Gujarati Pronouns: તું, તમે, આપ and Showing Respect

Gujarati has several ways to say "you" and two ways to say "we". Choosing well is an important part of speaking politely.

The pronouns

Person	Pronoun
I	હું
we (excluding listener)	અમે
we (including listener)	આપણે
you (informal, singular)	તું
you (respectful, or plural)	તમે
you (very respectful)	આપ
he / she / it	તે
they (also respectful singular)	તેઓ
this / these	આ
that (over there)	પેલો / પેલી / પેલું

Three levels of "you"

• તું — informal, intimate: for children, close friends, siblings and God (in prayer). Using it with a stranger or elder would be rude.
• તમે — respectful, and the plural: for elders, strangers, colleagues and in most everyday situations.
• આપ — very respectful or formal: used for honoured guests, officials, in formal letters and speeches.

Verb forms change with the level: તું જાય છે (informal), તમે જાઓ છો (respectful), આપ પધારો (formal, "please come").

Two kinds of "we"

• અમે — "we", not including the person you're talking to: અમે ઘરે જઈએ છીએ. (We're going home; you're not coming.)
• આપણે — "we", including the listener: આપણે સાથે જઈએ. (Let's go together.)

Third person

Gujarati doesn't distinguish "he" from "she": તે covers both. The verb or context shows gender in some tenses: તે ગયો (he went), તે ગઈ (she went).

For respect, the plural તેઓ is used for a single respected person: તેઓ આવ્યા છે. — He/she (respected) has come.

Greetings by respect level

• કેમ છો? — How are you? (respectful, the usual form)
• કેમ છે? — How are you? (informal)
• તમે કેમ છો? — How are you (respectful)?
• નમસ્તે — hello, greetings
• જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ — a very common greeting among many Gujaratis
• જય જિનેન્દ્ર — a common greeting among Jains
• આવજો — goodbye (literally "come again")
• આભાર / ધન્યવાદ — thank you

Adding respect through suffixes

Gujaratis add respectful suffixes to names:

• -ભાઈ after a man's name: રમેશભાઈ
• -બેન after a woman's name: મીનાબેન
• -જી for added respect: ગાંધીજી

You'll find more in our article on honorifics.

Choosing the right pronoun

1. With elders and strangers: તમે (or આપ if formal).
2. With friends of your age: તું is fine if you're close, otherwise તમે.
3. With children: તું.
4. With guests: તમે or આપ.
5. When in doubt, use તમે.

Verb forms

Verbs change to match:

• તું આવે છે (you come, informal)
• તમે આવો છો (you come, respectful)
• આપ પધારો છો (you honour us with your visit)

Common beginner errors

• Using તું with elders.
• Using અમે when you mean આપણે.
• Forgetting the plural for a respected third person.

Learning tips

1. Learn all pronouns with their verb forms.
2. Listen to how speakers address each other.
3. Practise the અમે/આપણે distinction.
4. Follow the other person's lead.

Look up Gujarati pronouns and greetings with English Gujarati Dictionary →