YouTube is a website (and app) where anyone can put up videos, watch other people's videos, and share them. It started in 2005 and Google bought it in 2006. It is now the biggest video site in the world.

YouTube is是 anyone任何人 can put up videos都能上傳影片、 watch other people's videos看別人的影片, and share them再分享出去的 a website (and app)網站（和 app）。 It它 started in 2005二〇〇五年開始, and而 Google in 2006在二〇〇六年 bought it把它買下。 It它 is now現在是 in the world全世界 the biggest video site最大的影片網站。

The name is a joke that most people never notice. "You" means you, the ordinary person. "Tube" is an old American slang word for a television — old TVs had a big glass picture tube inside, so people called the TV "the tube". So the name means: television made by you. That was the whole idea.

The name這個名字 is a joke是一個玩笑, that most people never notice大多數人從來沒發現。 "You" means指的是 you你, the ordinary person平凡的一般人。 "Tube" is是 for a television指電視機的 an old American slang word美國老俚語 — old TVs老電視 inside裡面 had a big glass picture tube有一根很大的玻璃映像管, so所以 people大家 called the TV把電視叫做 "the tube"。 So所以 the name means這個名字的意思是: made by you由你做的 television電視。 That was the whole idea這就是整個點子。

Before YouTube, only TV companies could show video to millions of people. After it, anybody with a camera could.

Before YouTube在 YouTube 之前, only TV companies只有電視公司 to millions of people能讓幾百萬人 could show video看到影片。 After it在它之後, anybody with a camera任何有一台攝影機的人 could都可以。

Because everyone uses it, the word has stretched. People say "a YouTuber" for a person whose job is making videos there, and "a YouTube channel" for one person's or one company's own page of videos. You will also hear it used as a verb — "I YouTubed it" or "just YouTube it" meaning "I looked it up on YouTube". That verb is casual speech, not something you write in a school essay or a business email.

Because everyone uses it因為每個人都在用, the word這個字 has stretched就被拉寬了。 People say大家說 "a YouTuber", for a person指 whose job is making videos there以在上面做影片為業的人, and "a YouTube channel", for指 one person's or one company's一個人或一家公司 own page of videos自己的影片頁面。 You will also hear你也會聽到 it used as a verb它被當動詞用 — "I YouTubed it" or "just YouTube it", meaning意思是 "I looked it up on YouTube"「我上 YouTube 查了一下」。 That verb那個動詞用法 is casual speech是隨口說的, not something you write不是能寫 in a school essay or a business email在作文或商業郵件裡的。

Notice the capital letters: capital Y and capital T, no space. It is a company's name, so English keeps the capitals even in the middle of a sentence.

Notice注意 the capital letters大寫字母: capital Y大寫的 Y and capital T和大寫的 T, no space中間不空格。 It它 is a company's name是一家公司的名字, so所以 English英文 even in the middle of a sentence就算在句子中間 keeps the capitals也保留大寫。