language note: They is a third person plural pronoun. They is used as the subject of a verb.
1. pronoun
You use they to refer to a group of people, animals, or things.
The two men were far more alike than they would ever admit.
People matter because of what they are, not what they have.
The young horses broke in a pack, and over the first furlong, they remained in apack.
2. pronoun
You use they instead of 'he or she' to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman.
The teacher is not responsible for this. They are only there to help the studentlearn.
I never saw anyone go in to buy. Whether they ever did I don't know.
3. pronoun
You use they in expressions such as 'they say' or 'they call it' to refer to people in general when you are making general statements about what people say, think, or do.
[vagueness]
They say there are plenty of opportunities out there.
In Australia I believe that they call it animal magnetism.
English Easy Learning GrammarPersonal pronounsPersonal pronouns are used as the subject, object, or complement in a clause. Theyare commonly found taking the place of a noun phrase when it is mentioned ... Read more
they in British English
(ðeɪ)
pronoun(subjective)
1.
refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed
they fight among themselves
2.
refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people addressed
in Australia they have Christmas in the summer
3. not standard
refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody
if anyone objects, they can go
4.
refers to a person whose gender cannot or need not be specified
ask a colleague if they can advise
5.
refers to a person with a nonbinary gender identity who has expressed a preference to be referred to in this way
the songwriter announced they were releasing a solo album next year
6. an archaic word for those
blessed are they that mourn
▶ USAGE It was formerly considered correct to use a masculine pronoun such as he, him, or his to refer to people in general, as in everyone did his best, but it is now more common to use they, them, or their, and this use has become acceptable in all but the most formal contexts: everyone did their best. This use of they, them, and their to refer to people in general can even be found in some definitions in this dictionarywhen other gender-neutral wording would be excessively convoluted
Word origin
C12: thei from Old Norse their, masculine nominative plural, equivalent to Old English thā
they in American English
(ðeɪ)
pronounWord forms: singularhe, she, it
1.
the persons, animals, or things previously mentioned
personal pronoun in the third person plural: they is the nominative form, them the objective, theirs the possessive, and themselves the reflexive and intensive; their is the possessive pronominal adjective
2.
people
they say it's so
3.
the person or group just mentioned
used sometimes as a generic form with a collective antecedent such as everyone, somebody, or no one to avoid the masculine implications of generic he
everyone thinks they are right about this issue
Word origin
ME thei < ON thei-r, nom. masc. pl. of the demonstrative pron.; like their & them (ME theim), also < the ON demonstrative forms, thei replaced earlier ME he (hi) because the native pronouns were phonetically confused with the forms of the pers.pron. (ME he, hire, hem, him, etc.): cf. their, them, she
Examples of 'they' in a sentence
they
They used to feed on the fish being cleaned by local fishermen.
The Sun (2016)
They are used to scare off rather than kill the unwanted birds.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These people keep forgetting they are servants of the people.
The Sun (2017)
They also could use the knowledge they have about firms and their competitors.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Lots of people have said they will join us.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Settled partners talk like they used to and realise how much they mean to each other.
The Sun (2016)
He was following the letter of the law and did not have the big screens to refer to because they were not working.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In some South American cultures they refer to the past being in front of them and the future being behind.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He claimed that they were being used to raise more money for the charity.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
When they were referred to it they appeared bad parents.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The sort of people who fancied they might have checked in to the hotel.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
To whom does the pronoun they refer?
Marius, Richard A Short Guide to Writing About History (1995)
Some people think they are also considerable art.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They can refer you to a specialist for tests.
The Sun (2014)
Its purveyors are only giving the people what they naturally want.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Some people decide that they will manoeuvre the situation to make sure that other departments are the ones that suffer the cuts.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Those that survive the freezing process are destroyed if they are not used within 10 years.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They used to win trophies at Arsenal.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Such notices are common, though they usually refer to film or sports stars.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
One British interpreter working with the police said they still used their position to harass tribal rivals.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
If not, they may refer you to a clinic for further tests.
The Sun (2006)
When they are loyal, people say they are there too long.
The Sun (2013)
They are kind people who help the Roma.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Let people know what they're getting.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I have a fine instinct for reading the thoughts of others when they refer to me.
Elizabeth Gaskell Wives and Daughters (1864)
One of these they referred to as the infrastructure or base, sometimes also called the mode of production.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
It is right that they have referred the matter to the IPCC.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She seemed to say it partly for the sake of others, so they could get used to the idea and steel themselves when the time came.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I hope they were referring to the brutal portrayal of war rather than the soldier's piece rising up from the lake.
The Sun (2016)
In other languages
they
British English: they /ðeɪ/ PRONOUN
You use they when you are talking about more than one person, animal, or thing.
They are all in the same class.
American English: they
Arabic: هُمْ
Brazilian Portuguese: eles
Chinese: 他们
Croatian: oni
Czech: oni
Danish: de
Dutch: zij meervoud
European Spanish: ellos
Finnish: he
French: ils
German: sie
Greek: αυτοί
Italian: loro
Japanese: 彼らは
Korean: 그들
Norwegian: de
Polish: oni
European Portuguese: eles
Romanian: ei
Russian: они
Latin American Spanish: ellos
Swedish: de
Thai: พวกเขาทั้งหลาย
Turkish: onlar
Ukrainian: вони
Vietnamese: họ những người đó
All related terms of 'they'
he
You use he to refer to a man, boy , or male animal.
it
You use it to refer to an object, animal, or other thing that has already been mentioned .
she
You use she to refer to a woman, girl , or female animal who has already been mentioned or whose identity is clear .
they'd
They'd is a spoken form of 'they had', especially when 'had' is an auxiliary verb .
they'll
They'll is the usual spoken form of 'they will'.
they're
They're is the usual spoken form of 'they are'.
they've
They've is the usual spoken form of 'they have', especially when 'have' is an auxiliary verb .
as…as they come
the most characteristic example of a class or type
kick someone when they are down
to hurt , upset or criticize someone when they are already in a weak position or at a disadvantage
such as it is/such as they are
You use such as it is or such as they are to suggest that the thing you have just mentioned is not very good, important, or useful .
they broke the mould when they made someone
said to mean that a particular person or thing is special or unique , and that there is nobody else or nothing else quite like them
let the chips fall where they may
let the consequences be what they may
as good/stupid/quick etc as they come
If you say that someone is, for example , as good as they come , or as stupid as they come , you are emphasizing that they are extremely good or extremely stupid.
count one's chickens before they are hatched
to be overoptimistic in acting on expectations which are not yet fulfilled
give someone an inch and they'll take a mile
said to mean that if you do a small favour for someone, they will become greedy and ask you to do bigger and bigger favours for them and make you regret doing the first favour
as good (or tough or strong, etc.) as they come
among the best (or toughest , strongest , etc.)
someone will cross that bridge when they come to it
said to mean that someone intends to deal with a problem when, or if, it happens , rather than worrying about the possibility of it happening
someone can do something until they are blue in the face
said to mean that however long someone does something or however hard they try , they will still fail
don't count your chickens
said to mean that you should not make plans for the future because you do not know for certain how a particular situation will develop
Chinese translation of 'they'
they
(ðeɪ)
pl pron
(referring to men, boys, mixed group) 他们(們) (tāmen)
⇒ They haven't arrived yet.他们还没到。 (Tāmen hái méi dào.)
(referring to women, girls) 她们(們) (tāmen)
⇒ They're pretty girls.她们是漂亮的女孩。 (Tāmen shì piàoliang de nǚhái.)
(referring to animals, things) 它们(們) (tāmen)
⇒ They are healthy animals.它们是健康的动物。 (Tāmen shì jiànkāng de dòngwù.)
(in generalizations) 人们(們) (rénmen)
⇒ They say that there are plenty of opportunities.人们都说有很多机会。 (Rénmen dōu shuō yǒu hěn duō jīhuì.)
(= he or she) 他/她 (tā/tā)
⇒ If anyone has any problems they can come to Mary for help.如果谁有任何问题，可以向玛丽寻求帮助。 (Rúguǒ shuí yǒu rènhé wèntí, kěyǐ xiàng Mǎlì xúnqiú bāngzhù.)