German Grammar
German Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns (Personalpronomen) replace nouns to avoid repetition. They change form based on case (nominative, accusative, dative), person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), and number (singular, plural).
Examples:
- • Ich sehe den Mann. → Ich sehe ihn. (I see the man. → I see him.)
- • Das Buch gehört Maria. → Das Buch gehört ihr. (The book belongs to Maria. → The book belongs to her.)
- • Wir helfen den Kindern. → Wir helfen ihnen. (We help the children. → We help them.)
Personal Pronoun Forms
Personal pronouns change their form depending on their grammatical function in the sentence. The nominative case is used for subjects, the accusative for direct objects, and the dative for indirect objects.
Singular forms distinguish between three persons:
| Person | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | ich | mich | mir | I / me / to me |
| 2nd Person | du | dich | dir | you / you / to you |
| 3rd Person (m.) | er | ihn | ihm | he / him / to him |
| 3rd Person (f.) | sie | sie | ihr | she / her / to her |
| 3rd Person (n.) | es | es | ihm | it / it / to it |
Gender agreement for objects:
- • Der Tisch (m.) ist alt. → Er ist alt. (The table is old. → It is old.)
- • Die Lampe (f.) ist neu. → Sie ist neu. (The lamp is new. → It is new.)
- • Das Haus (n.) ist groß. → Es ist groß. (The house is big. → It is big.)
Plural forms for all persons:
| Person | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | wir | uns | uns | we / us / to us |
| 2nd Person | ihr | euch | euch | you (pl.) / you / to you |
| 3rd Person | sie | sie | ihnen | they / them / to them |
The formal "you" uses Sie (always capitalized) for both singular and plural. The capitalization helps you distinguish it from the third person in text:
| Form | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | Sie | Sie | Ihnen | you (formal, sg. & pl.) |
Case usage examples:
- • Nominative: Sie arbeitet bei Siemens. (She works at Siemens.)
- • Nominative: Sie arbeiten bei Siemens. (You (formal) work at Siemens.)
- • Accusative: Ich kenne sie gut. (I know her well.)
- • Dative: Wir geben ihr das Buch. (We give her the book.)
"Es" as Placeholder
Besides its use as a personal pronoun for neuter nouns, es serves as a placeholder or dummy subject in impersonal expressions where no real subject exists.
| Type | Example | Translation | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Es regnet. | It's raining. | Weather expressions |
| Time | Es ist 10 Uhr. | It's 10 o'clock. | Time expressions |
| Existence | Es gibt ein Problem. | There is a problem. | "There is/are" |
| General state | Es ist kalt. | It's cold. | General conditions |
More placeholder examples:
- • Es klopft an der Tür. (Someone's knocking at the door.)
- • Es tut mir leid. (I'm sorry.)
- • Wie geht es Ihnen? (How are you?)
Multiple Meanings of sie/Sie
The form sie/Sie can have different meanings. Context and capitalization help distinguish between them:
| Form | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| sie (lowercase) | she (singular) | sie arbeitet | she works |
| sie (lowercase) | they (plural) | sie arbeiten | they work |
| Sie (capitalized) | you (formal) | Sie arbeiten | you work (formal) |
The verb form helps distinguish between "she" (singular verb) and "they/formal you" (plural verb):
Distinguishing by verb form:
- • sie kommt = she comes (3rd person singular)
- • sie kommen = they come (3rd person plural)
- • Sie kommen = you come (formal, always plural verb form)