u / jij

In Dutch, choosing the right 'you' depends on social distance and the number of people you are addressing.

1. Formal vs. Informal

• U: The formal form for both one person and a group. Use this with strangers, authority figures, and the elderly. Crucially, u always takes a singular verb (e.g., u loopt), even when you are addressing multiple people.
• Jij/Je: The informal singular 'you' for friends, family, and children. Je is the standard form; jij is used for emphasis.
• Jullie: The informal plural 'you' for addressing two or more people. While traditionally for friends and family, it is increasingly used for groups in modern informal settings regardless of individual status.

2. Capitalization
In modern Dutch, u and uw are written in lowercase. Capitalization (U, Uw) is now reserved almost exclusively for addressing God or in extremely deferential, old-fashioned correspondence.

3. Verb Conjugation (Present Tense)
In the present tense, u and jij follow the stem + t pattern (e.g., u werkt, jij werkt). However, jullie always uses the full verb (e.g., jullie werken).

For irregular verbs, note these specific forms:

• Zijn: The standard form is u bent. While u is is still grammatically correct, it is now limited to very formal, legal, or religious contexts.
• Hebben: Both u heeft and u hebt are correct. U heeft is historically a third-person form, while u hebt treats u like jij. Onze Taal prefers u hebt, but u heeft is equally correct and common.

4. The Inversion Rule (Questions)
A major difference occurs when the pronoun follows the verb:

• With jij/je, the verb drops the -t: Werk jij? (from jij werkt).
• With u, the verb always keeps the -t: Werkt u? Note that in Bent u?, the -t is part of the irregular form itself rather than a suffix that is 'kept'.
• With jullie, the verb remains the same: Werken jullie?

5. Object and Possessive Forms
To become proficient in these registers, note the different forms:

• Formal (Singular/Plural): Object is u; possessive is uw.
• Informal Singular: Object is jou/je; possessive is jouw/je.
• Informal Plural: Object is jullie; possessive is jullie.

6. Cultural Context
In the Netherlands, people often prefer informal address (tutoyeren). If someone says "Zeg maar je", they are inviting you to switch. In Flanders, u remains much more common in everyday speech.