What does “y’all” mean in American English?

Y’all is the Southern American English word for “you all” or “you guys.” Standard English doesn’t have a separate plural for “you” anymore (it used to be “thou” for one person, “you” for many), so Southern English brought y’all in to fill the gap. People across Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, the Carolinas, and the rural South use it every day, and AAVE speakers across the country do too.

In this clip, a Southern mom serves her kids a KFC dinner. She says, “It’s like Thanksgiving all over again up in here. Y’all come in.” “Up in here” is another Southern phrase, meaning “in this place, right now.” Together, the two mark the speech as warm, family-style Southern.