Pronouns

Personal pronoun

Personalpronomen

We use the personal pronoun to refer to ourselves, another person or to replace a previously mentioned noun, e.g. a person / thing.

Declension of the personal pronoun

The personal pronoun is inflected for person and case.

Person Nominativ Genitiv Dativ Akkusativ
I ich meiner mir mich
you (singular) du deiner dir dich
he er seiner ihm ihn
she sie ihrer ihr sie
it es seiner ihm es
we wir unser uns uns
you (plural) ihr euer euch euch
they sie ihrer ihnen sie
polite form Sie Ihrer Ihnen Sie

The personal pronoun and its applications

It replaces the previously mentioned noun
  • Translation
  • I have a sports car. It is very fast.
  • Explanation
  • Personal pronoun er is used instead of repeating der Sportwagen.
  • Translation
  • I gave Martha a present. She was very happy.
  • Explanation
  • Personal pronoun sie is used instead of repeating Martha.
Impersonal form

It is often used to describe a state or situation in an impersonal form.

  • Translation
  • It is raining.
  • Translation
  • It is dangerous.
Referring to people

Personal pronouns are used in a conversation when we refer to other people.

  • Translation
  • What's your name Sir? (literally: How are you called Sir?)
  • Explanation
  • Sie capitalized is a polite form and depending on the context it may refer to any combination (singular or plural, uniform or mixed gender) of: Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. / Miss
  • Translation
  • Do you (plural) want something to eat?