German grammar · Beginner (A1)
Personal pronouns: ich, du, Sie …
The German words for I, you, he, she and they, when to say du, ihr or Sie, and the forms mich, mir, dich, dir.
Subject pronouns
Pronouns are short words that replace a noun, like “I” or “she”. German has three words for “you”: , and .
with a capital S (formal “you”) and (they) use the same verb form: (you are), (they are). At the start of a sentence you can only tell them apart from the context.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| I | small letter, except at the start of a sentence | |
| you | informal, one person | |
| he, it | for masculine nouns | |
| she, it | for feminine nouns | |
| it | for neuter nouns | |
| we | includes the speaker | |
| you | informal, two or more people | |
| they | same verb form as formal | |
| you | formal, one or more people, always with a capital S |
Du, ihr or Sie?
Use with adults you don't know, in shops and offices, and with people at work unless they offer . It is polite and the safe choice.
Use with family, friends, children and pets. Many young people, and colleagues in many companies, say to each other straight away. is simply the plural of .
If you're not sure, start with and wait for the other person to suggest . Saying to someone is called ; saying is .
- Woher kommen Sie?Where are you from? (formal)
- Woher kommst du?Where are you from? (informal)
- Kommt ihr heute Abend?Are you (all) coming tonight?
- Wollen wir uns duzen?Shall we say du to each other?
Me, you, him …: accusative and dative
Pronouns change their form as objects. Use the accusative for the direct object and the dative for the indirect object and after dative prepositions and verbs.
| Nominative | Accusative | Dative |
|---|---|---|
- Ich rufe dich morgen an.I'll call you tomorrow.
- Kannst du mir helfen?Can you help me?
- Wie geht es Ihnen?How are you? (formal)
- Ich kenne ihn nicht.I don't know him.
“It” follows the gender
For things, German uses , or according to the noun's gender. A key () is , a bag () is .
- Wo ist der Schlüssel? – Er ist in der Tasche.Where's the key? – It's in the bag.
- Die Suppe ist gut. Sie ist sehr lecker.The soup is good. It's very tasty.