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Chapter 31: Personal Pronouns

📍 Introduction​

Personal pronouns (Personalpronomen) are used to replace nouns and refer to people or things. Just like in English (I, you, he, she, it, we, they), German has its own set of personal pronouns that change depending on:

  • Person (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
  • Number (singular or plural)
  • Case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative)

In A1.1, the focus is mainly on nominative and accusative forms.

👥 German Personal Pronouns – Nominative Case (Subject Pronouns)​

PersonSingularPlural
1st Personichwir
2nd Person (informal)duihr
2nd Person (formal)SieSie
3rd Person Masculineersie
3rd Person Femininesie
3rd Person Neuteres

🔹 Examples (Nominative)​

  • Ich bin müde. → I am tired.
  • Du bist nett. → You are nice.
  • Er ist mein Freund. → He is my friend.
  • Sie ist meine Lehrerin. → She is my teacher.
  • Es ist ein Buch. → It is a book.
  • Wir lernen Deutsch. → We are learning German.
  • Ihr seid pünktlich. → You all are punctual.
  • Sie kommen aus Indien. → You (formal) come from India.
  • Sie sind Studenten. → They are students.

🟥 German Personal Pronouns – Accusative Case (Direct Object Pronouns)​

Used when the pronoun is the object of the verb (receiving the action).

PersonSingularPlural
1st Personmichuns
2nd Person (informal)dicheuch
2nd Person (formal)SieSie
3rd Person Masculineihnsie
3rd Person Femininesie
3rd Person Neuteres

🔹 Examples (Accusative)​

  • Er sieht mich. → He sees me.
  • Ich höre dich. → I hear you.
  • Sie kennt ihn. → She knows him.
  • Wir lieben sie. → We love her.
  • Ich habe es. → I have it.
  • Ich verstehe euch. → I understand you all.
  • Ich besuche Sie morgen. → I will visit you (formal) tomorrow.
  • Du rufst uns an. → You are calling us.

🧾 Summary Table​

Caseichduersieeswirihrsie (pl)Sie (formal)
NominativeichduersieeswirihrsieSie
AccusativemichdichihnsieesunseuchsieSie

🧠 Tips for Learning​

  • “Sie” (with capital S) always means “you” (formal), both in singular and plural.
  • "sie" (lowercase) can mean "she" or "they" depending on context.
  • Learn Nominative first, then practice Accusative.

✍️ Exercises​

1. Fill in the blanks (Use correct personal pronoun):​

  1. ______ bin müde.
  2. Ich liebe ______. (du)
  3. ______ sind Studenten. (they)
  4. Er sieht ______. (we)
  5. ______ kommt aus Spanien. (she)
  6. Wir rufen ______ an. (you informal plural)

✅ Answers:​

  1. Ich
  2. dich
  3. Sie
  4. uns
  5. Sie
  6. euch

🎧 Audio Practice Suggestions​

For each pronoun, listen to simple German sentences:

  • Ich bin Lehrer.
  • Du bist nett.
  • Er mag Fußball.
  • Sie kocht gern.
  • Es ist warm.
  • Wir lernen.
  • Ihr geht ins Kino.
  • Sie wohnen in Berlin.
  • Ich sehe dich.
  • Er liebt sie.

Use free tools like:

🧩 Interactive Quiz Ideas​

  1. Matching Game: Match German pronouns to English equivalents.
  2. Pronoun Replacement: Replace the noun with the correct pronoun.
  3. Case Recognition: Identify whether the pronoun is in nominative or accusative.

Example:

  • Replace: "Der Junge liest ein Buch." → "Er liest ein Buch."

📄 Printable Quick Reference Sheet​


GERMAN PERSONAL PRONOUNS

NOMINATIVE (Subject):

* ich = I
* du = you (informal)
* er = he
* sie = she
* es = it
* wir = we
* ihr = you (plural, informal)
* sie = they
* Sie = you (formal)

ACCUSATIVE (Direct Object):

* mich = me
* dich = you
* ihn = him
* sie = her
* es = it
* uns = us
* euch = you (plural)
* sie = them
* Sie = you (formal)

📌 Final Practice​

Translate into German:

  1. She sees me.
  2. I like him.
  3. They understand us.
  4. We know them.
  5. Do you (formal) hear me?

✅ Answers:

  1. Sie sieht mich.
  2. Ich mag ihn.
  3. Sie verstehen uns.
  4. Wir kennen sie.
  5. Hören Sie mich?