-they-

-they-
Nota d'uso
Una frase come chiedi a qualcuno se può aiutarci si può tradurre in inglese con:
1) Ask someone if he can help us;
2) Ask someone if he or she can help us;
3) Ask someone if s/he can help us;
4) Ask someone if they can help us.
La 1) è spesso considerata sessista perché usa soltanto il pronome maschile he; la 2) è comune, ma può risultare goffa e pesante; la 3) è possibile solo nella lingua scritta; la 4), benché ritenuta da alcuni scorretta perché fa concordare un pronome singolare (someone) con uno plurale (they), corrisponde in realtà a un uso radicato da secoli nella lingua inglese, che di recente si è ulteriormente diffuso in parte sotto la spinta della nuova sensibilità contraria all'uso sessista del linguaggio.
Possono concordare con they (e them, their, theirs):
a i pronomi indefiniti (somebody, someone, everybody, everyone, anybody, anyone, nobody, no one, none, whoever): Anyone can register, provided that they have a degree, chiunque può iscriversi, purché sia laureato; Everybody should do their duty, ognuno dovrebbe fare il proprio dovere;
b la parola person: Lecturing a depressed person is not the most effective way to help them, fare la predica a una persona depressa non è il modo più efficace per aiutarla;
c i pronomi either e neither e tutti i nomi singolari quando siano preceduti da each, every, either, neither, no, any: Neither man lifted their head, nessuno dei due uomini sollevò il capo; Every child needs to know that they are loved, ogni bambino ha bisogno di sapere che è amato;
d i nomi singolari che, nel contesto, possono riferirsi indifferentemente a una donna o a un uomo: If your best friend knew that, what would they do?, se il vostro migliore amico o la vostra migliore amica lo sapesse, che cosa farebbe?

English-Italian dictionary. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • they — W1S1 [ðeı] pron [used as the subject of a verb] [Date: 1100 1200; : Old Norse; Origin: their] 1.) used to refer to two or more people or things that have already been mentioned or are already known about ▪ Bob and Sue said they wouldn t be able… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they — (thā) pron. 1) Used to refer to the ones previously mentioned or implied. 2) Usage Problem Used to refer to the one previously mentioned or implied, especially as a substitute for generic he: »Every person has rights under the law, but they don t …   Word Histories

  • They — (IPAEng|ðeɪ) is a third person, personal pronoun (subject case) in Modern English.UsageThe singular they is the use of this pronoun, where they is used as a gender neutral singular rather than plural pronoun. The correctness of this usage is… …   Wikipedia

  • they — [ ðeı ] pronoun *** They is used as the subject of a verb: They killed him. In formal English they can also be used after the verb to be, especially before a relative clause: It is they who are telling lies. 1. ) used for referring to a group of… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • They — ([th][=a]), pron. pl.; poss. {Theirs}; obj. {Them}. [Icel. [thorn]eir they, properly nom. pl. masc. of s[=a], s[=u], [thorn]at, a demonstrative pronoun, akin to the English definite article, AS. s[=e], se[ o], [eth][ae]t, nom. pl. [eth][=a]. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • they'd — [ ðeıd ] short form 1. ) the usual way of saying or writing they would. This is not often used in formal writing: They said they d be happy to help. 2. ) the usual way of saying or writing they had when had is an AUXILIARY verb. This is not often …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • they're — (they are) n. they exist, they live, they occupy a certain position, they exist in a certain state …   English contemporary dictionary

  • they'd — [ðeıd] 1.) the short form of they had ▪ If only they d been there. 2.) the short form of they would ▪ It s a pity my parents didn t come they d have enjoyed it …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they — ► PRONOUN (third person pl. ) 1) used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified. 2) people in general. 3) informal people in authority regarded collectively. 4) used to refer to a person of unspecified sex …   English terms dictionary

  • they'd — (they had) v. verb used together with another verb to express past tense they d (they would) v. verb used together with another verb to express future tense …   English contemporary dictionary

  • they — [thā] pron. sing. he, she, it [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… …   English World dictionary

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