What are they vs What is they

The correct phrase is 'What are they?' as 'they' is a plural pronoun and should be paired with the plural form of the verb 'are.' 'What is they?' is incorrect because 'is' is singular and does not match with the plural pronoun 'they.'

Last updated: March 23, 2024 • 1114 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"What are they"

This phrase is used to inquire about the identity or nature of a group of people or things.

Examples:

What are they doing?
What are they talking about?
What are they wearing?
What are they planning?
What are they eating?

Show examples from the web [+]

Unusual COVID-19 symptoms: What are they? Sections. U.S. COVID-19 maps. Track the COVID-19 hot ...
What are they Doing with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology? Data Brief on Current Jobs. bachelorsinsociology.jpg. Bachelors in Sociology Cover. January 2008.
Cryptocurrencies: What are they good for? Date: Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Time: 10:00 AM Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building 538.

This phrase is incorrect in English.

"What is they "

Show examples from the web [+]

Mr President, I would like to ask those colleagues who oppose the Treaty to explain precisely what is they mean when they speak about a 'self-amending' treaty.
I'd like to re-educate some of the card-carrying atheists in to what it is they should be denying, as distinct from what it is they DO deny.
Pretty sure this is what they call serendipity.
Maybe attention is what they wanted.
What happens is they go away.
And what they see is that they need to improve chocolate production.
What they do is, they bribe local governments for tax and real-estate subsidies.
What they do is they send out worker rats that are called... Marsupials.
And what they do is they trade that money for our stuff.
These are archival tags. So what they do is they store the data.
What they do is they rotate around the core module so this gives us simulated gravity.
- Yes, what they do is they...
So, what they did is they hid codes on a clothesline by the shore to communicate.
Giving someone what they need is love.
I just intend that every one of my clients get a full and honest accounting of what it is they owe and what it is they own.
What they need is a redefined medical culture.
What happened is they have to go tell a mother and a father that both of their newborn babies are dying.
What happened is they're $20 each. It's like drinking in a mortgage payment.
And until indictments are handled down, we have no idea who or what it is they're investigating.
Now when the maps of all seven keys are put together, the location of what it is they buried will be known.

Alternatives:

What is that?
What is he doing?
What is she saying?
What is it?
What is the problem?

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What are they vs What is they

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