German Language/Pronouns
Hallo. This lesson will cover basic German pronouns in what are called the subject (nominative), direct object (accusative), indirect object (dative) and the possessive (genitive) case. The genitive cases are rarely used and they should not be mixed up with the German possessive pronouns that are translated into English as "my/mine" etc.
The Nominative Pronouns
[edit | edit source]| German | English |
|---|---|
| ich | I |
| du | you (informal singular) |
| er/sie/es | he, she, it |
| wir | we |
| ihr | you (informal plural) |
| sie | they |
| Sie | you (formal singular & plural) |
German pronouns mostly have direct equivalents in English. Sie, when capitalized, is a formal means of addressing either one person or many.
The Accusative Pronouns
[edit | edit source]Note: for non-German speakers, the differences between nominative and accusative cases can be confusing. It is helpful to think of them as the "subject case" and the "direct object case".
| German | English |
|---|---|
| mich | me |
| dich | you (informal) |
| ihn/sie/es | him, her, it |
| uns | us |
| euch | you (plural & informal) |
| sie | them |
| Sie | you (formal singular & plural) |
The Dative Pronouns
[edit | edit source]| German | English |
|---|---|
| mir | to me |
| dir | to you (informal) |
| ihm/ihr/ihm | to him, to her, to it |
| uns | to us |
| euch | to you (plural & informal) |
| ihnen | to them |
| Ihnen | to you (formal singular & plural) |
The Genitive Pronouns
[edit | edit source]These forms should not be mixed up with the possessive adjectives that are translated into English as "my/mine" etc. These are rarely used in modern German, and if so, they are used as modifiers of a very limited amount of adjectives and verbs, such as Hast du dich seiner vergewissert? 'Have you got assurances of that?' (sich vergewissern, followed by a word in the genitive case, means 'to get assurances of').
| German | English |
|---|---|
| meiner | my |
| deiner | your (informal singular) |
| seiner/ihrer/seiner | his/hers/its |
| unser | our |
| euer | your (informal plural) |
| ihrer | their |
| Ihrer | your (formal singular & plural) |