Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson reviews German personal pronouns in Nominative, Accusative, and Dative cases, including Ich (I), Mich (me), and Mir (to me), helping you master essential grammar for everyday conversations.
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.

Show translation Show answers

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 essential German personal pronouns in the three main grammatical cases: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative. Understanding these pronouns is fundamental for constructing clear and accurate sentences in German.

What You Will Learn

  • The different forms of personal pronouns in each case
  • How to recognize when to use Nominative, Accusative, or Dative
  • Examples of pronouns like ich (I), du (you singular informal), er (he), sie (she/they), and wir (we)

Key German Personal Pronouns and Their Cases

The pronouns change form depending on their grammatical role:

  • Nominative pronouns are the subject of the sentence — who or what is doing the action, for example: Ich, du, er.
  • Accusative pronouns are the direct object — who or what is directly affected by the action, such as mich (me), dich (you), ihn (him).
  • Dative pronouns are the indirect object — often indicating to whom something is given or for whom something is done, e.g., mir (to me), dir (to you), ihm (to him).

Examples of Usage

Here are some simple example phrases that illustrate how personal pronouns are used:

  • Ich trinke Wasser, weil ich Durst habe. (I drink water because I am thirsty.)
  • Willst du Kaffee oder Tee? (Do you want coffee or tea?)
  • Ich esse Brot und trinke Milch. (I eat bread and drink milk.)

Differences Between English and German Personal Pronouns

While English personal pronouns also change form, German pronouns have a more complex system due to different grammatical cases. English pronouns generally have subject (I, you, he) and object (me, you, him) forms but do not distinguish the dative specifically.

For example:

  • English: "I" is the subject and "me" is the object.
  • German: "ich" (Nominative), "mich" (Accusative), and "mir" (Dative) all mean "I/me," but are used in different grammatical contexts.

Understanding these distinctions helps avoid confusion and build solid sentence structures.

Practical Expressions to Remember

  • Ich habe Hunger. – I am hungry.
  • Kannst du mir helfen? – Can you help me?
  • Wir sehen euch morgen. – We will see you tomorrow.

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 08:51