German Personal Pronouns: Ich, Du, Er, Sie, Es — Complete Declension

Personal pronouns are among the very first words you learn in any language, and German is no different. But unlike English, where "you" stays "you" no matter what, German personal pronouns change their form depending on the grammatical case. Master these changes and you unlock the ability to build correct sentences from day one.

This guide covers every German personal pronoun, shows you exactly how each one changes across all four cases, clears up the notorious sie/Sie/ihr confusion, and gives you practical ways to drill it all until it sticks.

What Are All the Personal Pronouns in German?

German has nine personal pronouns that cover every combination of person, number, and formality:

Notice that the table above already hints at the trickiest part of German pronouns: the word sie appears three times with three different meanings. We will untangle that in detail below.

If you are completely new to German grammar, our German grammar for beginners guide provides helpful background on how the language works before you dive into pronoun declension.

How Do German Pronouns Change in Each Case?

German has four grammatical cases — nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive — and personal pronouns take a different form in each one. If you are not yet comfortable with what each case does, read our German cases explained guide first.

Here is the complete declension table for all German personal pronouns:

Full Pronoun Declension Table

Let's break down what each case does with pronouns.

Nominative (Subject)

The nominative is the base form — the pronoun as the subject of the sentence.

Ich lerne Deutsch. (I am learning German.) Wir spielen Fußball. (We are playing football.) Sie kommt aus Berlin. (She comes from Berlin.)

Accusative (Direct Object)

The accusative marks the direct object — the person or thing directly receiving the action.

Er sieht mich. (He sees me.) Ich kenne dich. (I know you.) Wir besuchen ihn. (We are visiting him.)

Notice that some pronouns change significantly (ich becomes mich, er becomes ihn) while others stay the same (sie stays sie, es stays es).

Dative (Indirect Object)

The dative marks the indirect object — the person who receives something or benefits from the action.

Sie gibt mir das Buch. (She gives me the book.) Ich helfe dir. (I am helping you.) Wir schreiben ihm einen Brief. (We are writing him a letter.)

Dative pronouns are the ones learners most often mix up. Pay special attention to ihm (him/it) vs. ihr (her) and ihnen (them) vs. Ihnen (you formal).

Genitive (Possession — Rare with Pronouns)

The genitive forms of personal pronouns are rarely used in modern German. In almost all cases, possessive pronouns (mein, dein, sein) replace them. You may encounter genitive pronouns in literary or very formal writing:

Wir gedenken seiner. (We remember him.) — very formal

For a deep dive into possessive pronouns, see our German possessive pronouns guide. Possessive pronouns (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr, Ihr) are directly derived from personal pronouns, so mastering one helps you master the other.

What Is the Difference Between sie, Sie, and ihr?

This is the single most common source of confusion for German learners. The word sie can mean "she," "they," or (when capitalized as Sie) the formal "you." Add ihr into the mix and things seem hopelessly tangled. Here is how to sort it out.

sie (lowercase) = "she" or "they"

Context and verb conjugation tell you which meaning applies:

Sie kommt morgen. — She is coming tomorrow. (verb: kommt — 3rd person singular) Sie kommen morgen. — They are coming tomorrow. (verb: kommen — 3rd person plural)

The verb ending is your key clue. Third person singular uses -t (kommt), while plural uses -en (kommen). For more on verb forms, check out our German verb conjugation guide.

Sie (capitalized) = "you" (formal)

Sie with a capital S is the polite form of address used with strangers, in professional settings, and with anyone you are not on a first-name basis with.

Sie haben recht. — You are right. (formal)

In writing, the capital letter makes it easy to spot. In spoken German, the context — are you at a job interview or chatting with a friend? — tells you whether Sie means "you (formal)" or "they."

ihr = "you" (informal plural) or "her" (dative)

The word ihr pulls double duty:

1. As a pronoun in the nominative, ihr means "you all" (informal plural) — use it when speaking to a group of people you know well:

Ihr seid meine besten Freunde. — You all are my best friends.

1. As a dative pronoun, ihr means "her" or "to her":

Ich gebe ihr das Geschenk. — I give her the gift.

Again, context and the position in the sentence make the meaning clear.

Quick Reference: Telling Them Apart

Formal vs. Informal Address: Du, Ihr, or Sie?

German makes a distinction English dropped centuries ago: the difference between a casual "you" and a respectful "you." Choosing the wrong one can feel awkward, so here are the rules.

When to Use du / ihr (Informal)

• With friends and family
• With children and teenagers
• Among students and classmates
• On social media and in casual online spaces
• When someone offers you the du ("Wir können uns duzen")

Du is singular, ihr is plural. If you are talking to one friend, use du. If you are talking to a group of friends, use ihr.

Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?) — one friend Kommt ihr mit? (Are you all coming along?) — several friends

When to Use Sie (Formal)

• With strangers and adults you don't know
• In professional and business settings
• With authority figures (police, doctors, professors)
• In formal correspondence
• When in doubt

Sie is the same for one person or many:

Können Sie mir helfen? (Can you help me?) — one person, formal Können Sie mir helfen? (Can you help me?) — several people, formal

The golden rule: when unsure, use Sie. The other person will offer du if they prefer it.

Using Personal Pronouns in Sentences

Knowing the forms is half the battle. The other half is using them naturally. Here are the most important patterns.

Pronoun + Verb Agreement

Every German verb conjugates differently depending on the pronoun. Here is kommen (to come) as an example:

Pronouns After Prepositions

Prepositions force pronouns into either the accusative or dative case:

Das Geschenk ist für dich. (The gift is for you.) — accusative after für Ich komme mit euch. (I am coming with you all.) — dative after mit

Pronouns Replacing Nouns

In German, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace, not the natural gender:

Der Tisch ist neu. Er ist groß. (The table is new. It is big.) — der Tisch is masculine, so er Die Lampe ist alt. Sie ist kaputt. (The lamp is old. It is broken.) — die Lampe is feminine, so sie Das Buch ist gut. Es ist interessant. (The book is good. It is interesting.) — das Buch is neuter, so es

This is a major difference from English, where "it" covers all objects. In German, a table is "he" (er), a lamp is "she" (sie), and only neuter nouns get es.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Mixing up mich/mir and dich/dir. Use mich/dich for accusative (direct object) and mir/dir for dative (indirect object). Test: can you add "to" before the pronoun in English? If yes, use dative.

2. Forgetting to capitalize Sie. In written German, the formal Sie (and its forms Ihnen, Ihrer) is always capitalized. Lowercase sie means "she" or "they."

3. Using er/sie/es based on English gender. German grammatical gender often differs from what feels natural in English. Always use the pronoun that matches the noun's article, not the object's "real" gender.

4. Confusing ihr (you all) with ihr (her). Check whether ihr is the subject of the sentence or the indirect object. Subject = "you all," object = "her."

Practice German Personal Pronouns

The fastest way to make pronoun declension automatic is through active practice. Here are the best ways to drill what you have learned:

• Play Memory Match at /games/memory-match to pair pronouns with their correct case forms. Matching exercises build the instant recall you need for real conversation.

• Try Type Rush at /games/type-rush to type German pronouns and vocabulary under time pressure. Speed drills train your fingers and your brain.

• Test your grammar knowledge with our German grammar quizzes covering pronouns, cases, and sentence structure.

• Learn the case system with our complete guide to German cases explained — understanding cases is essential for using pronouns correctly.

• Master possessive pronouns next with our German possessive pronouns guide — they follow directly from personal pronouns.

For practice on the go, download the Deutschwunder app and drill pronouns, cases, and grammar anywhere.

Viel Erfolg beim Lernen! (Good luck with your studies!)

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More on Deutschwunder: German cases explained simply · German possessive pronouns guide · German verb conjugation guide · German grammar for beginners