A2.39 - Teamwork

The imperative with pronouns: „Erledige es sofort!"

Der Imperativ mit Pronomen:„Erledige es sofort!"

Mit dem Imperativ und den passenden Pronomen (Akkusativ und Dativ) kann man höflich und effektiv sagen, was jemand tun soll. Beispiel: „Mach es!“, „Hilf mir!“, „Sag es mir!“

(With the imperative and the correct pronouns (accusative and dative), you can say politely and effectively what someone should do. Example: „Mach es!“, „Hilf mir!“, „Sag es mir!“)

What’s happening here: imperative + pronouns

In German, pronouns usually sit right after the imperative verb.

  • Direct object (Akkusativ) = “it / him / her / them” (the thing being acted on)
  • Indirect object (Dativ) = “to me / to you / to him …” (the recipient / beneficiary)

Step 1: Find Akkusativ vs. Dativ (quick test)

  • Ask: What? → that is usually Akkusativ.
  • Ask: To whom? For whom? → that is usually Dativ.
Question Case Typical meaning
Was? (What?) Akk. thing / person directly affected
Wem? (To whom?) Dat. recipient / person who benefits

Step 2: Place the pronouns (the key rule)

If you have two pronouns (Akk. + Dat.), the order is:

Akkusativ pronoun + Dativ pronoun

Pattern Correct Common mistake
Imperative + Akk. + Dat. Gib es mir! Gib mir es!
Imperative + Dat. only Hilf mir! Hilf mich!
Imperative + Akk. only Erledige es! Erledige ihm!

Mini map of the pronouns you need most (A2)

Meaning Akkusativ Dativ
me mich mir
you (informal) dich dir
him ihn ihm
her sie ihr
it es ihm / ihr (rare as “it” for things; mostly for people/animals)
them sie ihnen

Tip: In office situations, the dative pronoun is often a person: mir / dir / ihm / ihr / uns / Ihnen.

How to build your sentence (reliable 3-step checklist)

  1. Make the imperative verb: Schick! Gib! Zeig! Erklär! Hilf!
  2. Replace the nouns with pronouns:
    • the thing → es / sie / ihn (Akk.)
    • the recipient → mir / ihm / ihr (Dat.)
  3. If there are two pronouns: Akk. before Dat.

Typical professional examples (correct and natural)

  • Schick es mir bitte heute. (Send it to me.)
  • Erklär es ihm kurz im Meeting. (Explain it to him.)
  • Zeig sie ihr gleich. (Show them to her.)
  • Gib es uns bis 14 Uhr. (Give it to us by 2 p.m.)

Self-check: do you have the order right?

  • If you can underline two pronouns, check: thing first, person second.
  • If it sounds like “to me it” in English, it’s usually the same issue in German: mir es → es mir.
  • When in doubt, keep pronouns close to the verb: Gib es mir. (not: Gib das bitte mir.)
  1. If both a dative pronoun and an accusative pronoun are used, the accusative pronoun comes before the dative pronoun.
Formel (Formula)Beispiel (Example)
Imperativ + direktes Pronomen (Akk.)Erledige es bitte heute! (Finish it today, please!)
Imperativ + indirektes Pronomen (Dat.)Hilf mir mit der Aufgabe! (Help me with the task!)
Akk. + Dat.Gib es mir! (Give it to me!)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. Bitte erledige ___ heute noch, das ist wichtig für das Team.

Please take care of ___ today, that is important for the team.

2. Hilf ___ bitte kurz mit der Aufgabe, ich komme nicht weiter.

Help ___ briefly with the task, I can’t make any progress.

3. Gib ___ bitte sofort, ich muss es an die Leitung weitergeben.

Give ___ immediately, I have to pass it on to management.

4. Schick ___ bitte per E-Mail, dann kann er die Kommunikation übernehmen.

Send ___ by email, then he can take over the communication.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Turn the sentences into the imperative and replace the noun with the appropriate pronoun (accusative/dative). If both pronouns occur, put the accusative before the dative (e.g. “Gib den Ordner dem Chef!” → “Gib ihn ihm!”).

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  1. Schick die E-Mail an den Kunden.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Schick sie ihm.
    (Send it to him.)
  2. Erkläre die Aufgabe deiner Kollegin.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Erklär sie ihr.
    (Explain it to her.)
  3. Bring die Dokumente zu mir.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Bring sie mir.
    (Bring them to me.)
  4. Zeig den Ausweis dem Polizisten.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Zeig ihn ihm.
    (Show it to him.)

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Louis Fernando Hess

Bachelor of Science - Intercultural Business Psychology

Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences

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Germany


Last Updated:

Friday, 08/05/2026 11:44