Personal pronouns
Say who does something: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr and Sie.
The forms
Every person has its own pronoun. The pronoun is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative.
The 3rd person singular has three forms, one for each gender: er (masculine), sie (feminine) and es (neuter).
| person(Person) | singular(Singular) | plural(Plural) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | ich | wir |
| 2. | du | ihr |
| 3. | er / sie / es | sie |
| formal address(Höflichkeitsform) | Sie | Sie |
er, sie, es: follow the article
To replace a noun, use the pronoun that matches its article:
- der Tisch → er
- die Lampe → sie
- das Buch → es
- plural nouns (die Tische, die Lampen) → sie
For people, the pronoun follows the person: der Mann → er, die Frau → sie.
du, ihr or Sie?
There are three ways to say “you”:
- du: one person you know well (friends, family, children)
- ihr: several people you would each call du
- Sie: one or more people you address formally (strangers, officials, at work). It is always written with a capital S.
The small sie means “she” or “they”. The verb shows which one: sie lernt (she learns), sie lernen (they learn).
Examples
Ich heiße Anna.
My name is Anna.
Du kommst aus Italien.
You come from Italy.
Er wohnt in Berlin.
He lives in Berlin.
Sie lernt Deutsch.
She is learning German.
Wir sind Freunde.
We are friends.
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
Das ist der Tisch. Er ist neu.
That is the table. It is new.
Your turn
No stress: anything you miss comes back first next time.