If two group of people meet each other and someone says:
You are losers!
Will it be correct if he will be answered like
Who are losers!? We? Naaah, you are!
Or it should be said like a singular form
Who is loser!? We? Naaah, you are! ?
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2If both sides are groups, the plural is appropriate. In an informal exchange like this, the second group would almost certainly say 'Us?' rather than 'We?'.– Kate BuntingCommented Jun 4, 2020 at 13:50
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1So, "we" isn't gramatically incorrect, it just sounds too official? Like, some deputies' meeting, not a gangstars' one?– Michael AzarenkoCommented Jun 4, 2020 at 13:54
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The 'correct' version would be We [are], but no-one having a shouting match in the street would say it like that!– Kate BuntingCommented Jun 4, 2020 at 14:04
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1 Answer
You wouldn't call the group of people a loser, you would say that the members of the group are losers, so you must use are.
It sounds very formal to use we? when you can use us?, and this is probably not a formal situation.
For these reasons, you should say:
Who are [the] losers? Us? Nah, you are [the losers]!
Hope this helps!
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@MichaelAzarenko Well, they usually play different roles in sentences, and are not always interchangeable. In this context, you are correct. It sounds informal because you wouldn't say "Us are losers", but it's widely understood and more common with this sentence structure. Commented Jun 4, 2020 at 13:55
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The "Us?" fragment doesn't seem to represent "Are us losers?" More likely, the ellipsis represents "[Are they] us?" or "[Is it] us [who are losers]?". Once upon a time, "this is he" was taught as a formally correct response to something like "I'd like to speak to John Smith." Common responses today include "that's me" and "I'm him", and using the subjective case for the argument of a copular verb generally appears not merely formal but pretentious. Commented Jun 4, 2020 at 14:44
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@GaryBotnovcan That's true, I didn't think of it like that. Commented Jun 4, 2020 at 16:35