ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie, Sie
Personal pronouns replace nouns in sentences. German has more personal pronouns than English because it distinguishes between formal and informal 'you', and because verb conjugation depends directly on the pronoun used.
German has 8 personal pronouns in the nominative case (subject position)
ich (I), du (you, informal singular), er (he), sie (she), es (it), wir (we), ihr (you, informal plural), sie (they) / Sie (you, formal singular and plural).
Use 'du' for one person you know informally; 'ihr' for a group you know informally
Informal: Du bist mein Freund (You are my friend). Ihr seid meine Freunde (You all are my friends). Use 'du' and 'ihr' with friends, family, and children.
Use 'Sie' (capital S) to formally address one or more people
Sie is used in professional settings, with strangers, and with older people you don't know well. Sind Sie Herr Müller? (Are you Mr. Müller?). 'Sie' uses the same verb form as the 3rd person plural (sie/they).
The pronoun 'es' refers to neuter nouns; 'er' and 'sie' replace masculine and feminine nouns
Der Tisch (masc.) → Er ist groß. (It is big.) | Die Lampe (fem.) → Sie ist schön. (It is beautiful.) | Das Buch (neut.) → Es ist interessant. (It is interesting.)
| Person | German Pronoun | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | ich | I | Ich bin Lehrer. |
| 2nd singular (informal) | du | you | Du bist nett. |
| 3rd singular (masculine) | er | he / it (m) | Er ist groß. |
| 3rd singular (feminine) | sie | she / it (f) | Sie ist schön. |
| 3rd singular (neuter) | es | it (n) | Es ist klein. |
| 1st plural | wir | we | Wir lernen Deutsch. |
| 2nd plural (informal) | ihr | you all | Ihr seid lustig. |
| 3rd plural | sie | they | Sie wohnen hier. |
| Formal (sing./plural) | Sie | you (formal) | Sie sind Herr Müller? |
Ich heiße Anna.
My name is Anna. (I am called Anna.)
'Ich' is always lowercase unless it starts a sentence.
Du sprichst sehr gut Deutsch!
You speak German very well!
'Du' is informal — used with friends and people your age.
Er kommt aus Deutschland.
He comes from Germany.
Sie ist meine Lehrerin.
She is my teacher.
Context determines whether 'sie' means 'she' or 'they'. Watch verb form: 'ist' (singular) vs. 'sind' (plural).
Wir wohnen in Berlin.
We live in Berlin.
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Do you speak English? (formal)
'Sie' (capital S) is formal. The verb form is the same as the plural 'sie' (they).
Wir wohnen in Berlin.
Tap to revealWir wohnen in Berlin.
We live in Berlin.
Reinforce what you learned with interactive exercises.