Personal Pronouns: Master the Usage of Personal Pronouns in German

Introduction

Personal pronouns are an essential part of the German language and they are used to refer to people or things. In this guide, we will focus on the usage of personal pronouns in different cases and as subjects or objects of a sentence.

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. Here are the subject pronouns in German:

• "Ich" (I)
• "Du" (you, informal singular)
• "Er" (he)
• "Sie" (she, formal singular)
• "Es" (it)
• "Wir" (we)
• "Ihr" (you, informal plural)
• "Sie" (they, formal plural or polite singular)

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are used when the pronoun is the object of the sentence. Here are the object pronouns in German:

• "Mich" (me)
• "Dich" or "Sie" (you, informal singular / you, formal singular)
• "Ihn" (him)
• "Sie" (her)
• "Es" (it)
• "Uns" (us)
• "Euch" (you, informal plural)
• "Sie" (them, formal plural or polite singular)

Nominative Case (Subject)

The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence. Here are the personal pronouns in the nominative case:

• "Ich" (I)
• "Du" (you, informal singular)
• "Er" (he)
• "Sie" (she, formal singular)
• "Es" (it)
• "Wir" (we)
• "Ihr" (you, informal plural)
• "Sie" (they, formal plural or polite singular)

Accusative Case (Direct Object)

The accusative case is used for the direct object of a sentence. Here are the personal pronouns in the accusative case:

• "Mich" (me)
• "Dich" or "Sie" (you, informal singular / you, formal singular)
• "Ihn" (him)
• "Sie" (her)
• "Es" (it)
• "Uns" (us)
• "Euch" (you, informal plural)
• "Sie" (them, formal plural or polite singular)

Dative Case (Indirect Object)

The dative case is used for the indirect object of a sentence. Here are the personal pronouns in the dative case:

• "Mir" (to me)
• "Dir" or "Ihnen" (to you, informal singular / to you, formal singular)
• "Ihm" (to him)
• "Ihr" (to her)
• "Ihm" (to it)
• "Uns" (to us)
• "Euch" (to you, informal plural)
• "Ihnen" (to them, formal plural or polite singular)

Genitive Case (Possessive)

The genitive case is used to show possession. Here are the personal pronouns in the genitive case:

• "Mein" (my/mine)
• "Dein" or "Ihr" (your/yours, informal singular / your/yours, formal singular)
• "Sein" (his)
• "Ihr" (her/hers)
• "Sein" (its)
• "Unser" (our/ours)
• "Euer" (your/yours, informal plural)
• "Ihr" (their/theirs, formal plural or polite singular)

Summary

• Subject pronouns are used as the subjects of a sentence, while object pronouns are used as the objects.
• The nominative case is used for the subject, the accusative case for the direct object, the dative case for the indirect object, and the genitive case for possession.
• Personal pronouns in German change depending on the case and their role in the sentence.
• Pay attention to the gender and number agreement when using personal pronouns.
• Practice using personal pronouns in different cases and roles to improve your fluency in German.

Congratulations! You have now mastered the usage of personal pronouns in German. Keep practicing and incorporating them into your conversations to become a fluent German speaker. Good luck!