All are pronouns of course, but are used in different circumstances.
Ye 1. the plural meaning “you”
-used if writer is referring to more than one “you”
e.g/ “Mom and Dad, will you come to dinner?”
“Mom and Dad, will ye come to dinner?”
2. the formal singular meaning “you”
-used to refer to a “you” who is unfamiliar to the speaker
e.g./ “Tell me, from where do you hail?
“Tell me, from where do ye hail?”
-used in any circumstance where the speaker must be formal
e.g./ “My Lady, will you walk this way.”
“My Lady, will ye walk this way.”
NB: “Ye” as used in signage, e.g./ Ye Olde Tea Shoppe. In this case, “ye” means “the”
(or possibly “your”) –this usage is a fairly modern one and shouldn’t be confused with
the middle English usage.
Thou 1. the singluar (informal) meaning “you”
-referring to 1 person who is either known to the speaker or is a
young person or someone not requiring a formal use of the pronoun “you”
e.g./ “You sing beautifully.”
“Thou sing(s) beautifully.”
Thee 1. also is a pronoun for “you”
-is only used when “you” is the object of a sentence/ the object of a verb.
e.g./ “The law requires that you pay in coin.”
“The law requires that thee pay in coin.”
e.g./ “I want you to remain behind.”
“I want thee to remain behind.”
NB: it can be difficult to differentiate because the one word “you” is used in many
different ways. Compare it to the usage of he/ him:
He sings a song. BUT You go to town. (thou/ ye)
I want him to sing a song. I want you to go to town. (thee)
Thy 1. singular (informal) meaning “your
-referring to one person familiar to the speaker (or young, or one not
requiring formal address)
e.g./ “Your coat is in need of repair.”
“Thy coat is in need of repair.”
Thine 1. plural, meaning “your”
e.g./ “Class, your lesson is complete.”
“Class, thine lesson is complete.”
2. formal, meaning “you”
e.g./ “Your sceptre awaits.”
“Thine sceptre awaits.”
3. possessive, meaning –yours
e.g./ “Which candle is yours?”
“Which candle is thine?”
NB: there are several other different usages of “yours,” but possessive is most
common.
As a rule of thumb, say the sentence you wish to write in present day English,
then substitute the middle English equivalent.
-->This will not, of course, work for YE and THOU.
In these cases, you must carefully look at how you have used “you” and
ascertain the correct usage.
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