• Pronouns are used to replace nouns like people or things, so the same word doesn’t have to be repeated.

• Examples of pronouns include erhe, esit, wirwe

• It's important to match the pronoun to the gender of the noun being replaced.

• Pronouns also change depending on the case - that means the role they play in the sentence.

A pronoun replaces a noun.

For example:

Peter likes Aashvina

• Peter and Aashvina are nouns

If we use personal pronouns we can do any of the following:

• Replace Peter with the pronoun he → He likes Aashvina – Er mag Aashvina

• Replace Aashvina with the pronoun her → Paul likes her – Paul mag sie

• Replace both → He likes her – Er mag sie

German pronouns change depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter, and whether it is singular or plural.

Here are the most common pronouns:

Gender affects the choice of pronoun.

In English, the word it is used for things. In German, all masculine nouns are referred to as he (er), and all feminine nouns as she (sie). Neuter nouns use it (es), just as in English.

Examples

Masculine:

• Der Fernseher ist zu laut! – Er ist zu laut!

The TV is too loud – He is too loud!

Feminine:

Die Schule ist modern und groß. – Sie ist modern und groß.

The school is modern and big – She is modern and big!

Neuter:

• Das Haus befindet sich in London. – Es befindet sich in London.

The house is in London – It is in London

For plural nouns, the pronoun depends on who or what is being referred to.

If ichI is included with another person, use the pronoun wir (we):

• Mein Bruder und ich = wir

My brother and I = we

If referring to more than one thing, known as plural nouns, use sie:

• Meine Freunde gehen gern ins Theater. = Sie gehen gern ins Theater.

My friends like going to the theatre. = They like going to the theatre.

• Die Blumen sind so schön. = Sie sind so schön.

The flowers are so beautiful. = They are so beautiful.

German has a case system. This means that words, such as pronouns, might change according to their function in a sentence.

There are four cases:

Here are a few personal pronouns and how they vary depending on the case. Find more detail on using pronouns in different cases

Practise what you've learned about using pronouns with this quiz.

Did you know:

Though not yet officially standardised, the German language is evolving to include gender neutral pronouns. Many non-binary speakers use they (imported from English) or the German pronoun sie (they). Some people use xier, sier or dey which are gender-neutral and which are conjugated in the third person in the same way as er and sie.