seid

Seid is the second-person plural present indicative form of the German verb sein, meaning to be. It is used with the informal plural pronoun ihr to say “you are,” as in Ihr seid müde (“You are tired”). Seid is also the imperative form for addressing more than one person: Seid ruhig! means “Be quiet!” These uses place seid among the most common forms of sein in everyday German.

Usage and grammar: In the present tense of sein, the forms are ich bin, du bist, er ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie sind. Seid is therefore the form that accompanies ihr. The imperative form Seid is used when giving direct orders or exhortations to a group addressed as ihr. Formal address uses a different construction, such as Seien Sie, which is the imperative form for Sie.

Etymology and cognates: Sein derives from the Germanic verb for “to be” and has cognates across West Germanic languages. In Dutch the related verb is zijn, with the plural form jullie zijn, and in English the verb to be has a separate historical development. German seid reflects the same root in a distinct present-tense form.

Examples: Ihr seid willkommen. Seid ehrlich. Seid ihr fertig? These illustrate seid in both simple present and imperative moods, with meaning tied to being or requesting a state of action from a group addressed as ihr.