German Pronouns
The German Pronouns are words like ich (I) du (you) er (he), see this table below.| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
|
1.Person
|
ich (I)
|
wir (we)
|
|
2.Person
|
du (you)
|
ihr (you)
|
|
3.Person
|
er (he) sie (she) es (it)
|
sie (they)
|
If you address just one person you say du if you know this person pretty well on a more private level.
Example: Du bist ein Lehrer. You are a teacher.
If you are not sure use Sie. (formal form)
Example: Sie sind ein Lehrer. You are a teacher.
In general you use SIE. (formal polite form)
A relationship progresses from Sie to Du.
If you address a group of people you say Ihr and not du.
Example: Ihr seid Lehrer. You are teachers.
But normally you use the formal polite form here too when talking to a group.
Example: Sie sind Lehrer.
If you talk to children and loved ones you use the casual du.
Pronoun: man
Man means "you" or "one" and is used as a generalisation.
Examples:
Hier darf man rauchen. (It is allowed to smoke here.)
Hier kann man Kaffee trinken. (You can drink coffee here.)
In der Kirche darf man nicht sprechen. (In the church you are not allowed to speak.)
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