German personal pronouns for beginners

The idea

The subject pronouns are ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie and Sie. Use du with one person informally, ihr with several people informally, and capitalized Sie for formal address. The verb changes with the subject.

Examples to say aloud

• Ich lerne Deutsch.
  I am learning German.
• Wir wohnen in Berlin.
  We live in Berlin.
• Sprechen Sie Englisch?
  Do you speak English?

A common mistake

Lowercase sie can mean she or they. The verb and context help you decide. Formal Sie is capitalized.

Try it yourself

Choose the formal version: Sprichst du Englisch? / Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Make your attempt, then open the explanation.

Keep practising

Try KLAR’s first three A1 lessons without signing up. These quick guides are supplementary practice and do not represent a complete A1 course.