we

Meanings

1. 1pronoun

   The speaker together with one or more other people.

   Grammar: Refers to a group that includes the speaker; takes a plural verb: we are, we go.

   Patterns

   • we + verb
   • we + have/has + past participle

   We are going to the beach tomorrow.

   We have known each other since childhood.

   We all agreed with the plan.

2. 2pronoun

   People in general, including the speaker and the hearer.

   Grammar: Used to talk about everyone in a general way, as in 'We all need friends.'

   Patterns

   • we all + verb
   • we + verb + in general

   We all need to take care of our health.

   We live in a complicated world.

   We often forget how lucky we are.

3. 3pronoun

   A specific group that the speaker represents, such as a company, team, or nation.

   Grammar: Often used by officials, writers, or leaders to speak for an organization or country.

   Patterns

   • we + verb + for the group
   • we + believe/think

   We at the company are committed to quality.

   We, the people, have the power to change things.

   In this chapter, we will discuss the causes of the war.

Common combinations

we all

We all enjoyed the party.

here we go

Here we go again — another meeting!

shall we?

Shall we go now?

we the people

The Constitution begins with 'We the People'.

Word family

us pronoun

The object form of 'we': She saw us.

our determiner

Belonging to us: our house.

ours pronoun

The one(s) belonging to us: That book is ours.

ourselves pronoun

Reflexive form: We hurt ourselves.

Commonly confused: we or us? we or our?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “we”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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