German Pronouns
Master personal pronouns and their cases in German.
So far in this course, we've tackled some key parts of German grammar. We've covered nouns, verbs, and declension.
This means we can now create simple sentences with a subject, action, and object in the nominative and accusative cases.
In this lesson, let's learn how to use pronouns in our sentences, focusing on the nominative and accusative cases.
1. Introduction To Pronouns
There are several types of pronouns, but we'll focus on three in this lesson.
- Personal Pronouns
- Possessive Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
First, let's start with personal pronouns (in the nominative and accusative cases).
Nominative Case
Take a look at this grammar table for personal pronouns in the nominative case:
Personal Pronouns (Nominative Case)
| Pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|
| ich | I |
| du | you (informal) |
| er / sie / es | he / she / it |
| wir | we |
| ihr | you (plural) |
| sie | they |
| Sie | you (formal) |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
Du vs. Sie
Using the table above, replace each noun with the correct personal pronoun in the following example sentences.
Noun Gender
Accusative Case
Now, let's look at the same table of personal pronouns but with the addition of the accusative case:
Personal Pronouns (Nominative + Accusative Cases)
| Pronoun (Nom) | Pronoun (Acc) | Translation (Nom) | Translation (Acc) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | mich | I | me |
| du | dich | you | you |
| (er / sie / es) | ihn / sie / es | (he / she / it) | (him / her / it) |
| wir | uns | we | us |
| ihr | euch | you (plural) | you (plural) |
| sie | sie | they | them |
| Sie | sie | you (formal) | you (formal) |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
Note
Using the table above, try to guess which personal pronoun could replace the noun in the accusative case in these examples.
Well done! 🎉
We've covered personal pronouns, so now let's move on to possessive pronouns.
2. Independent & Dependent Possessive Pronouns
Possessive Pronouns
| Pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|
| mein | my |
| dein | your (informal) |
| sein | his |
| ihr | her |
| sein | its |
| unser | our |
| euer | your (informal, plural) |
| ihr | their |
| Ihr | your (formal) |
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Independent possessive pronouns stand alone and replace the noun:
- Das ist meiner.That is mine.
- Ist das deiner?Is that yours?
Dependent possessive pronouns accompany a noun.
- Das ist mein Buch.That is my book.
- Ich sehe seinen Hund.I see his dog
They are declined like definite articles (der, die, das) and must match the gender and case of the noun they replace.
Example Sentences: Independent Possessive Pronouns
«Ist das dein Apfel?»
Is that your apple?
«Nein, das ist meiner.»
No, that is mine.
«Ist das ihre Tasche?»
Is that her bag?
«Nein, das ist meine.»
No, that is mine.
«Ist das sein Auto?»
Is that his car?
«Nein, das ist meins.»
No, that is mine.
«Sind das unsere Schlüssel?»
Are those our keys?
«Nein, das sind eure.»
No, those are yours.
Example Sentences: Dependent Possessive Pronouns
«Mein Hund ist nett.»
My dog is nice.
«Ist das ihre Tasche?»
Is that her bag?
«Ist das sein Buch?»
Is that his book?
«Sind das unsere Schlüssel?»
Are those our keys?
For more on definite articles declension, check out this lesson.
3. Demonstrative Pronouns
Nominative Case
Next, here's a grammar table for demonstrative pronouns in the nominative case:
Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative Case)
| Translation | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| this / these | dieser | diese | dieses | diese |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
Note
Using the table, write the correct demonstrative pronoun for each example. Pay close attention to the gender of the nouns and whether they're singular or plural.
Accusative Case
Now, let's look at the same table of demonstrative pronouns but with the accusative case:
Demonstrative Pronouns (Nom and Acc Cases)
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom | dieser | diese | dieses | diese | this / these |
| acc | diesen | diese | dieses | diese | this / these |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
Again, only the masculine demonstrative pronoun changes in the accusative case (by replacing the -r with -n). Using the table, guess which demonstrative pronoun could replace the noun in the accusative case in these sentences.
Amazing 🎉!
We have now covered:
- Personal Pronouns
- Possessive Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
... in both the nominative and accusative cases.
4. Final Exercise
Let's wrap up this lesson with a final exercise: read the sentence and choose the correct pronoun to complete it. Use the tables in this lesson to help you:
Well done! 🎉
You're now ready for the next lesson: German Numbers.
Continue Learning
Numbers & Counting
Count in German