Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Review German personal pronouns in nominative, accusative, and dative cases, including their forms and usage in common sentences. Learn how pronouns change in German compared to English, with practical examples and conjunction exercises to enhance sentence structure and fluency at the A1 level.
Nominativ (Nominative)Akkusativ (Accusative)Dativ (Dative)
IchMich (me)Mir (Me)
DuDich (You)Dir (You)
ErIhn (him)Ihm (him)
SieSie (She)Ihr (Your)
EsEs (It)Ihm (him)
WirUns (Nominative)Uns (Nominative)
IhrEuch (You)Euch (You)
SieSie (She)Ihnen (you (formal, dative))

Exercise 1: Wiederholung Personalpronomen

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

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uns, Sie, dich, ihnen, euch, ihm, ihr

1. Wir:
Er hat ... angerufen.
(He called us.)
2. Die Studentin:
... studiert an der Universität.
(She is studying at the university.)
3. Er:
Der Junge zeigt ... das Bild.
(The boy shows him the picture.)
4. Ihr:
Wir sehen ... von Weitem.
(We see you from afar.)
5. Du:
Ich habe ... nicht verstanden.
(I did not understand you.)
6. Sie (Singular):
Ich danke ... für die Hilfe.
(I thank her for the help.)
7. Ihr:
Wir erklären ... die Aufgabe.
(We explain the task to you.)
8. Sie (Plural):
Wir zeigen ... das Auto.
(We show you the car.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ich trinke Wasser, ___ ich Durst habe.

(I drink water, ___ I am thirsty.)

2. Willst du Kaffee ___ Tee?

(Do you want coffee ___ tea?)

3. Ich esse Brot, ___ ich trinke Milch.

(I eat bread, ___ I drink milk.)

4. Ich esse Obst, ___ ich keinen Hunger habe.

(I eat fruit, ___ I am not hungry.)

5. Ich kann nicht essen, ___ ich krank bin.

(I cannot eat, ___ I am sick.)

6. Wir kaufen Brot, ___ wir kaufen auch Käse.

(We buy bread, ___ we also buy cheese.)

Review of German Personal Pronouns

This lesson focuses on the review of German personal pronouns in three grammatical cases: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative. Mastering these pronouns is essential for forming correct and fluent sentences in German, especially when expressing who is performing an action, who is receiving it, or to whom something is given.

Understanding Cases with Personal Pronouns

German personal pronouns change their forms according to their grammatical case. For example, the pronoun "ich" (I) changes to "mich" in the accusative case and to "mir" in the dative case. Similarly, "du" changes to "dich" and "dir" respectively, and this pattern continues for other pronouns.

Examples of Personal Pronouns

  • Nominative: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie
  • Accusative: mich, dich, ihn, sie, es, uns, euch, sie
  • Dative: mir, dir, ihm, ihr, ihm, uns, euch, ihnen

Practical Practice

You will also practice filling in gaps with conjunctions in sentences such as "Ich trinke Wasser, weil ich Durst habe." or "Willst du Kaffee oder Tee?" These help reinforce sentence structure and natural language use.

Notes on English vs. German Personal Pronouns

Unlike English, German pronouns change their form depending on their grammatical role in the sentence (subject, direct object, indirect object). For example, English uses "I" for both subject and object in some cases, while German differentiates "ich" (subject), "mich" (direct object), and "mir" (indirect object). Useful phrases to remember include "mir geht es gut" (I'm doing well), which uses the dative form "mir" instead of a nominative pronoun.

By practicing these pronouns and their forms, learners will improve their ability to communicate clearly and accurately in everyday German.

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 03:19