The German personal pronouns (er, ich, sie, es, du, wir, etc.

) work in much the same way as their English equivalents (he, I, she, it, you, we, etc.). When we get to verb conjugation later, these words will be a key element that you should know very well. Even here we have included some sample verb phrases for many of the pronouns. The pronouns listed below are in the nominative (subject) case. We will talk about their other forms and different cases in a later lesson. (Need help with grammar terms? See our German Grammar Glossary.) A special word about the "you" pronouns! German, much more than English, makes a clear distinction between formal you (Sie) and familiar you (first name, du) in social situations. (Unlike English, most European and other languages also have both a formal and a familiar you.) In this regard, Germans tend to be more formal than English-speakers and use first names only after a long period of getting to know each other (sometimes years). This is a good example of how language and culture are intertwined, and you need to be aware of this to avoid embarassing yourself and others. In the table below, the familiar you forms (du, ihr) are marked with the abbreviation "fam." to distinguish them from the formal you (Sie).

die deutschen Pronomina

German Pronouns Nominative Singular Pronomen ich Pronoun I Darf ich? (May I?) Ich bin 16 Jahre alt. (I'm 16 years old.)
The pronoun ich is not capitalized except at the beginning of a sentence.

Sample Phrases

du er sie es Sie

you (fam.) he she it you

Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?) Ist er da? (Is he here?) Ist sie da? (Is she here?) Hast du es? (Do you have it?) Kommen Sie heute? (Are you coming today?)
The pronoun Sie always takes a plural conjugation, but is also used for the formal "you" singular.

Nominative Plural Pronomen wir ihr Pronoun we you guys (fam.) sie they Sie kommen heute. (They're coming today.)
The pronoun sie in this sentence could also mean "you" Sie. Only the context makes it clear which of the two is meant.

Sample Phrases Wir kommen am Dienstag. (We're coming on Tuesday.) Habt ihr das Geld? (Do you guys have the money?)

Sie

you (plur.)

Kommen Sie heute? (Are you [all] coming today?)

The pronoun Sie always takes a plural conjugation, but is also used for the formal "you" singular.