Personal pronouns in the nominative

When you use it

1. 1

   Talking about yourself (ich, wir)

   • Ich lerne Deutsch in Berlin.I am learning German in Berlin.
   • Wir wohnen in Deutschland.We live in Germany.

   Use ich for yourself (I). Use wir for yourself together with other people (we).

2. 2

   Talking to someone (du, ihr, Sie)

   • Wo wohnst du?Where do you live? (one friend)
   • Kommt ihr aus Spanien?Do you come from Spain? (two or more friends)

   German has three words for "you". du: one friend, family member or child. ihr: two or more of them. Sie: one or more adults you don't know well.

   + 1 more example

   💡 Tip: Use Sie at the Bürgeramt, in a shop, at the doctor's or with your landlord.

3. 3

   Replacing a person

   • Das ist Marco. Er kommt aus Italien.That is Marco. He comes from Italy.
   • Das ist Maria. Sie wohnt in Hamburg.That is Maria. She lives in Hamburg.

   Don't repeat the name. Use er for a man, sie for a woman and sie for two or more people.

   + 1 more example

The forms

Step by step

1. 1

   Find the subject

   Who or what does the action? That person or thing needs a pronoun.

   • Ich komme aus Spanien.I come from Spain.
2. 2

   Choose your "you"

   One friend or child: du. Two or more of them: ihr. One or more adults in a polite situation: Sie.

   • Haben Sie eine Briefmarke?Do you have a stamp? (to a clerk at the post office)
3. 3

   For things, check the article

   Look at der, die or das, not at the meaning. der → er, die → sie, das → es. Plural (die Koffer) → sie.

   • Der Koffer ist schwer. Er wiegt 20 Kilo.The suitcase is heavy. It weighs 20 kilos.
   • Wo sind die Koffer? Sie sind im Flur.Where are the suitcases? They are in the hall.

   💡 Tip: Don't use es for every thing.

4. 4

   Put the pronoun next to the verb

   The verb is in position 2 (→ S01). The pronoun comes just before it, or just after it when another word comes first.

   • Ich wohne in Köln.I live in Cologne.
   • Heute wohne ich in Köln.Today I live in Cologne.

Common mistakes

• ✕ Wo ist mein Schlüssel? Es ist hier.

  ✓ Wo ist mein Schlüssel? Er ist hier.

  der Schlüssel is masculine, so it becomes er. Things don't automatically take es.

• ✕ Guten Tag, Frau Müller, wie heißen sie?

  ✓ Guten Tag, Frau Müller, wie heißen Sie?

  Polite "you" always has a capital S. With a small s, it means "they".

• ✕ Komme aus Hamburg und bin dreißig Jahre alt.

  ✓ Ich komme aus Hamburg und ich bin dreißig Jahre alt.

  The sentence needs its subject. Only the second ich, after und, may be left out.

• Polite Sie always has a capital S+
• das Kind, das Mädchen → es+
• Don't drop the pronoun+
• One plural word: sie+

Don't mix it up