she

She is a personal pronoun in English used to refer to a female person or a female animal that has been mentioned or is clearly identifiable. It functions as the third-person singular subject pronoun, with its other forms including the object pronoun her, the possessive determiner her, and the possessive pronoun hers. The reflexive form is herself.

In ordinary sentences, she appears as the subject: She arrived on time. As an object: I saw her yesterday. A possessive determiner modifies a noun: Her dress is new. The possessive pronoun stands independently: That car is hers. The reflexive form is used when the subject and the object are the same: She prepared herself for the interview.

Historically, the modern pronoun she developed from earlier feminine forms in Old and Middle English, evolving through phonetic change and spelling standardization to its present form by the Early Modern English period. The pronoun’s development reflects broader patterns of gendered language in English.

In contemporary use, she remains widespread in everyday language. It is common for speakers to pair she/her as a set of gendered pronouns in identity statements. Ongoing discussions about gender and inclusivity have increased attention to gender-neutral options, such as singular they, and to respecting individuals’ preferred pronouns in social and professional contexts.

See also: pronoun, gender-neutral language, singular they, gender identity pronouns.