Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirtel
In some languages (Estonian, Russian, presumably others) the singular you and the plural you are two different words also. It's considered polite to use the plural you with strangers, although this custom is starting to disappear with younger generations.
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Hindi has a strictly singular 2nd person तू (that conjugates as singular), a mixed 2nd तुम (can refer to 1 person or more) and a plural 2nd person, आप, which conjugates as plural but is also used to address a single person formally or as a mark of respect. So a group of peers or friends would be addressed with तुम, a group of strangers or social superiors with आप.