she

The word “she” means used to refer to a female person or animal already mentioned. In plain terms, the word English speakers use to talk about a female person, animal, or (traditionally) a ship or vehicle, without repeating their name.

“She” is pronounced shee (/ʃi/ in IPA).

Here is “she” used in a sentence: “My sister called earlier; she wants to meet for lunch.”

Depending on how it is used, “she” can be a pronoun and a noun.

The word “she” comes from Old English. Traces back through Middle English "sche/scho" to an Old English root, likely "hēo," with a sound shift that eventually produced the modern "she" — the exact path is debated among linguists.

“She” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“She” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to refer to a female person or animal already mentioned.

"She" is the subject form, used before the verb ("she arrived early"), while "her" is the object form, used after a verb or preposition ("I saw her," "for her"). "Her" also works as a possessive before a noun ("her coat"), a job "she" never does.

In older and poetic English, ships, countries, and machines have traditionally been referred to as "she" ("the ship lost her mast"). The convention survives mainly in nautical contexts, though many modern publications now prefer "it."

Use "she and I" when the pair is the subject ("she and I agree") and "her and me" when it is the object ("they invited her and me"). Test by removing the other person: "she agrees" and "they invited her" show which form fits.

Yes. "She" is regularly used for a female animal, especially a pet or any animal whose sex is known ("the cat licked her paws — she seemed content"). For animals of unknown sex, English typically defaults to "it."