A1 · 2.1 · die Personalpronomen
German personal pronouns: ich, du, er, sie …
German has three words for “you”: du (one friend), ihr (several friends) and Sie (formal, one or many).
Who does it?
| One person | More people | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ich | I | wir · we |
| 2nd | du | you (friend) | ihr · you all (friends) |
| 3rd | er / sie / es | he / she / it | sie · they |
| formal | Sie | you (formal) | Sie · you (formal) |
er, sie, es also mean “it”
The pronoun follows the gender of the noun, not whether it is a person.
Der Bus? Er kommt um 8.The bus? It comes at 8.
Die Klinik? Sie ist groß.The clinic? It is big.
Das Zimmer? Es ist hell.The room? It is bright.
Good to know 1
1sie (small s) = she or they. Sie (capital S) = formal you. The verb ending helps: sie ist = she is, sie sind = they are.
Practise: I, you, he, she …10 questions with instant feedback · free, no account needed
Cheat sheet: Pronouns