"Here you are & Here you go"

Question

When somebody asks you for something and you give it to them, which expression is correct or more common?

eg., My little sister plays with toys and she wants to give one of her toys to me. So what should she say? 'here you are' or 'here you go'? which one is correct?

What is the difference between them?

Both are fine, with very little (if any) difference between them. — Andrew, Nov 19 '16 at 17:55
When used in contexts where the speaker is implicitly referencing the fact that the addressee now has whatever he needed, *go* is obviously more likely to carry a stronger implication of Now you've got whatever you wanted, take it and go*, but that's not necessarily the case. For most contexts, here/there, are/go* are really just stylistic preferences that all mean essentially the same thing. — FumbleFingers, Nov 19 '16 at 18:21
@FumbleFingers where I live "here y'go" is pretty common, about as common as "here y'are". Both mean exactly the same thing, although as Colin Fine points out "here you go" could be considered a colloquialism of "here you are". — Andrew, Nov 19 '16 at 21:53

score 10 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 19 '16 at 17:57

10

"Here you are" is literal - "This is the thing I'm offering you". It is neutral as to formality. It is brusque rather than polite, but in an informal context, that might just be seen as friendly - it depends on the tone of voice.

"Here you go" is a colloquial idiom, which doesn't really make literal sense. It is informal and friendly.

answered Nov 19 '16 at 17:57

Colin Fine

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As I recall, McCloud in the 70s American television police drama often used to say There you go as he rode off on his (somewhat incongrous) horse at the end of an episode, leaving his perplexed audience wondering Why did he say that? We're* not going anywhere - it's him that's riding off!* I always assumed that meant Americans weren't familiar with the idiomatic usage that's quite "natural" to me (even if it doesn't make "literal sense"). – FumbleFingers Nov 19 '16 at 18:28
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I don't see a significant difference between the two, both are idiomatic expressions. "Here you are" does not have the literal meaning "Here is the thing you want" it has the literal meaning "here is the location where you are currently." – barbecue Nov 20 '16 at 02:33
Interesting - I would have said that "here you go" is more brusque than "here you are", so I guess it would be more dependent on context and tone. (US English for me). But otherwise I agree. – BruceWayne Nov 20 '16 at 04:59
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I would agree with @barbecue, both are idiomatic, and usage probably varies by region/dialect (I have used/heard both in the US). I do think that here you go might be said to be "more idiomatic" in the sense that it has no sensible literal meanings that I can think of: it would be here I* go* or *there you go* or here you come** but not here you go. On the other hand, Here you are could mean literally you are here as in you've arrived (as RukiyaMeria notes) or as in I've found you! – 1006a Nov 20 '16 at 06:27

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 19 '16 at 18:09

Both

Here you are.
Here you go!

basically have the same meaning that you have given something to someone.

The difference is intent.

"Here you are" is merely a statement that "here is something you wanted".

"Here you go" expresses more enthusiasm and excitement.

P1: I'm really thirsty, could I have a glass of water!"
A1: Here you are, your glass of water.
A2: Here you go! Now drink that down!

Of course these subtleties can change depending on intonation by the speaker.

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 20 '16 at 04:16

Addition: While they mean the same when you are telling somebody - 'here is the thing you wanted, I am giving it to you/have just given it to you', they do not mean the same in other circumstances:

'Here you are' can also be used in the sense 'you always wanted to visit the King's court, and now here you are...' to refer to finally being in some place, be that a physical location, as in this example, or a place in life, eg: 'we always wanted to be court musicians, and now here we are'. 'Here you/we go cannot be used in these circumstances.

Similarly, 'Here we go'/'Here I go', a slightly different phrase to 'Here you go', can be used before embarking on something important, nerve-wracking, or incredible, eg. saying 'here we go' or 'here I go' before executing a difficult stunt on a skateboard. 'Here we are' or 'Here I am' could not be used in this way.

"Here you are & Here you go"

3 Answers3