Most of the time, choose _je_. Many Dutch pronouns (short words for people, such as I, you and we) come in two forms: a stressed one that you say with extra weight, like _jij_, and an unstressed one that slips by quietly, like _je_. The short form is your everyday default. The long form is mainly for contrast or emphasis.
The pattern
Use the short, unstressed form by default. Use the long, stressed form especially when you want to contrast or highlight that person.
- _jij_ / _je_: you as the subject (the one who does something)
- _jou_ / _je_: you as the object (the one something happens to)
- _wij_ / _we_: we
- _zij_ / _ze_: she, and also they
- _mij_ / _me_: me
- _ik_, _hij_, _jullie_ and the polite _u_ have no separate short form in standard writing (more on _u_ in [U or jij](#/lesson/u-or-jij)).
Examples
| Je woont in Utrecht, toch? | You live in Utrecht, right? |
|---|---|
| Jij woont in Utrecht, en Daan woont in Delft. | You live in Utrecht, and Daan lives in Delft. |
| We gaan met de trein. | We are going by train. |
| Wij nemen de trein, jullie fietsen. | We are taking the train, you are cycling. |
| Sanne belt me morgen. | Sanne is calling me tomorrow. |
| Sanne belt mij, niet Bas. | Sanne is calling me, not Bas. |
| Ze werkt bij de gemeente. | She works for the municipality. |
| Zij werkt bij de gemeente, hij werkt thuis. | She works for the municipality, he works from home. |
| Ik zie je zaterdag! | I'll see you on Saturday! |
| Ik zie jou, maar ik zie Yara niet. | I see you, but I don't see Yara. |
Why it works this way
Think of the long form as a pointing finger. In _Jij hebt gelijk, niet ik_, you point at the other person and away from yourself. In _Je hebt gelijk_, nobody points: you simply agree.
English shows this with the voice alone: YOU are right. Dutch also swaps the word, because a short form like _je_ or _we_ cannot carry stress. So a pronoun that stands on its own, as in _En jij?_, is always the long form. If you speak Spanish or Arabic, this will feel familiar: there you often leave the pronoun out and add it mainly for emphasis or contrast.
In writing, nobody hears your voice, so the word itself shows the stress. Write _jij_ and the reader hears extra weight. That is why _je_ is usually the right choice in messages and emails. This is a strong tendency, not an iron law: people do write _Heb jij zin?_ to sound a little more personal.
One more clue for _ze_: when it is the subject, the verb tells you if it means she or they. _Ze werkt_ is she, _ze werken_ is they.
Remember: if you would not point at the person, use the short form.
Watch out
- Not: _Je hebt gelijk, niet ik._ Say: _Jij hebt gelijk, niet ik._ (contrast needs the stressed form)
- Not: _Ik zie jij morgen._ Say: _Ik zie je morgen._ (the object form is _je_ or _jou_)
- Not: _Goed, en met je?_ Say: _Goed, en met jou?_ (the pronoun carries the stress here)
- Not: _Dit is me fiets._ Say: _Dit is mijn fiets._ (_mijn_ is my; its spoken short form is written _m'n_, not _me_)
Quick check
- Choose: _Ik heb honger. En (jij / je)?_
- Choose: _Ik bel (jij / je) morgen, oké?_
- Fix the sentence: _Geef het aan me, niet aan Joris._
- In _Ze fietsen naar de supermarkt_, does _ze_ mean she or they?
Answers
- _jij_ (a pronoun on its own carries the stress)
- _je_ (no contrast, and the object form is _je_ or _jou_)
- _Geef het aan mij, niet aan Joris._ (the contrast with Joris needs the stressed form)
- They (for she, the verb would be _fietst_)
Use it today
Send a short Dutch message to a friend, neighbour or colleague with the short form, for example _Heb je morgen tijd?_ Then add one contrast with the long form, like _Ik neem de trein. En jij?_