Personal Pronouns
Personalpronomen
Master ich du er sie es wir ihr sie
Rules & Explanations
Personal Pronouns Introduction
Einführung: Personalpronomen
I, you, he, she, it, we, they — you use these words in every sentence. German has the same pronouns, but with one big difference: German has TWO words for you!
German has du (informal you — for friends, family, children) and Sie (formal you — for strangers, bosses, teachers). Using the wrong one can be rude! Also: German has no word for it for people. He (er) and she (sie) are used based on the grammatical gender of the noun.
In English, you is always you. You say you to your friend, your teacher, your boss, a stranger — always the same word.
Wie heißt du? / Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (informal) / What is your name? (formal)
Same meaning, but du = informal, Sie = formal. Sie is always capitalized!
Using du with a stranger or boss can be rude. Using Sie with a close friend sounds strange. Learn the difference now!
Personal Pronouns
Personalpronomen
9 pronouns. Notice: sie means she, they, AND formal you (when capitalized)!
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | talking about yourself |
| du | you (informal) | friends, family, children |
| er | he | masculine nouns and male people |
| sie | she | feminine nouns and female people |
| es | it | neuter nouns |
| wir | we | talking about your group |
| ihr | you all (informal) | group of friends/family |
| sie | they | more than one person/thing |
| Sie | you (formal) | strangers, bosses, teachers — always capitalized! |
sie has 3 meanings! sie = she, sie = they, Sie (capital) = formal you. Context tells you which one.
du = D for close (Dude). Sie = S for serious (Sir/Madam).
Common Mistakes
-
✗ Using du with your teacher
✓ Use Sie with your teacher
Teachers, bosses, strangers, older people = always Sie (formal). du is only for friends, family, children.
-
✗ Writing sie for formal you
✓ Always capitalize: Sie
Formal you is ALWAYS capitalized: Sie, Ihnen, Ihr. This is how you tell it apart from she/they.
du vs. Sie — When to Use Which
du vs. Sie
When not sure, use Sie. It is more polite. The other person will say: Du kannst du sagen! (You can say du!) if they want to switch.
| Use du for... | Use Sie for... |
|---|---|
| Friends | Strangers you just met |
| Family members | Your boss or teacher |
| Children and teenagers | Older people you do not know well |
| Classmates and colleagues (if they say du) | In shops, offices, banks |
| Animals and pets | Police, doctors, officials |
When not sure: use Sie. It is always safe. The other person will tell you if du is okay.
If unsure → Sie. You can never be too polite!
er/sie/es for Things
er/sie/es für Dinge
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
Examples
Ich bin Anna.
I am Anna.
Ichich = I. Always capitalized at the start of a sentence, but lowercase in the middle: Und ich bin Anna.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| bin | am |
| Anna | Anna |
Wie heißt du?
What is your name? (informal)
dudu = informal you. Use with friends and family.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| du | you (informal) |
| Wie | what/how |
| heißt | are called |
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
SieSie = formal you. Always capitalized! Use with strangers and bosses.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Sie | you (formal, always capital) |
| Wie | what/how |
| heißen | are called |
Er ist mein Bruder.
He is my brother.
Erer = he. For male people and masculine nouns.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Er | he |
| ist | is |
| mein | my |
| Bruder | brother |
Sie ist nett.
She is nice.
Siesie = she. Same word as they and formal you! Context helps.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Sie | she |
| ist | is |
| nett | nice |
Wir lernen Deutsch.
We are learning German.
Wirwir = we.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Wir | we |
| lernen | learn |
| Deutsch | German |
Der Tisch ist alt. Er ist kaputt.
The table is old. It is broken.
ErTisch is masculine → the pronoun is er (he), not es (it)! In German, things have gender.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Er | he/it (masculine pronoun) |
| alt | old |
| ist | is |
| kaputt | broken |
| Der Tisch | the table (masculine) |
Woher kommen Sie?
Where are you from? (formal)
SieSie = formal you. Use this question with strangers.
| Wort | Bedeutung |
|---|---|
| Sie | you (formal) |
| Woher | from where |
| kommen | come |
Practice Exercises
8 interactive exercises
You talk to your friend. Which do you use?
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