But that’s not the reason for “you are!” It’s because you used to be plural! We stopped using it for plural and it’s exclusively singular now, yet it maintains the plural grammar.
It used to be “thou art” for second person singular and “you are” for second person plural. Now it’s “you are” for second person singular and usually “you all/y’all are” or “you guys are,” but sometimes “you are,” for second person plural. “They are” is in good company.
Grammar and language are made up. Stop arguing about the rules and just use it in the way that’s useful for communication with your contemporaries, or if you are going to argue about “maintaining the purity of the rules” then start using “thou art” for second person plural, so your peers can understand you.
But that’s not the reason for “you are!” It’s because you used to be plural! We stopped using it for plural and it’s exclusively singular now, yet it maintains the plural grammar.
It used to be “thou art” for second person singular and “you are” for second person plural. Now it’s “you are” for second person singular and usually “you all/y’all are” or “you guys are,” but sometimes “you are,” for second person plural. “They are” is in good company.
Grammar and language are made up. Stop arguing about the rules and just use it in the way that’s useful for communication with your contemporaries, or if you are going to argue about “maintaining the purity of the rules” then start using “thou art” for second person plural, so your peers can understand you.