Personal Pronouns in Three Cases
Learn German personal pronouns in the nominative, accusative, and dative. Practise replacing nouns, distinguishing du from Sie, and ordering pronouns in sentences with two complements.
Explanation
Personal pronouns replace nouns
Personal pronouns stand for people or things that are already known. They help us avoid repetition:
- **Der Schlüssel** liegt hier. **Er** gehört meiner Schwester.
- Ich sehe **die Nachbarn**. Ich grüße **sie**.
- Wir helfen **dem Kind**. Wir helfen **ihm**.
In the third-person singular, the pronoun follows the noun's gender: **der** Kalender -> **er**, **die** Lampe -> **sie**, **das** Handy -> **es**.
Forms
| Person | Nominative | Accusative | Dative |
|---|---|---|---|
| first-person singular | ich | mich | mir |
| second-person singular | du | dich | dir |
| third-person singular masculine | er | ihn | ihm |
| third-person singular feminine | sie | sie | ihr |
| third-person singular neuter | es | es | ihm |
| first-person plural | wir | uns | uns |
| second-person plural | ihr | euch | euch |
| third-person plural | sie | sie | ihnen |
| formal address | Sie | Sie | Ihnen |
The case depends on the pronoun's role:
- **Nominative**: Who or what performs the action? **Er** wartet.
- **Accusative**: Who or what is directly affected? Ich sehe **ihn**.
- **Dative**: To whom do I give, help, or reply? Ich helfe **ihm**.
Informal and formal address
German usually uses **du** or **ihr** with friends, relatives, and children. Formal situations use **Sie** and **Ihnen**. Formal pronouns are always capitalized.
Order with two complements
If one complement is a pronoun and the other is a noun, the pronoun normally comes first:
- Ich schicke **ihr** die Datei.
- Ich schicke **sie** der Kundin.
If both complements are pronouns, the accusative comes before the dative:
- Ich schicke **sie ihr**.
- Wir erklären **es ihnen**.
This is the neutral default order.
Exercises
- Choose the personal pronoun whose form and case fit the sentence. (11)
- Replace the marked noun phrase with a personal pronoun and write the complete sentence. (11)
- Complete each short everyday exchange with the correct personal pronoun. (11)
- Put the words in neutral default order. Remember: pronouns precede nouns, and accusative precedes dative when both are pronouns. (11)
A2 · German · Grammar