A1 Grammar · Unit 1 · Topic 2 of 29
Personal Pronouns
German has two ways to say "you": du for people you know well (friends, family, children), and Sie for strangers, teachers, doctors, or anyone formal. Sie is always capitalized. That's how you tell it apart from sie (she or they), which is spelled the same but lowercase.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | ich | wir |
| 2nd person (informal) | du | ihr |
| 3rd person | er / sie / es | sie |
| Formal (one or many) | Sie | Sie |
For objects, the pronoun matches the article: der Tisch → er (he), das Buch → es (it), die Lampe → sie (she), plural die Kinder → sie (they).
Common mistakes
Don't use du with a teacher or stranger. Wait for them to offer du first. And remember to capitalize Sie when it means formal you.
Memory trick
For objects, look at the article and swap it. Der Tisch is masculine, so it's er. Das Buch is neuter, so it's es. Die Lampe is feminine, so it's sie.
Practice
Replace the noun with a pronoun.
- Der Tisch ist braun.
- Das Buch ist neu.
- Die Lampe ist groß.
- Die Kinder spielen.
Show answers
Answers: Er, Es, Sie, Sie.