The phrase "you guys"...

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03 Jun 2010, 10:48 am

Is the phrase used when there is a group of guys only OR if there is a mix of guys and girls? It seems weird to say "you guys" when there are girls in the group.

Asp-Z
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03 Jun 2010, 10:53 am

People tend to say it regardless of the gender they're referencing. I agree that it's weird.

jc6chan
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03 Jun 2010, 10:56 am

Asp-Z wrote:

People tend to say it regardless of the gender they're referencing. I agree that it's weird.

I think its the same concept as in french pronoun for "they". If its exclusively girls, you use feminine. If its a group of guys and girls, masculine wins.

xalepax
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03 Jun 2010, 11:10 am

lol, yeah indeed I have thought about it. The same apply for other similuar expressions, like saying "oh boy" or "hey man" or "go bro" I get those replies very often but everyone miss a detail that I do make public: Im FEMALE!

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jc6chan
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03 Jun 2010, 11:12 am

xalepax wrote:

"go bro"

"You go girl!!"

NeverEnder
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03 Jun 2010, 11:22 am

jc6chan wrote:

Is the phrase used when there is a group of guys only OR if there is a mix of guys and girls? It seems weird to say "you guys" when there are girls in the group.

I am from Ohio and we say it all the time-- groups of guys, girls, guys & girls, whomever.

I live in N.Y.C. now and I hear it often (many Mid-Westerners here) :wink:

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sylvr
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03 Jun 2010, 11:56 am

jc6chan wrote:

Asp-Z wrote:

People tend to say it regardless of the gender they're referencing. I agree that it's weird.

I think its the same concept as in french pronoun for "they". If its exclusively girls, you use feminine. If its a group of guys and girls, masculine wins.

That's what I was thinking, though I'm not sure what I say to a group of all girls (as in I can't remember).

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Wobbuffet
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03 Jun 2010, 11:58 am

I think "guys" is fine for mixed company.

I know some people who say "guys and girls", but that just sounds like something Dolly Parton would say.

jc6chan
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03 Jun 2010, 12:03 pm

sylvr wrote:

jc6chan wrote:

Asp-Z wrote:

People tend to say it regardless of the gender they're referencing. I agree that it's weird.

I think its the same concept as in french pronoun for "they". If its exclusively girls, you use feminine. If its a group of guys and girls, masculine wins.

That's what I was thinking, though I'm not sure what I say to a group of all girls (as in I can't remember).

"girls!" "Ladies!"

RainSong
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03 Jun 2010, 12:05 pm

I think (and use) guys for any group of people, even if it's all females. Gals sounds out of place here, and both ladies and girls are very often not appropriate.

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03 Jun 2010, 12:08 pm

It was something new to me. I thought that to mixed group should be hey, people or something this type.

go bro --> go sis

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03 Jun 2010, 12:22 pm

I prefer it to "You bunch of idiots".

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CockneyRebel
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03 Jun 2010, 1:58 pm

I don't think it's weird, at all.

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Irulan
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03 Jun 2010, 2:02 pm

Valoyossa wrote:

It was something new to me. I thought that to mixed group should be hey, people or something this type.

go bro --> go sis

When I was in college, our teacher who was an Englishman kept using "guys" while referring to us and there was only one boy in the whole group, the rest were all females :lol: