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)

Translate

Fill in the correct German personal pronoun for the English meaning given.

Exercises

In German, 'I' is .

'I' translates to 'ich' in German

Hints: The <blue>first-person</blue> singular pronoun — the speaker refers to themselves.

Informal 'you' (singular) in German is .

Informal singular 'you' is 'du'

Hints: Used when speaking to <blue>one person</blue> you <blue>know well</blue> — a friend, family member, or child.

'he' in German is .

'He' is 'er'

Hints: The masculine <blue>third-person</blue> singular pronoun.

'she' in German is .

'She' is 'sie'

Hints: The <blue>feminine</blue> third-person singular pronoun — lowercase 's'.

'it' in German is .

'It' is 'es'

Hints: The neuter <blue>third-person</blue> singular pronoun — also used for neuter nouns like 'das Kind' or 'das Auto'.

'we' in German is .

'We' is 'wir'

Hints: The <blue>first-person</blue> plural pronoun.

Informal 'you' (plural) in German is .

Informal plural '<blue>you</blue>' is 'ihr'

Hints: Used when addressing a <blue>group</blue> informally — like saying 'you guys'.

'They' in German is .

'they' is 'sie' (plural)

Hints: <blue>Third-person plural</blue> — same spelling as 'she', but context makes the meaning clear.

Formal 'you' in German is .

Formal 'you' is 'Sie' (always capitalized)

Hints: Always written with a <blue>capital 'S'</blue>, even in the middle of a sentence. Used with strangers, colleagues, and in formal situations.