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submitted 2 years ago by iso@lemy.lol to c/english_esl@lemmy.ml

cross-posted from: https://lemy.lol/post/196311

I'm from Turkey so English isn't my native language. We just call O in Turkish to no matter its he/she/it. Is there an equivalent of this generic term on English?

I don't want to call he to a female or vice versa.

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[-] MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 years ago

They as in "what they said"

[-] iso@lemy.lol 1 points 2 years ago

For instance I want to say someone is bad to a person. If I know he is a male, then I can say He is a bad person. But with your example, I should say they are bad person or what? It looks plural.

[-] MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago

Yeah exactly. They can be plural when referring to more than one person or singular when referring to just one.

[-] scribs 2 points 2 years ago

But for some reason the verb stays plural... you don't say "They is a bad person".

[-] MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

Because English!

[-] iso@lemy.lol 1 points 2 years ago

Hmmm interesting. Can/should I use a/an with this like they are a bad person? My English teacher would beat me for this lol

[-] MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago
[-] ravachol@feddit.de 2 points 2 years ago

I’d say you have to use a, no?

[-] Pepperette@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You use "an" when the word after sounds like it starts with a vowel. "They are a bad person" is correct, "They are aN awesome person" is correct.

English is dumb.

[-] pglpm@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[-] Aeva_the_Broken@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

It can feel a little clunky, but I do this all the time when typing online. Particularly on discord or somewhere where I have no idea of a members gender.

"I first noticed this member join our server a week ago but they have not posted a lot. The few posts that they have made show that they are interested in the game, but I think they are looking for a different experience. I wish them well in their search for a different group."

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this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
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English As a Second Language

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All things for those who use the English language but still there's a lot to learn.

Please follow the instance's guidelines and keep on-topic. Any level of question is welcome, either from a beginner or from an almost-native speaker.

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