In German, subject pronouns function much like the subject pronouns in English, “I,” “you,” “he,” etc. However, there are a few differences. For example, in German…
There are several different “you” pronouns, depending on who you are addressing.
Sometimes you’ll refer to non-living things using ihr meaning he and sie meaning she, and you might even refer to people using es meaning it.
There are three different pronouns that all sound the same: sie.
In this post, we’ll introduce you to the German subject pronouns and go over some tricks that you can use to remember them and use them correctly. Let’s dive into it!
What are the German subject pronouns?
The forms of the German subject pronouns are ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie, and Sie. These are illustrated in the table below:
| German | English |
|---|---|
ich | I |
du | you (sg.) |
er | he |
sie | she |
es | it |
wir | we |
ihr | you (pl.) |
sie | they |
Sie | you (formal) |
Here are three tricks you can use to help you remember some of the subject pronouns:
The pronouns ich meaning I and wir meaning we start with the same letter as their English equivalents.
The pronoun du meaning you rhymes with English “you.”
The pronouns er, sie, es meaning he, she, it are very similar in form to the three articles der, die, das meaning the. Two of them even rhyme!
When to use a subject pronoun in German?
As the name suggests, subject pronouns are used to replace the subject of a sentence. Like other pronouns, they are words you can use instead of a noun. For example:
As you can see, sie (just like English “she”) replaces meine Schwester that is the subject of both sentences above. Usually, if you can use the “I,” “she,” “they” form of a pronoun in English, you can use a subject pronoun in German.
What is a subject?
The subject of a sentence is usually the noun that does the action (the do-er), but broadly it’s the noun a sentence is “about.” Therefore, sometimes it can also be someone who experiences the action, undergoes the action, or the individual being described.
Here are some more examples of German subject pronouns in sentences, with explanations:
- Wir geben der Mutter einen Kuss.Translation: We give our mum a kiss.Who performs the action? We do!
- Der Stuhl steht im Weg. Er muss weg.Translation: The chair is in my way. It needs to go.What will eventually do the action? It will!
- Sie sind müde.Translation: They are tired.Who is being described? They are!
- Sie wurde angerufen.Translation: She was called (by phone).Who underwent the action? She did!
How to choose the right German subject pronoun?
Now you’ve seen the list of subject pronouns, and you know when to use a subject pronoun in general, let’s give you some advice on how to choose between the different subject pronouns in that list. Though the English translations can get you most of the way, some of the German rules might surprise you!
Talking about oneself: ‘ich’ and ‘wir’
To talk about oneself, German has the two pronouns ich meaning I and wir meaning we.
- Ich kenne ihn nicht.Translation: I don’t know him.
- Meine Kinder hole ich später ab.Translation: I’ll pick up my kids later.
- Wir werden später informiert.Translation: We will be informed later.
⭐ Notice that ich is only spelled with a capital letter when it appears at the beginning of a sentence!
Addressing someone: ‘du,’ ‘ihr,’ and ‘Sie’
In English, there is only one pronoun to address other people: “you.” In German, there are three: du, ihr, and Sie, and the one you pick will depend on who exactly you’re addressing:
If addressing a person or people you know very well:
Use du for a single person.
Use ihr for a group (i.e. “you all”)
If addressing a person who is not a close acquaintance:
Use Sie to address a single person or a group.
As a general rule, use du if you address the person with their first name, but Sie if the last name is more appropriate.
- Patrick, könntest du mir mal bitte helfen?Translation: Patrick, could you please help me?
- Was meint ihr dazu?Translation: What do you (guys) think about it?
- Frau Maier, könnten Sie bitte herkommen?Translation: Mrs. Maier, could you please come here?
Talking about other people and things: ‘er,’ ‘sie,’ ‘es,’ and ‘sie’
In German, er meaning he, sie meaning she, es meaning it, and sie meaning they are the “third-person” pronouns, and they are used to talk about people or things that are not directly part of the conversation, just like their English equivalents.
However, the rules for using er, sie, and es in German are a little different than the rules for “he,” “she,” and “it” in English: the choice depends on the grammatical gender of the noun you’re referring back to. This means you might use er meaning he and sie meaning she to refer to objects in German!
We use er meaning he to refer to all masculine nouns (not just people!):
masculine nounmasculine pronounDieser Apfel hat eine Druckstelle. Er ist vom Tisch gefallen.Translation: This apple is bruised. It fell off the table.Use sie meaning she to refer to all feminine nouns (not just people!):
feminine nounfeminine pronounKennst du diese Dame? Sie war schon einmal da.Translation: Do you know this lady? She’s been here before.Gesundheit ist sehr wichtig. Sie ist wichtiger als Reichtum.Translation: Health is very important. It’s more important than wealth.Use es meaning it to refer to neuter nouns:
neuter nounneuter pronounDas Bett ist recht alt. Es quietscht.Translation: This bed is quite old. It’s squeaky.
Luckily the gender doesn’t matter for plural nouns: they all use sie. Just make sure to use the plural form of the verb in these cases since the subject is plural:
‘Sie’ vs. ‘sie’ vs. ‘sie’: Which one is which in German?
As you have noticed, the subject pronouns for “she” and “they” look the same: sie. To add to the confusion, German also has Sie for the formal “you.” Here are the tricks which help you tell the three apart:
If sie has a singular verb, it means “she”:
singular verb"she" sieWann kommt sie?Translation: When is she coming?If sie has a plural verb, it means “they”:
plural verb"they" sieWann kommen sie?Translation: When are they coming?If Sie is spelled with a capital letter and has a plural verb, it’s a formal address for “you”:
plural verb"you" sieWann kommen Sie, Frau Heide?Translation: When are you coming, Mrs. Heide?
What is the position of the German subject pronouns?
In German, the subject pronoun usually needs to come before the verb. But word order in German is a bit more flexible than in English, so the subject can also be punted from this position if another element is moved into the first position before the verb for emphasis. In that case, the subject comes right after the verb. Simply remember that the conjugated verb of a main clause is always the second element.
Das Auto hat er gestern abbezahlt.
Gestern hat er das Auto abbezahlt.
To learn a lot more about German word order, and why you might want to use each of the variations above, check out our introduction to word order in German.
When to NOT use a subject pronoun in German?
There are a few cases where you’ll use a subject pronoun in English but in German you will use an indirect object pronoun pronoun like mir meaning (to/for) me or uns meaning (to/for) us instead.
This is common when using certain adjectives: you’ll use a subject problem if describing a permanent state or trait, but an indirect object pronoun to describe a temporary feeling of state. For example:
| Permanent state → Subject pronoun | Feeling → Indirect object pronoun |
|---|---|
Ich bin langweilig. Translation: I am boring. | Mir ist langweilig. Translation: I am bored. |
Er ist kalt. Translation: He is cold-hearted. | Ihm ist kalt. Translation: He is feeling cold. |
But there are a few other cases where you’ll need an indirect object pronoun instead as well. Usually this depends on the verb you’re using:
Summing up
Now, let’s wrap up what we’ve talked about today:
Subject pronouns in German are used to say who does/did something or who/what is being described.
Unlike English, German distinguishes three pronouns when addressing people: du, ihr, and Sie.
You have to use the gendered pronounser, sie, and es in German, not only when talking about people but also when talking about things.
Remember to distinguish Sie meaning you, formal from sie meaning she, and sie meaning they in German, not only when talking about people but also when talking about things.
The subject pronoun can be in the first position or right after the conjugated verb in a main clause.
In some expressions, German does not use subject pronouns while English does.
Now it’s time to practice! Check out these German subject pronoun exercises!
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