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APAD: Believe you me

移花接木 2026-02-05 02:10:02 ( reads)

"Believe you me" inverts the colloquial syntax of the imperative statement "Believe me" by placing the implied vocative "you" between verb and object rather than before them ("You, believe me"). It is an emphatic way of saying "believe me" or "mark my words." It is used to stress that what you are saying is definitely true and that the listener should take it seriously. 

It serves as a more intense version of "believe me" or "trust me," often used when the speaker is sharing something extreme or unexpected.

While it looks "backwards," it is a rare surviving example of an archaic English imperative where the subject ("you") follows the verb. Similar structures are found in older literature like the King James Bible ("Hear ye me") and Shakespeare ("Mark you me").

Some linguists believe its widespread use was influenced by Irish English (Hiberno-English), mirroring Gaelic sentence structures.
It is primarily colloquial and used in speech rather than formal writing. 

"It’s going to be a long day, believe you me!" 

跟帖(16)

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 05:08:45

W/ fake news floating around, can’t trust what one hears,

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 05:11:38

耳听为虚 眼见为实。Seeing’s believing, believe U me! ~~

7grizzly

2026-02-05 08:54:12

The objective pronoun "me" makes it clear.

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 09:13:56

Agreed. & If the Bard said so, it's must be right :-))

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 09:14:18

"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit" ~~

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 09:51:44

刚想了一下莎翁上面这句话含义,witty fool == 大智若愚?foolish wit = 大愚若智?:-)

永远老李

2026-02-05 10:03:45

Unbelieveable

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 10:24:37

啊哈哈哈,啊哈哈哈,ROFL~~ Note there’re only “me me me”, no U @all;-)

最西边的岛上

2026-02-05 11:13:29

APAD:There's no I in team, "but two i's in 'idiot.' - 7G -"

永远老李

2026-02-05 11:23:10

哈哈

JoyAnna.

2026-02-05 17:52:59

他确实认真兑现竞选承诺呀,不是吗?:)

永远老李

2026-02-06 07:46:33

说来话长

移花接木

2026-02-06 07:19:48

Last two days, it took me 3+ hrs to get home after work,

移花接木

2026-02-06 07:20:15

Believe you me

最西边的岛上

2026-02-06 07:36:11

Empathizing! 4 me, a book always helps forgetting time

移花接木

2026-02-06 09:40:39

Everyone has multimedia entertainment in pocket