thee

thee — pronoun

1. an old pronoun that served as the object form of 'thou' in older English — equiv

1.代名詞B2
釋義

an old pronoun that served as the object form of 'thou' in older English — equivalent to the modern word 'you' when directed at a single individual. It appears today in historical novels, the King James Bible, traditional prayers, poetry, and some English dialects.

例句

Asher read the poem aloud: 'I can no longer hide my love for thee.'

thee as object of preposition 'for'

The old prayer began, 'We beseech thee, O Lord, to hear our humble plea.'

archaic religious register: beseech + thee

同義詞
  • you

    modern equivalent; neutral register, works everywhere 'thee' would except intentionally archaic contexts

  • ye

    archaic plural or formal 'you' (subject form); 'ye' covers both subject and some object uses but is even rarer than 'thee'

文法句型

thee as direct object (I see thee)

thee after preposition (to thee / with thee / for thee)

thee as indirect object (I give thee this ring)

用法筆記

THEE is never used as a subject — that role belongs to 'thou' (e.g. 'thou art kind', NOT 'thee art kind'). It is also never used with modern third-person verb forms: 'I see thee', not 'I sees thee'. In modern English, 'thee' appears almost exclusively in historical novels, religious liturgy, poetry, and some northern English dialects (especially Yorkshire and Lancashire). Learners should recognise it when reading older texts but avoid using it in everyday speech unless the context is deliberately archaic.

常見錯誤

❌I give this to thou.
✅I give this to thee.
💡'thou' is the subject form; after a preposition, use 'thee'.
❌Thee is my friend.
✅Thou art my friend.
💡'thee' cannot be the subject of a sentence; use 'thou' instead.
❌I love thee very much.' (as modern usage)
✅Reserve 'thee' for literary, religious, or historical contexts. In everyday English, use 'you'.