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)

Maria kommt aus Wien und spricht Deutsch.

Maria comes from Vienna and she speaks German.

Hints: Maria is one <noun>female</noun> person

Meine Eltern kommen aus Wien und sprechen Deutsch.

My parents come from Vienna and they speak German.

Hints: 'Meine Eltern' is plural.

Guten Morgen, Frau Müller. Kommen aus Wien?

Good morning, Mrs. Müller. Do you come from Vienna?

Hints: Formal address

Das ist meine Schwester und heißt Laura.

This is my sister and she is called Laura.

Hints: One female person

Herr und Frau Weber, sind herzlich willkommen.

Mr. and Mrs. Weber, you are warmly welcome.

Hints: Formal address — capital 'Sie', even when addressing multiple people.

Die Kinder spielen und sind sehr laut.

The children are playing and they are very loud.

Hints: 'Die Kinder' is plural

Personal Pronouns

Examples:

Important: sie vs. Sie

Understanding sie, sie (ploral), and Sie (formal))

Exercises