Etymologically
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toi

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /twa/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec, informal): /twe/[1]

Forms

toi m or f[1] Old French te (10th century), tei (11th–12th century), toi (about 1170).[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French tei, inherited from Latin tē (“you”), the accusative of tū, in stressed position; unstressed, the same Latin form gave te.[2][5][3][6] Littré explains the difference between “toi” and “te” as that between a stressed and an enclitic form.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Vie de saint Léger (second half of the 10th century) the form te, after a preposition, is used where modern French has toi.[8] Devant tei, pur tei are found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis.[8]

Semantic evolution

Toi was first used as a complement (11th century), then as a subject (12th century) and an attribute (about 1265), and as a form of address (1677), familiarly in bonjour, toi ! (1757).[2] Strengthened forms appear from the 16th century: toi-même (1580), toi seul (1662), toi, tu (1668).[2] As a noun (un autre toi, after 1250) it is much less common than le moi.[2] The slang tézigue is formed, like mézigue, from the possessive tes and zigue.[2]

Timeline

  • 10th century – Te after a preposition.[8][2]
  • c. 1050 – Pur tei in the Vie de saint Alexis.[8]
  • c. 1170 – The form toi.[2][3]
  • 1580 – Toi-même in Montaigne.[2]
  • 1757 – Bonjour, toi !.[2]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. you: stressed form of the second person singular, after a preposition or for emphasis: avec toi, toi, tu sais.[1][6]
  2. Yourself: after an imperative: dépêche-toi, lève-toi.[1][6]
  3. À toi: yours: c'est à toi, à toi de jouer.[4]

Word family

  • toi-même
  • tézigue

Usage notes

After an imperative toi becomes t’ before en and y (va-t'en, garde-t'en).[8][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 148a
  6. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard