Is "they" plural or singular when it's someone's preferred pronoun? [duplicate]
Andy's preferred pronoun is "they". They goes to school in Denver, where they studies philosophy.
or
Andy's preferred pronoun is "they". They go to school in Denver, where they study philosophy.
Also, should Andy refer to himself as "I" or "we"?
If you use singular "they," you have a singular antecedent, but it's appropriate to use plural verb forms (just the same as you would with plural "they"). So your second sentence is correct.
You should also use the same inflected forms as plural "they" (them, their, and theirs). The one possible exception is in the reflexive form. For that form the word "themself" is sometimes used.
Since the word "I" carries no gender (unlike "he" and "she"), there's no reason for Andy not to refer to themselves (or themself) as "I."
The preferred pronoun situation is you telling someone else how to talk about you. It is not about you talking about yourself in the first person.
So, a preferred pronoun can be: he, she, or they. (There are others which some people accept but these are the most common).
he= a male gender identity
she = a female gender identity
they= no gender identity is specified, singular, verb in the plural form
So, talking about Andy could be done three ways:
- They go to school in Denver where they study philosophy. [unmarked as male or female]
- He goes to school in Denver where he studies philosophy. [marked as male]
- She goes to school in Denver where she studies philosophy. [marked as female
Obviously, none of this applies to the first person:
- I go to school in Denver where I study philosophy.
The last sentence is irrelevant to the choice of preferred pronoun.
preferred pronoun
Another subject entirely, is using a plural pronoun with a singular subject such as:
- Every child must bring his own towel.
That usage is grammatical in English and has been for ages and ages.
They is singular when used as a preferred pronoun for a single person but the verb must be in the plural.