Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

first person

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.44 in modern English

Syllables: first per-son
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Forms of pronouns or verbs used for the speaker or writer of the sentence in which they occur.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A form of narrative writing using verbs in the first person in order to give the impression that the action is happening to the narrator.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

""Am" is the first person singular of "to be"."
"All hanar have two names. The Face Name is known to the world; the Soul Name is kept for use among close friends and relations. Hanar never refer to themselves in the first person in conversation with someone they know on a Face Name basis. To do so is considered egotistical, so instead they refer to themselves as "this one", or the impersonal "it"."

Etymology

Calque of Latin prīma persōna, itself a calque of Ancient Greek πρῶτον πρόσωπον (prôton prósōpon). Displaced native Old English forma had, literally, "form hade".

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: πρῶτον πρόσωπον

Usage

Inflected Forms

first persons (plural) first-person (alternative) 1st person (alternative) Ist person (alternative)

Phrases

first-person dual first-person plural first-person shooter first-person singular

Frequently Paired Words

second person third person

Questions

What does first person mean?: Forms of pronouns or verbs used for the speaker or writer of the sentence in which they occur.
Where does first person come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce first person

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “first person”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “first person” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.