By the end of this lesson, I can…
- Use er, sie and es for third-person singular
- Use wir when the speaker is part of the group
- Use ihr for several people you address informally
- Usage, exceptions and scope
Simple explanation
German personal pronouns in the nominative replace the subject of a sentence. The main forms are ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie and the formal Sie. Learning which pronoun matches each person, number and grammatical gender helps you build simple statements, negatives and questions correctly at A1 level.
Use ich for the speaker
Use ich when you speak about yourself. The verb must be in the first-person singular form, for example “ich komme” or “ich bin”.
Use du for one person in informal situations
Use du when speaking informally to one person, for example a friend, family member or classmate.
Use er, sie and es for third-person singular
Use er for a male person or usually a masculine noun, sie for a female person or usually a feminine noun, and es for a neuter noun. With things, grammatical gender is especially important.
Use wir when the speaker is part of the group
Use wir for “we”. The speaker must be included in the group. For example, “Maria und ich” can be replaced by wir.
Use ihr for several people you address informally
Use ihr when talking directly to two or more people in an informal situation. For example: “Kommt ihr heute?”
Use sie for they
Lowercase sie can mean “they” in the third-person plural. The verb is then plural, for example “sie kommen”.
Use Sie for formal you
Use capitalized Sie when speaking formally to one or more people. The verb has the same form as third-person plural, for example “Sie kommen”.
Make the verb agree with the pronoun
The verb form must match the personal pronoun. “Ich bist” is incorrect because bist belongs with du. The correct form is “Ich bin”.
Usage, exceptions and scope
The subject set is ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie. Formal Sie is capitalized and takes a plural-form verb. Sentence-initial Sie can also mean they, so read the context and verb. Object reference follows grammatical gender: der Tisch→er, die Lampe→sie, das Buch→es; not every thing is es. Das Mädchen is grammatically neuter, although referring to the actual person with sie is also possible in context.
Patterns at a glance
These are construction models; translated examples follow below. Practice and test use separate question contexts.
| Rule | Model sentence |
|---|---|
| Usage, exceptions and scope | der Mann → Er ist hier. |
| Usage, exceptions and scope | die Frau → Sie ist hier. |
| Use er, sie and es for third-person singular | das Kind → Es spielt. |
| Use wir when the speaker is part of the group | Anna und ich → Wir lernen Deutsch. |
| Use ihr for several people you address informally | Anna und du → Ihr lernt Deutsch. |
| Usage, exceptions and scope | die Kinder → Sie spielen. |
Grammar formula
First-person singular
ich + konjugiertes Verb + ...Ich lerne Deutsch.
Informal singular you
du + konjugiertes Verb + ...Du wohnst in Köln.
Third-person singular
er / sie / es + konjugiertes Verb + ...Er arbeitet heute.
First-person plural
wir + konjugiertes Verb + ...Wir lernen zusammen.
Informal plural you
ihr + konjugiertes Verb + ...Ihr seid müde.
Third-person plural
sie + konjugiertes Verb + ...Sie wohnen in Berlin.
Formal you
Sie + konjugiertes Verb + ...Sie sprechen Deutsch.
Negative statement
Pronomen + konjugiertes Verb + nicht + ...Ich arbeite heute nicht.
Yes-no question
konjugiertes Verb + Pronomen + ...?Kommst du aus Deutschland?
Core rules
- 1
Use ich for the speaker
Use ich when you speak about yourself. The verb must be in the first-person singular form, for example “ich komme” or “ich bin”.
- 2
Use du for one person in informal situations
Use du when speaking informally to one person, for example a friend, family member or classmate.
- 3
Use er, sie and es for third-person singular
Use er for a male person or usually a masculine noun, sie for a female person or usually a feminine noun, and es for a neuter noun. With things, grammatical gender is especially important.
- 4
Use wir when the speaker is part of the group
Use wir for “we”. The speaker must be included in the group. For example, “Maria und ich” can be replaced by wir.
- 5
Use ihr for several people you address informally
Use ihr when talking directly to two or more people in an informal situation. For example: “Kommt ihr heute?”
- 6
Use sie for they
Lowercase sie can mean “they” in the third-person plural. The verb is then plural, for example “sie kommen”.
- 7
Use Sie for formal you
Use capitalized Sie when speaking formally to one or more people. The verb has the same form as third-person plural, for example “Sie kommen”.
- 8
Make the verb agree with the pronoun
The verb form must match the personal pronoun. “Ich bist” is incorrect because bist belongs with du. The correct form is “Ich bin”.
- 9
Usage, exceptions and scope
The subject set is ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie. Formal Sie is capitalized and takes a plural-form verb. Sentence-initial Sie can also mean they, so read the context and verb. Object reference follows grammatical gender: der Tisch→er, die Lampe→sie, das Buch→es; not every thing is es. Das Mädchen is grammatically neuter, although referring to the actual person with sie is also possible in context.
Useful examples
Ich lerne jeden Abend Deutsch.
I study German every evening.
ich refers to the person who is speaking.
Du wohnst ganz in der Nähe.
You live very close by.
du addresses one person informally.
Paul arbeitet heute im Büro. Er kommt später nach Hause.
Paul is working in the office today. He is coming home later.
er replaces the name Paul.
Mia ist meine Schwester. Sie studiert in München.
Mia is my sister. She studies in Munich.
sie refers here to one female person.
Das Handy ist neu. Es funktioniert sehr gut.
The phone is new. It works very well.
Handy is neuter in German, so es is used.
Wir trinken morgens zusammen Kaffee.
We drink coffee together in the morning.
wir includes the speaker.
Ihr seid heute sehr früh hier.
You are here very early today.
ihr addresses several people informally.
Lena und Tom wohnen in Hamburg. Sie arbeiten dort auch.
Lena and Tom live in Hamburg. They also work there.
sie means “they” because it refers to more than one person.
Frau König, sprechen Sie Englisch?
Ms König, do you speak English?
Sie with a capital S is formal “you”.
Ich bin heute nicht müde.
I am not tired today.
nicht makes the statement negative.
Kommst du morgen zur Arbeit?
Are you coming to work tomorrow?
The conjugated verb comes first in this yes-no question.
Ist er dein Bruder?
Is he your brother?
er remains the subject even though the verb comes first.
Das Kind spielt draußen. Es ist sehr glücklich.
The child is playing outside. It is very happy.
Kind is grammatically neuter and can be replaced by es.
Meine Eltern sind im Urlaub. Sie kommen am Sonntag zurück.
My parents are on vacation. They are coming back on Sunday.
sie is plural here because it refers to Eltern.
Common mistakes
- ❌ der Mann → Sie ist hier. ✅ der Mann → Er ist hier.
- ❌ die Frau → Er ist hier. ✅ die Frau → Sie ist hier.
- ❌ das Kind → Er spielt. ✅ das Kind → Es spielt.
- ❌ Anna und ich → Ich lernen Deutsch. ✅ Anna und ich → Wir lernen Deutsch.
- ❌ Anna und du → Wir lernt Deutsch. ✅ Anna und du → Ihr lernt Deutsch.
- ❌ die Kinder → Er spielen. ✅ die Kinder → Sie spielen.
Learning tips
- Read the context and word roles before choosing an option.
- After feedback, read the reason and make a new sentence.
- After practising, take the test without the table; test mastery is recorded separately from reading.
Use it in your own sentences
Adapt the names, times or places in the models to write six sentences about your own life. Keep the target construction and check that the meaning fits the rule. This is a self-assessment activity; the multiple-choice test has a separate score.
- Write a new sentence using table pattern 1.
- Write a new sentence using table pattern 2.
- Write a new sentence using table pattern 3.
- Write a new sentence using table pattern 4.
- Write a new sentence using table pattern 5.
- Write a new sentence using table pattern 6.
Show the model
der Mann → Er ist hier. die Frau → Sie ist hier. das Kind → Es spielt. Anna und ich → Wir lernen Deutsch. Anna und du → Ihr lernt Deutsch. die Kinder → Sie spielen.
Check your own work
- I identified the subject, verb and target construction in every sentence.
- I adapted the context instead of only copying the model.
- I checked my choices against this lesson’s rules and exceptions.
Put it into practice
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Related grammar
Related dictionary words
Frequently asked questions
What should I check for “Use ich for the speaker”?
Use ich when you speak about yourself. The verb must be in the first-person singular form, for example “ich komme” or “ich bin”.
What should I check for “Use du for one person in informal situations”?
Use du when speaking informally to one person, for example a friend, family member or classmate.
What should I check for “Use er, sie and es for third-person singular”?
Use er for a male person or usually a masculine noun, sie for a female person or usually a feminine noun, and es for a neuter noun. With things, grammatical gender is especially important.
What should I check for “Use wir when the speaker is part of the group”?
Use wir for “we”. The speaker must be included in the group. For example, “Maria und ich” can be replaced by wir.
What should I check for “Use ihr for several people you address informally”?
Use ihr when talking directly to two or more people in an informal situation. For example: “Kommt ihr heute?”
What should I check for “Use sie for they”?
Lowercase sie can mean “they” in the third-person plural. The verb is then plural, for example “sie kommen”.
What should I check for “Use Sie for formal you”?
Use capitalized Sie when speaking formally to one or more people. The verb has the same form as third-person plural, for example “Sie kommen”.
What should I check for “Make the verb agree with the pronoun”?
The verb form must match the personal pronoun. “Ich bist” is incorrect because bist belongs with du. The correct form is “Ich bin”.
What should I check for “Usage, exceptions and scope”?
The subject set is ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie. Formal Sie is capitalized and takes a plural-form verb. Sentence-initial Sie can also mean they, so read the context and verb. Object reference follows grammatical gender: der Tisch→er, die Lampe→sie, das Buch→es; not every thing is es. Das Mädchen is grammatically neuter, although referring to the actual person with sie is also possible in context.
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