person who doesn’t consider themselves to be male or female).
Example:
Jack Monroe is a British food writer and anti-poverty campaigner. They have written several best-selling books about cooking on a budget. 3. The word ‘it’ is also a gender neutral pronoun. We use it to talk about an animal, a species, a place, or a thing.
Examples:
The orangutan is an endangered species. It may become extinct soon if we don’t act now. It often rains in England at this time of year. Have you seen my phone? I put it down somewhere, and now I can’t find it! Third Person, Plural, Gender Neutral
We use the subject pronoun ‘they’ to refer to groups of people, animals, and things.
Examples:
I love meercats! I think they are really cute. After the concert they were hungry, so they stopped to get a takeaway on the way home.
My name is Susan. I am British. I come from Liverpool. 
I am on holiday in Spain with my family. We are having a wonderful time!Can «they» ever be singular?
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Updated on February 04, 2020
In English grammar, third-person pronouns refer to people or things other than the speaker (or writer) and the person(s) addressed. In contemporary standard English, these are the third-person pronouns:
- He, she, it, one (singular personal pronouns in the subjective case)
- They (plural personal pronoun in the subjective case)
- Him, her, it, one (singular personal pronouns in the objective case)
- Them (plural personal pronoun in the objective case)
- His, hers (singular possessive pronouns)
- Theirs (plural possessive pronoun)
- Himself, herself, itself, oneself (singular reflexive/intensive pronouns)
- Themselves (plural reflexive/intensive pronoun)
In addition, his, her, its, one’s, and their are the singular and plural third-person possessive determiners. Unlike first-person (I, our, we, us, ours) and second-person pronouns (you, your, yours), third-person pronouns in the singular are marked for gender: he and she, him and her, his and hers, himself and herself.
Formal vs. Informal Usage
Third-person pronouns are often used formally or impersonally, where the second person you might be used in more informal contexts. In spoken English, you’ll often hear people use the plural they and their to agree with collective nouns (which are singular), but it’s not typically considered correct to do so, especially in formal written English. For example, you’d write, «The business just started using its new system,» rather than their.
The Singular They
There is disagreement on the topic of whether they should ever be allowed to be singular, however. Authors Kersti Börjars and Kate Burridge, in «Introducing English Grammar,» illustrate pronoun usage and take up that debate:
«Note that although it is true to say that first person refers to speaker/writer, second person to hearer/reader and third person to third parties, English shows some untypical uses….[Y]ou can be used to refer to people in general (preferable in some varieties of English to the indefinite one), e.g., Chocolate is actually good for you; in special cases of extreme politeness third person forms can be used to refer to the hearer (a kind of distancing technique), e.g. If Madam so desires, she could have the waist taken in a little; they often appear as a gender-neutral third person singular pronoun, e.g., If anyone wants it, they can have pavlova with extra whipped cream. We often hear the argument that this ‘singular they‘ is grammatically incorrect because a plural pronoun shouldn’t refer back to a singular word and that he should be used instead, but clearly, this is linguistically unfounded. As we’ve just discussed, English has many examples where for special purposes pronouns depart from their central meaning—as so often is the case, there is no perfect match between form and meaning here.»
If you’re writing for a class or for publication, find out whether guidelines allow for third-person they and their in singular contexts before using the convention, as it’s not widely accepted in formal, professional writing. However, it is gaining a toehold there and is sometimes also used in contexts where people need to refer to someone who «does not identify with a gender-specific pronoun,» explains the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Singular they usage is more commonly accepted in British English than American English.
The Origin of Third-Person Pronouns
English does not have a singular gender-neutral pronoun, which is the role that the usage of the singular they is trying to fill. The reason involves the history of the English language and how it adopted conventions from other languages as it evolved.
Author Simon Horobin, in «How English Became English,» explains:
«Where Latin loanwords were predominantly lexical words—nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs—Old Norse loans included grammatical items such as pronouns, conjunctions, and prepositions….The most striking effect of this contact is the adoption into English of the Old Norse third-person plural pronouns, they, their, and them, which replaced the Old English equivalents to enable clearer distinctions between the third person plural pronouns hie (‘they’), hi ra (‘their’), him (‘them’), and the pronouns he, her, and him.»
Point of view definition: First, second, and third person are categories of grammar to classify pronouns and verb forms.
- First person definition: first person indicates the speaker.
- Second person definition: second person indicates the addressee.
- Third person definition: third person indicates a third party individual other than the speaker.
What is the difference Between First Person, Second Person, and Third Person?
First, second, and third person refer to pronouns and their verb forms.
What is First Person?
First person point of view: First person refers to the speaker. It uses the subject pronoun “I” (unless plural).
First Person Example:
- I prefer coffee to hot cocoa.
In this example, “I” am the speaker. This is first person.
What is Second Person?
Second person point of view: Second person refers to the addressee. It uses the subject pronoun “you.”
Second Person Example:
- You prefer coffee to hot cocoa.
In this example “you” is the addressee. The speaker is addressing “you.” This is second person.
What is Third Person?
Third person point of view: Third person refers to a third party individual. It uses the subject pronouns “he,” “she,” “it,” “they.”
Third Person Example:
- He prefers coffee to hot cocoa.
In this example “he” is the third party. The speaker is referring to him as the addressee. He prefers coffee to hot cocoa.
When using the different points of view, verbs need to be conjugated appropriately to fit the pronoun use.
Note: Pronouns are only used in English when an antecedent has been clearly identified.
What Are First Person Pronouns?
First person pronouns always refer to the speaker himself. These pronouns are only used when the speaker is making a statement about himself or herself.
First Person Pronoun List:
Here is a list with examples of the first person words we use in writing and speech.
- I/we (subject, singular/plural)
- I prefer coffee to hot cocoa. (First person singular)
- We prefer burgers to pasta. (First person plural)
- me/us (object, singular/plural)
- Jacob embarrassed me.
- Jacob embarrassed us.
- mine/ours (possessive, singular/plural)
- The hat is mine.
- The hat is ours.
- my/our (possessive, modifying a noun, singular/plural)
- That is my hat.
- That is our hat.
What Are Second Person Pronouns?
Second person pronouns always refer to the addressees of the speaker himself.
When you are writing, a good way to think about the second person’s point of view is that it addresses the reader (as I just did in that sentence).
Second person pronouns are only used when the speaker is making a statement to the addressee, i.e., to someone.
Second Person Pronoun List:
Here is a list with examples of the second person words we use in writing and speech.
- you (subject, singular/plural)
- You prefer coffee to hot cocoa.
- you (object, singular/plural)
- Jacob embarrassed you.
- yours (possessive, singular/plural)
- The hat is yours.
- your (possessive, modifying a noun, singular/plural)
- That is your hat.
Note: In each of these examples, “you” can be an individual (singular) or multiple people (plural).
What Are Third Person Pronouns?
Third person pronouns always refer to a third party. These pronouns are used when the speaker is making a statement about a third party.
Third Person Pronoun List:
Here is a list with examples of the third person words we use in writing and speech.
- he, she, it / they (subject, singular/plural)
- He prefers coffee to hot cocoa. (Third person singular)
- They prefer tea to coffee. (Third person plural)
- him, her, it / them (object, singular/plural)
- Jacob embarrassed her.
- his, hers, its / theirs (possessive, singular/plural)
- The hat is theirs.
- his, her, its / their (possessive, modifying a noun, singular/plural)
- That is their hat.
In writing, the writer may choose to write from different points of view. The point of view he or she chooses is evident through his or her use of pronouns.
Writing in first person: Literature in the first person point of view is written from the speaker’s perspective. This point of view uses first person pronouns to identify the speaker/narrator. First person point of view is generally limited in that the audience only experiences what the speaker/narrator himself experiences.
Writing in third person: Literature in third person point of view is written from an “outside” perspective. This point of view uses third person pronouns to identify characters. In third person writing, the narrator is not a character in the text. Because of this, he can usually “see” what happens to all of the characters.
Writing in second person: In non-fiction writing, a speaker will often switch between pronouns. Writers do this only for effect. For example, if a speaker wants to be clear and “get through” to the audience, he might say “you” (second person) throughout the text even if the text is mostly in third person. Again, this is strictly for rhetorical effect. Experienced writers use this as a literary tool.
Common Questions and First, Second, and Third Person
Here, I want to go quickly through a few questions I get about first, second, and third person pronouns.
Questions About the First Person
Is our first person? Yes, our is one of the first person pronouns.
- Are you coming to our wedding?
Is you first person? No, you is a second person pronoun.
- You are a great friend.
Is we first person? Yes, we is a first person pronoun.
- We are great friends.
- We polled this group of political observers and activists each week prior to the Iowa caucuses to produce the USA TODAY GOP Power Rankings and went back to them this week to ask who is the best choice for Trump’s running mate. –USA Today
Is my first person? Yes, my is a first person pronoun.
- My glasses are broken.
Is they first person? No, they is a third person pronoun.
- They can’t find parking.
- For frugal travelers, there are some smart alternatives if they are willing to do a bit of homework. –The New York Times
Is us first person? Yes, us is one of the first person pronouns.
- The president congratulated us.
Questions About the Second Person
Is you second person? Yes, you is a second person pronoun.
- You are causing a scene.
Is they second person? No, they is a one of the third person pronouns.
- They are our neighbors.
Is we second person? No, we is one of the first person pronouns.
- We are going to get groceries.
Questions About the Third Person
Is their third person? Yes, their is a third person pronoun.
- Their hat is over there.
Is we third person? No, we is a first person pronoun.
- We are going to the beach.
Is our third person? No, our is a first person pronoun.
- This is our cake.
Is you third person? No, you is a second person pronoun.
- You are a nice person.
Is they third person? Yes, they is a third person pronoun.
- They are nice people.
Is he third person? Yes, he is one of the third person pronouns.
- He is a great man.
- Last week, he restated that he believes he deserves a maximum contract. –The Washington Post
Trick to Remember the Difference
Some people have trouble remembering first person vs. second person vs. third person.
Here are a few helpful memory tricks that always help me.
In the first person writing, I am talking about myself.
- I enjoy singing.
In the second person writing, I am talking to someone.
- You enjoy singing.
In the third person writing, I am talking about someone.
- He enjoys singing.
Summary: What is the First, Second, and Third Person Perspective?
Define first person: The definition of first person is the grammatical category of forms that designate a speaker referring to himself or herself. First person pronouns are I, we, me, us, etc.
Define second person: The definition of second person is the grammatical category of forms that designates the person being addressed. Second person pronouns are you, your, and yours.
Define third person: The definition of third person is the grammatical category of forms designating someone other than the speaker. The pronouns used are he, she, it, they, them, etc.
If this article helped you understand the differences between the three main English points of view, you might find our other article on English grammar terms helpful.
You can see our full list of English grammar terms on our grammar dictionary.
Contents
- 1 What is the difference Between First Person, Second Person, and Third Person?
- 2 What is First Person?
- 3 What is Second Person?
- 4 What is Third Person?
- 5 What Are First Person Pronouns?
- 6 What Are Second Person Pronouns?
- 7 What Are Third Person Pronouns?
- 8 First, Second, and Third Person in Writing
- 9 Common Questions and First, Second, and Third Person
- 10 Questions About the First Person
- 11 Questions About the Second Person
- 12 Questions About the Third Person
- 13 Trick to Remember the Difference
- 14 Summary: What is the First, Second, and Third Person Perspective?