Second person is a grammatical term for the form of language used when speaking directly to someone. When you use words like you, your, and yours, you're speaking in second person. If you tell your friend, “You should see this movie,” or ask your teacher, “Can you help me with this problem?”, you're using second person.

Writing and speaking can happen in three different “persons.” First person uses I, me, and we (talking about yourself). Third person uses he, she, they, and it (talking about other people). Second person uses you (talking directly to someone).

Most conversations naturally use second person because we're talking to each other. Instructions and directions almost always use second person too: “Turn left at the corner” or “Mix the ingredients together” (the word you is understood even when it's not written).

Second person is less common in stories and essays. Most novels use third person (“She walked into the room”) or first person (“I walked into the room”). But some books use second person to create an interesting effect, making you feel like you're the character: “You push open the heavy door and step inside.” The Choose Your Own Adventure books work this way, putting you directly into the story.