Langvie / German grammar / German personal pronouns: ich, du, Sie
German personal pronouns: ich, du, Sie.
Personal pronouns replace names of people and things when you talk about yourself, others, or groups. In German, choosing the correct pronoun depends on who you are talking about and how well you know them.
Singular personal pronouns
Singular pronouns refer to one single person or thing. Use ich for yourself, du for a friend, family member, or child, and er, sie, or es for a third person or object.
| Person | Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | ich | I |
| 2nd person informal | du | you |
| 3rd person masculine | er | he |
| 3rd person feminine | sie | she |
| 3rd person neuter | es | it |
- Tom → erTom → he
- Lea → sieLea → she
Plural personal pronouns
Plural pronouns refer to multiple people. Use wir when including yourself, ihr when speaking informally to two or more friends or children, and sie for a group of other people.
| Person | Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person plural | wir | we |
| 2nd person plural informal | ihr | you all |
| 3rd person plural | sie | they |
- Anna und ich → wirAnna and I → we
- Tom und Lea → sieTom and Lea → they
Formal address with Sie
Use Sie for polite, formal address with adult strangers, officials, and colleagues at work. Formal Sie is always written with a capital S, whether addressing one person or several.
| Setting | Pronoun | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (one or more) | Sie | you (formal) |
| Informal (one person) | du | you (informal) |
| Informal (group) | ihr | you all (informal) |
- Frau Meier → SieMrs. Meier (formal address) → you
- Herr Weber und Frau Weber → SieMr. Weber and Mrs. Weber (formal address) → you
Exceptions to remember
- Formal Sie always starts with a capital letter to distinguish it from lowercase sie meaning she or they. Herr Schmidt → Sie
- The lowercase pronoun sie means she when singular and they when plural. Lea und Nina → sie
Practice it in the course
This rule is chapter 2 of 31 in the A1 German course in Langvie, after German alphabet and pronunciation and before The German verb sein (to be). In the app the chapter goes on with 8 exercises and a short spoken conversation with an AI partner, which opens with Hallo! Ich bin Anna. Und wer sind Sie?
Choose the correct personal pronoun. Anna und ich = ___ (wir / ihr / sie)
wir. Anna and I together form the first person plural: we. Anna and I = we
Practice this rule in Langvie.
Chapter 2 of the A1 course, with exercises, cards and a conversation in German.