Personal Pronouns (Personalpronomen)
German personal pronouns (Personalpronomen) stand in for people and things and — crucially — change form by case. The subject forms (Nominativ: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie) are only the start; each also has an accusative form (mich, dich, ihn…) for direct objects and a dative form (mir, dir, ihm…) for indirect objects. German also distinguishes three ways to say "you": informal singular du, informal plural ihr, and formal Sie (capitalized, singular or plural).
Measured in spoken German
Subjects are expressed in ≈90% of finite clauses — German is NOT pro-drop, so the pronoun is almost always there.
The three "you"s: du, ihr, Sie
Choosing the right "you" is a real social decision in German. du = one person you are on familiar terms with (friends, family, children, peers). ihr = more than one such person (the plural of du). Sie = the polite form for people you address formally — one or several; it is always capitalized and takes the same verb form as third-person plural.
- du — informal, singular: a friend, a child, a family member.
- ihr — informal, plural: a group of friends.
- Sie — formal, singular or plural: strangers, officials, business contacts. Always capitalized.
Kommst du mit?
Are you (one friend) coming along?
du + du-verb.
Kommt ihr mit?
Are you (a group of friends) coming along?
ihr + ihr-verb.
Kommen Sie mit?
Are you (formal) coming along?
Sie + plural verb, capitalized.
Accusative pronouns (direct object)
When a pronoun is the direct object, it takes the accusative form. Note that only the singular changes visibly a lot; several forms (sie, es, uns, euch, sie) look the same as the nominative.
Ich sehe dich.
I see you.
du → dich (accusative).
Kennst du ihn?
Do you know him?
er → ihn.
Sie liebt mich.
She loves me.
ich → mich.
Dative pronouns (indirect object)
The dative form appears with an indirect object (the recipient) and after dative prepositions/verbs (mit, bei, helfen, danken…).
Er gibt mir das Buch.
He gives me the book.
ich → mir (dative recipient).
Ich helfe dir.
I am helping you.
helfen takes dative → du → dir.
Wir danken ihnen.
We thank them.
sie (they) → ihnen.
es as a dummy subject
Like English "it", es stands in as a subject when there is no real one — for weather, time, and impersonal expressions. It also anticipates a following clause.
Es regnet.
It is raining.
Weather es.
Es ist drei Uhr.
It is three o'clock.
Time es.
Es gibt keinen Kaffee mehr.
There is no more coffee.
Fixed "es gibt" = there is/are (+ accusative).
Examples
Ich gebe es dir.
I am giving it to you.
es (acc.) + dir (dat.) — pronoun accusative before dative.
Verstehst du mich?
Do you understand me?
du + mich.
Können Sie mir helfen?
Can you (formal) help me?
Sie + mir (helfen = dative).
| Person | Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | ich | mich | mir |
| 2nd sg. (informal) | du | dich | dir |
| 3rd sg. masc. | er | ihn | ihm |
| 3rd sg. fem. | sie | sie | ihr |
| 3rd sg. neut. | es | es | ihm |
| 1st pl. | wir | uns | uns |
| 2nd pl. (informal) | ihr | euch | euch |
| 3rd pl. | sie | sie | ihnen |
| formal "you" | Sie | Sie | Ihnen |
Common mistakes
- Using the nominative where an object case is needed: "Er sieht ich" ✗ → "Er sieht mich" ✓.
- Mixing accusative and dative: "Ich helfe dich" ✗ → "Ich helfe dir" ✓ (helfen governs dative).
- Forgetting to capitalize formal Sie/Ihnen: "können sie mir helfen" (as formal) ✗ → "Können Sie mir helfen?" ✓.
- Using du with a stranger or in a formal setting where Sie is expected — a real social misstep, not just a grammar slip.
- Confusing "ihr" (you plural / to her) with "ihn" (him) or "ihm" (to him): "Ich sehe ihm" ✗ → "Ich sehe ihn" ✓.
Lookup tips
- Learn the three columns together per person (ich–mich–mir), not case by case — that is how you actually retrieve them mid-sentence.
- The endings rhyme: -ch in the accusative singular (mich, dich), -r/-m in the dative (mir, dir, ihm, ihr).
- Formal Sie/Ihnen is always capitalized and always takes the plural verb form.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether to use accusative or dative?
The verb (and any preposition) decides. Direct object → accusative (Ich sehe ihn). Indirect object / dative verb (helfen, danken, gehören) / dative preposition (mit, bei, zu) → dative (Ich helfe ihm).
Why are "sie", "Sie", and "sie" all spelled almost the same?
Context and capitalization separate them: lowercase "sie" = she OR they (verb form tells them apart), capitalized "Sie" = formal you. "Sie sind" is formal you; "sie sind" is they; "sie ist" is she.
When do I switch from Sie to du?
Traditionally the older person or the one of higher status offers the du ("Wir können uns duzen"). Among young people, students, and in casual/creative settings, du is often the default. When in doubt with an adult stranger, start with Sie.