Any good replacement for ,,y'all"?

You can either: 1) just say you, or 2) if it's truly ambiguous, say "you all", pronouncing both words. A native speaker would probably elide them somewhat, into "yuall", but that's still distinct from the pronunciation of "y'all". Other options: If you are talking to two other people, you can say "you two". In some larger groups, the natural thing is to rephrase. "Does everyone want to go to the movies?" makes more sense to me if you're in a group of 5 than "Do you want to go to the movies?" (But "you all" would work there.) "You guys" is also an informal second person plural in my dialect (raised in California), but some people find it gender exclusive.

Probably just "you all" which is the long form of y'all. But the plural "you" should work fine in most cases. In my dialect we say "ye" but that will definitely stand out as weird almost anywhere else.

The plural of you is you. The replacement for y'all is simply you. Y'all is a dialect word very heavily associated with the American South. English has several words where the plural is the same as the singular. Moose and deer are the same word for plural and singular. You simply have to realize that the word you is not inherently singular. In fact, the word you is inherently plural. We use plural verbs with it. "You are" instead of "you is." If anything, the singular version of the word you should feel more awkward. However, you is both singular and plural depending on context. Simply using the correct words will, over time, make it feel more natural.

You can try “you guys” or “you lot” but that last one is British.

There is no good plural second person pronoun in English, other than “you”, which is why “you all” and “y’all” has stuck around for so long despite the annoying amount of people who insist that it is wrong. To avoid the “y’all”, try to reverse the order, like “all of you”.

In the Midwest US you’ll hear people say “You guys” as second person plural all the time, regardless of the gender of the group

Westcoaster native speaker, grew up saying You guys. Like, How long are you guys staying? Are you guys coming to the movies? Y'all is definitely southern thing, and it would honestly make me giggle if I heard a foreigner say it, but only because it is cute.

Just remember that "you" is the plural, and imagine you are being polite.

You is the second person plural pronoun. Thou canst start saying thou (thee/thy/thine) to single persons.

you guys. its not only used when talking to males you can ask a group of girls "do you guys know where...?" they may be telling you that "youre trying to sound southern" because of the way you pronounce "yall". just a guess. i dont know why people especially an american would think youre trying to sound southern for using "yall" when it is said from coast to coast in the US

where I come from we say "you guys" although that can come off a little gendered, I've heard "youse" in Australia as well.

Note that using you, plural, is correct in English, so you don’t *need* a separate word like y’all. That said, I’m a Texas boy who loves y’all, so I say use it if you like it. “In my native language, there’s a different word for ‘you, meaning one person,’ and ‘you, meaning many people.’ ‘Y’all’ is one of the only words for ‘you, plural,’ in English.” It’s not worth explaining to people you’ll never talk to again, but I think an explanation, as above, might make people realize you’re not trying to ‘sound southern,’ you’re using a linguistic feature to which you are accustomed. If they’re native speakers of English, I’d hope it’d give them a little bit of shame—they’re teasing someone who is learning a new language when you’re not incorrect in how you speak. Who *does* that?

Plural you is very regional.  You is plural but to highlight the plurality of it we add regional variations in informal spoken contexts.   I live in the south and it’s “y’all”.  In some contexts you can say ‘all of you’. I am from up north where we say “you guys” for females and/or males.  Grandma used to say “you’uns” in the east “yous” or “yous “ or “yous guys” 

Say everyone

“you guys” (regardless of gender), “you”, “you all”.

"You guys" is the most common choice in American English, and is not particularly gendered. In colloquial speech, "You guys" or "Y'all" or "Youse" or "Yinz," or whatever the local variant is, is used more commonly than a bare "you," but in formal speech "you" is generally mandatory. (Though in y'all-ing regions, "y'all" and possibly "all y'all" are used in formal speech.)

Besides the good comments already, sometimes *everybody/everyone* can work, when directly addressing a group of people. "So what do you guys think?" →"So what does everyone think?"

“You guys” is your best bet

Ignore Americans who make fun of "y'all". 95% of them are bitter angry terminally online people who are on some weird trip about American social politics that you really don't want to get into. Literally no one else cares. Just say "y'all". It's a good word. Use it.

Not a great one. "You guys" is generally accepted in informal settings. "Yinz" is apparently a thing in Pittsburgh, but almost nobody outside that region is going to recognize it. Modern English just doesn't have a standard 2nd person plural. Most of us just say "you" and it's expected that people will either understand from context or ask clarifying questions. "Sorry, were you talking to me specifically, or all of us?" ... "All of you."

In my context, people would say ‘you’ or ‘you guys / you lot’.

I strongly advocate for the use of y'all and I use it often. English needs a distinct plural second person pronoun. Unfortunately, it does sound a bit casual, informal, or colloquial and is not really appropriate in formal situations. Although "you" can be ambiguous, you can mitigate that ambiguity by saying "you all", "all of you", "both of you", "you two", "you three", etc. as appropriate.

I wanted to mention since I grew up and live in Texas. Your co-workers are confusing "ya'll" for you or everyone because ya'll is used as a singular and a plural. So, it makes sense when they can't tell if you mean one person or everyone. When I'm talking to people who arent from the south or are foreigners (English is their 2nd or 3rd language) I switch to saying "You", "You All", & "Listen/Look Everyone". When you can't or don't use the word ya'll you have to switch to using more words. It's kind of annoying but how it works. Also, I heard more British people are using the word Ya'll, is that true? My friend was telling me about it. He's in his mid 20s and I wasnt sure if he was messing with me lol

I moved to Texas several years ago, but used “y’all” long before that. Otherwise, I just used “you”.

Personally, as a southerner, I think you should keep saying y'all. It is gradually spreading in to not just be a southernism, especially in online spaces. It's also just a very useful word that makes up for an otherwise lack in specificity

yous

In the part of the US where I grew up, it was “yinz”. My stepdad’s from a part where it’s “youse guys”. I use “y’all”. I’d say outside the south, it’s a fairly common choice for feminists who are avoiding “you guys”.

Doesn't German already have a word for this?

you can say "you guys" if you're talking to Americans

I think y'all is becoming mainstream across the US as second person plural.

I'm a native English speaker that does not normally have "y'all" in their dialect (Canadian). However, I have adopted y'all into my vocabulary because I find it so useful. I know a few other people that have done the same. I just do my best not to use it in front of my boss or elderly people so I don't get a weird look lol

I am from California and never got bothered for saying y'all. It's typically southern or black indexed but many people use it. For from speech you should use "you" or you may wish to say "all of you" on occasion for emphasis.

“Everyone”

"Y'all" is gaining popularity but still associated with rural, uneducated speech. "You guys" is fairly common casually outside the south. "You all" (two distinct words\_ is fine too of course, but it's harder to say and typically used for avoiding ambiguity "There are dialectal ones like "Youse," but I wouldn't use them unless you're trying to fit in there. I know "you" may be unintuitive, but it is correct. Try to be confident. Use "you all" as needed for clarity.

Folks, everybody, everyone, people (not "you people"), gang, fam, peeps, guys, friends, dudes

Yous

It's fine to say y'all. They're being rude, but "y'all" is referring to folks in front of you unlike a general "you" which can be intended for a theoretical situation. If it's a theoretical "you" but not necessarily the folks around you, you need to say "you" cos those theoretical you's are singular like, "You can't talk trash and expect folks to like you." Even though it can apply to multiple people, you're treating it like a singular as if you were talking to that person one-on-one in a theoretical situation. Making it a plural really sounds like you're accusing/talking to the people around you because you made it plural. You only say y'all or yuns or you guys or youse to the folks in front of you or to one person in front of you and their immediate associates whether family, friends, or colleagues like you're giving group advice. You = Anyone, the person in front of you, or that person and their associates depending on context Y'all, yuns, you guys, and youse = The people in front of you or the person/people in front of you and their immediate associates All y'all = The person/people in front of you, their immediate associates, their mamas, their cousins, their second cousins, their dogs... Possible situation: Becky: I can't believe all these musicians charge such ridiculous prices for concert tickets. Jamie: Right? Like, you¹ can't expect your fans to afford that. Becky: Tell me about it. Britney and I are thinking about taking some extra shifts to buy tickets. Jamie: Oh, y'all² could get side jobs where I work. We're looking for some people, and the pay's good. ¹This is a theoretical "you" as if Jamie was talking to a single musician and giving him/her a piece of her mind even though multiple musicians are charging high prices for tickets. ²This is a definite "you" referring to Becky and Britney in this context. "You" would also be fine, but "y'all" makes it known that Jamie is directly including Britney rather than Becky alone. I might have misunderstood the situations giving you a problem, so I'm guessing how it might consistently happen. The theoretical "you" can also lead to confusion, but a theoretical "y'all" doesn't exist. It is quite direct and specific. The only situation I can think where you might say y'all for a theoretical situation is if you're suggesting the person in front you pass along the message directly, but that's really rare and requires a lot of context. And it still has a high chance of being confusing. Basically, still only say "y'all" in reference to the people in front of you and their direct associates.

I lived in the South for a long time. 'Y'all' is perfectly acceptable and quite useful. It is used in plenty of places outside of the South, too. For some reason, a lot of people who don't use it think that not using it makes them superior. You're completely welcome to use it.

Unintuitive - though it may be: you. Or if you simply can’t restrict yourself to one word, try “You guys.”

"You guys". Despite how it may sound, it's not particularly gendered in practice.

depending on the location and the intent of the message, you can say "Everybody (here today)"

“You folks” could work.

>In my language there is a plural second person pronoun. There is in English too: it's "you." >It even leads to communication issues when people think im adressing them specifically. I've never encountered this in my life; can you give an example? If it's really an issue "everyone" or "everybody" would probably cover most needs.

I'm in a US state in the Midwest, bordering on being a southern state. A lot of us have a southern accent and a lot of us don't. But we all say y'all 😁 who cares what they think? if you like saying it, say it.

I say 'youse' or 'yis' 😅

I say it's fine just to say yall, why are people making fun of someone for speaking a second language? 🙄 probably more than they can do. You can also say "you guys" regardless of gender. Every once in a while someone *might* say "I'm not a guy" but they are probably a 70+ yr old woman or a pretentious middle schooler.

“The collection of yous”

"You guys" is very common, even in places where we say "y'all".

In Australia the plural for you is either: you, or you all. You guys is also often used. Youse is only used informally. Y’all is never used except by some americanised kids

If they say "y'all" makes ypu sound southern, go the full opposite with "youse guys".

It might be unintuitive but it's the answer! In English there is also a plural second person and it's "you" -- encourage yourself to use you

"you guys", "youse", "youns" and "yinz" are all used for 2pp in Northeast American English varieties, maybe try one of those?

In a few places, people do say "you all" as a plural of you. Feel free to use it if it helps! As you can see, there are a lot of informal ways to say a plural you, so if you feel compelled, just choose one and stick to it.

Yous

Y’all is a perfectly acceptable word for second person plural, and its use is rising, even amongst non-southerners. Just use it. Every second person plural word is very regional.

The Scottish (and a few other places) version of "y'all" is "yous". How these words came about is kind of interesting. It used to be "thou" for singular and "you" for plural, but "you" was also used in singular for very formal usage. The bible being full of "thou"s was meant to emphasise an informal personal relationship, but now it feels the opposite of that. Sometime in the 18th or 19th century it became fashionable to speak very formally (think of husband and wife calling each other "Mr X" and "Mrs X") so "thou" fell out of fashion and was replaced by "you". Except that left a gap as we no longer had a plural "you" so "y'all" and "yous" came in to fill it.

Y’all is definitely gaining popularity. I live in the “ultra woke” San Francisco Bay Area, and many people believe it is sexist to use “you guys” when there are non-males present because they believe “guys” is only appropriate for male-identifying humans. Whether speakers agree with the ideology behind this reasoning or not, the use of y’all seems to have taken off, even outside of this region. I wouldn’t worry about using it. Consider yourself an early adopter.

I say stick to y'all. It's charming

Please just use "you." Different regions have different ways of pluralizing "you," whether y'all, yous, you'uns, yinz, and you lot, but none of them are acceptable outside of that dialect. "You guys" is probably the closest to being accepted outside of a particular area, but some people consider it gendered language and not inclusive of women, meaning it's not a great option for everyone. Every language has features that don't make sense to outsiders. Language learners are encouraged to laugh about them, but you still have to learn them and use them.

I’m from the southern US. Y’all is a perfectly fine word. I moved to the north and I still say y’all. Everyone understands me. No problem.

My mom was southern and I lived in the south for a couple years so I could be biased, but I am strongly in favor of just using “y’all,” but I also say everyone/everybody, guys/you guys, and folks.

Side note: if you find yourself also *writing* American English, don't use the „ lower quotation marks.

Personally, I say y’all, but yeah, northerners’ll give you shit for it. Some of them say “youse” which you could copy.

“You guys” works. This is weird because Californians regularly use “y’all” subtly, and nobody even notices that they do it. Including the users of it.

I tend to say you guys. If I want to be more formal and want to make it clear I would say you all

The solution is to move to a place where everyone says y’all. The people in those places are nicer.

Turn it around and say "All you"

First time a native said "yous" to me in northern england my spirit ascended and I haven't stopped using it it makes so much sense! I love it. Like "Are yous coming to the pub?"Meaning plural me and a friend

"All of you" or "you all" works.

In Philly or Jersey, you can say “youse” or “youse guys” (pronounced like /juz/, /jəz/, or /jɪz/), and in Pittsburgh you can say “yinz”, which is short for “you ones”. Outside of those areas though, I’d avoid because other people find it funny.

“Folks” is an acceptable alternative anywhere in the USA.

Mix it up with a different regional variation and start throwing in a "yinz" or two.

You can say “you all.” It’s very natural, and many of us say that sometimes, anyway.

If you ever go to the West Coast of the US, "you guys" would be the default

You is both plural and singular (similar to they, which is why both words are treated as plurals, because that’s how they started). You all and you guys is a pretty clear indicator that you’re talking about a group. If you just use you alone, context clues are what tells the listener whether you mean singular or plural. Eg: “You are soldiers” “You are a soldier.”

Different English-speaking regions have come up with different ways around the admittedly awkward plural “you.” If you live or work in one of those regions, you will likely pick up on what they prefer. As a Texan, “y’all” is perfectly acceptable in all but the most formal scenarios. If you want to err on the side of caution, simply using “you” plurally is the most correct thing to do, but “you all” is also acceptable.

Youse, ye, y'all, all y'all, you guys - say whatever you want and ignore people making fun of you.

"You folks", "you guys", and "all of you" are useful in situations where you want to indicate that you are addressing an entire group rather than a specific person in it. But if there is no potential for confusion, it is entirely correct to just use the "you" second person plural pronoun.

Ignore them and keep using "y'all".

I'm English and I say y'all. I picked it up for the exact same reason you did, it's a very useful second person plural. Screw anyone who's making fun of you for trying to make sense of one of the most messipy complex languages in the world.

White from central FL, English teacher I personally almost never use just “you” and if I were to estimate I think I say “you guys” at least 90% of the time or “you all” Some of these prescriptivists are crazy y’all be safe …y’all… Imagine my surprise when I spontaneously typed that (I think “y’all be safe” is a fixed internet expression… it seems like I only use Y’all for comedic effect) Also, as a queer person, I’ve never heard anyone have a problem with “you guys” not being gender neutral, to me it’s just completely lexicalized

when they make fun of you, just hit em with a "y'all trippin'"

Most Americans say “you guys” for any gender group (even all women). It should not be used in super formal or professional settings. Some people want to move away from this because it is technically gendered but most people interpret it as gender neutral.

In Ireland, we would say “ye” (yee) as the second person plural. This is a very localised turn of phrase, however.

I am from Texas and I nominate you as an honorary southerner. You now have permission to say y'all whenever you want to. If anybody makes fun of you for it, you can show them this post so they know that you have permission to say y'all.

there are numerous ways that Americans regionally say “you” (plural). I use y’all but some others are yous(e), yinz, you guys, you lot, you all (separately)

Sad that people are gatekeeping a word. I love the word y'all, and even though I'm southern, I definitely say it too much, but I don't think that's a problem. I don't understand what you mean about the last part, since y'all in inherently a plural word but if people are getting confused they're probably just not that smart (sorry not sorry).

Youze guys always works

"You" was originally \*only\* a plural second person pronoun. The singular second person pronoun was "thou". So "you" was originally only plural and started getting used for singular as well (this was centuries ago). It's also worth noting that "y'all" is just a Southern contraction of "you all", which is what you could choose to say instead if you want something with the same meaning without the Southern connotation. "You guys" is also a very common option, but some might consider this too informal in some professional contexts, plus there will always been few people who aren't men who do not like being referred to as a "guy" (anyone who tells you "guy" is gender-neutral is very incorrect).

Most of the time it's unnecessary. "You" is sufficient. The "y'all" thing has been recently appropriated by phonies who want to sound folksy.

We also say “you guys” (which includes girls) or “you all” but honestly “y’all” is everywhere now in American English, perhaps just your accent or how you pronounce it. And it’s mostly only in the South where “yall” can still be interpreted as singular so you’d need “all yall” for plural. Just “you” is also fine, and accept it is what it is in English.

Just "you." if thee is afraid of ambiguity, then use "thee" for the singular ("thee" analogous to "you" (vs "thou" and "ye")

As a Southerner, I grant you permission to use this wonderful pronoun.

It doesn't sound southern anymore, I can assure you. It's exploded in popularity with younger generations across the country.

“You folks” for general use. Or very specific to Southeast PA and parts of Appalachia you can use “yous” pronounced like “yooz.”

Outside of the south I think “you guys” is pretty common. But tbh “y’all” is also becoming more common outside the south too

If AMERICANS are mocking you for saying “y’all,” they’re just being assholes. It’s an American term. Yes, it’s dialectal, but pretty much everyone understands it.

There's no standardised word to address a group in English; y'all, you guys, youse, you lot, and yinz are some I've heard over the years, but all of these are regional phrases and are best avoided in formal writing. Perhaps the most neutral and natural-sounding solution is to rephrase your statement in the third person singular, e.g. "what do y'all think about going to the movies this weekend?" becomes "what does everybody think about going to the movies this weekend?".

i mean, i ONLY say y'all in every context i can get away with, but im southern.

Go harder and say yins

I’m from the northern US and now live in the South and I vote you just keep using y’all. It’s definitely spreading to people outside of the southern region , because it is so very useful and gender inclusive.

you guys

I usually saw "you" or "you folks" or just "folks" - for ex, "Do you/you folks/folks want to watch the movie now or later?"

Honestly, ya'll is a pretty common part of my vocabulary at this point, and I'm about the furthest you can get from southern. I hear it a lot from other people too, I think it's a great word. If you want to make it sound a bit more natural in a non-southern accent, you need to slide into it a bit more, it's not "what do y'all think" it's "whatchy'all think". Easier said than done I suppose.

“Guys” works, even if they’re girls

I say "everyone"

'You' is correct.

I'm American and not southern and I say y'all all the time. I love it it's such a nice word

As a general rule, I would suggest avoiding English regionalisms as a foreigner. They often sound inauthentic, as you've mentioned in your post. I noticed from your post that you seem to have a preference for the German-style left "low-quote", which is really disappearing even in Germany. These are now more associated with Switzerland, where they seem to be more often retained. Your post uses a ,, instead of „ , so one might infer that you really like it, cannot find „ on your present keyboard, or do not know that these are, at best, extremely uncommon in English. The last seems unlikely, because your level of written English suggests that you are advanced. I'm just curious. Why do that? Also, if you really feel there is a reason to use "y'all" that conveys a meaning in your native language that you otherwise find unavailable in English, I don't see that the rules forbid a query, particularly of this nature, in your native language so that readers might suggest an equivalent.

As an American from New York, I use y'all relatively frequently and nobody gives me any problems. You can use it and just ignore people poking fun at you

I'm not Southern at all and I say "y'all" (or "you guys"). I'm sorry you're being judged for it, those American friends are being ridiculous because "y'all" originated in Southern dialects but is actually pretty widespread.

"You guys" is the most common option in my regional dialect (Mid-Atlantic). From what I understand, it is fairly well spread throughout several dialects, so it doesn't feel super regional to many people. However, some people in dialects that don't use the phrase feel that it is overly gendered and so prefer avoiding it. "Youse" and "yinz" are also options, but they are even more regionally limited than "y'all" so you might get called out on trying to sound like a particular region even more and some people might not recognize the terms. "You all" as two separate words rather than the contraction "y'all" is recognizable by most people and doesn't sound excessively Southern. However, it is not in common usage in any dialect and might mark you as a non-native speaker. "You", without any modifications, used as plural is so normalized in English that it functions perfectly fine. That is what was taught as a kid as the "proper" way to speak. I only started to pick up the regular use of "you guys" later in life. Everyone will understand it and it will flow naturally without any indications of regional dialect. Most people will use it fairly regularly even if their dialect has an option for indicating plural that they also use.

Y'all is perfectly acceptable in most American dialects. I hear it in the mid-atlantic, midwest, Gulf coast, southwest and mountain west.

I'm partial to "yinz" myself.

Folks

As a Texan, I applaud you for saying y'all.  It is just a great word.