Langvie / German grammar / er, sie, es for things in German
Er, sie, es for things in German.
In German, objects take the pronoun that matches their grammatical gender instead of a single word like English it. You will use er, sie, and es constantly when describing living spaces and furniture without repeating the noun.
Masculine nouns become er
When you replace a masculine noun that uses der, use the pronoun er. This applies to objects and furniture just as it does to male persons.
| Article | Noun | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| der | Tisch | er |
| der | Schrank | er |
| der | Schlüssel | er |
| der | Balkon | er |
- Der Schrank ist alt. Er ist groß.The wardrobe is old. It is big.
- Der Balkon ist klein. Er ist aber gemütlich.The balcony is small. But it is cozy.
Feminine nouns become sie
When you refer back to a feminine noun that uses die, use the pronoun sie. In English this translates to it when you are talking about an object.
| Article | Noun | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| die | Küche | sie |
| die | Tür | sie |
| die | Heizung | sie |
| die | Wohnung | sie |
- Die Wohnung ist neu. Sie ist sehr groß.The apartment is new. It is very big.
- Die Küche ist klein, aber sie ist schön.The kitchen is small, but it is nice.
Neuter nouns become es
A neuter noun that uses das is replaced by the pronoun es. This is the only pronoun that directly matches the English word it.
| Article | Noun | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| das | Bett | es |
| das | Zimmer | es |
| das | Bad | es |
| das | Fenster | es |
- Das Bad ist neu. Es ist sehr klein.The bathroom is new. It is very small.
- Das Zimmer ist frei. Es ist möbliert.The room is available. It is furnished.
Adjectives after the verb sein
When an adjective follows the verb sein to describe a thing, it receives no endings. The adjective stays in its basic dictionary form.
| Pronoun | Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| Er | ist | alt |
| Sie | ist | neu |
| Es | ist | groß |
| Es | ist | klein |
- Der Tisch ist alt und das Bett ist neu.The table is old and the bed is new.
- Die Tür ist alt, aber der Schrank ist neu.The door is old, but the wardrobe is new.
Exceptions to remember
- Never translate the English word it automatically to es for German objects. Der Tisch ist schön. Er ist neu.
- Adjectives after the verb sein never take grammatical endings. Das Zimmer ist groß.
Practice it in the course
This rule is chapter 10 of 31 in the A1 German course in Langvie, after German nouns: der, die, das and compound nouns and before German noun gender rules by ending. In the app the chapter goes on with 8 exercises and a short spoken conversation with an AI partner, which opens with Ist die Küche groß oder klein? Und das Bad?
Choose the correct pronoun. Der Tisch ist da. ___ ist alt. (Er / Es / Sie)
Er. Der Tisch is masculine, so it is replaced by er. The table is there. It is old.
Practice this rule in Langvie.
Chapter 10 of the A1 course, with exercises, cards and a conversation in German.