Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns replace the subject of a sentence.

In German, we choose the right personal pronoun based on the person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), the number (singular or plural), and the formality of the situation.

Examples:

Ich bin here. (I am here.) - the "Ich" is a personal pronoun for the speaker.

Er ist müde. (He is tired.) - the "Er" is a personal pronoun for a male person.

Wir kommen aus Deutschland. (We come from Germany.) - the "Wir" is a personal pronoun for a group including the speaker.

Important: sie vs. Sie

sie (lowercase) = she (singular) or they (plural)

Sie (uppercase) = formal you — used with strangers, teachers, and colleagues. Always capitalized, even in the middle of a sentence.

English German
I ich
you (informal) du
he er
she sie
it es
we wir
you (plural) ihr
they sie (Pl)
you (informal) Sie (formal)

Pronouns in Context

Read each sentence and fill in the correct German personal pronoun.

Exercises

Anna ist meine Freundin und kommt aus Berlin.

Anna is my friend and she comes from Berlin.

Helper: Anna is a woman's name.
Hints: Anna is one <blue>female person</blue> — use the feminine pronoun.

Tom ist mein Bruder. ist 20 Jahre alt.

Tom is my brother. He is 20 years old.

Helper: Tom is a man's name.
Hints: <blue>Tom</blue> is one <blue>male person</blue> — use the masculine pronoun.

Das Kind schläft. ist sehr müde.

The child is sleeping. It is very tired.

Helper: Need a <blue>hint</blue>? Select the 'Show hints' option from the task menu.
Hints: 'Das Kind' is a <blue>neuter noun</blue>.

Tom und ich sind Freunde. spielen zusammen Fußball.

Tom and I are friends. We play football together.

Hints: Tom und ich = two people <blue>including the speaker</blue>.

Kinder, kommt bitte! seid herzlich willkommen.

Children, please come! You are all warmly welcome.

Hints: Addressing a <blue>group</blue> informally.

Meine Eltern wohnen in Hamburg. besuchen uns nächste Woche.

My parents live in Hamburg. They are visiting us next week.

Hints: 'Meine Eltern' is plural, it is <blue>not</blue> including the speaker.

Das Auto ist neu. fährt sehr gut.

The car is new. It drives very well.

Hints: 'Das Auto' is a <blue>neuter noun</blue>.

Kennst du Herrn Müller? ist ihr Lehrer.

Do you know Mr. Müller? He is your teacher.

Hints: We are talking about Herr Müller, not to him personally.