Pronouns are traditionally defined as "words that take the place of nouns and noun phrases." In the German language, pronouns show both grammatical case and grammatical gender. Grammatical gender is when nouns, pronouns, and noun phrases are classified into categories such as masculine, feminine, and neuter regardless of natural sex or gender. Grammatical case refers to the addition of affixes to indicate the grammatical function of words. The four types of personal pronouns in German are nominative pronouns, accusative pronouns, dative pronouns, and genitive pronouns.
German Nominative Pronouns
Like the subject pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, and they in English, the nominative pronouns in German perform the grammatical functions of subject and subject complement. Subjects are words that perform the action of or act upon the verb. Subject complements are words that follow copular verbs and refer back to the subject. The eleven nominative German pronouns are:
- ich "I" – first person singular
- du "you" – second person singular familiar
- Sie "you" – second person singular formal
- er "he, it" – third person singular masculine
- sie "she, it" – third person singular feminine
- es "it" – third person singular neuter
- man "one, you, they, people" – impersonal
- wir "we" – first person plural
- ihr "you" – second person plural familiar
- Sie "you" – second person plural formal
- sie "they" – third person plural
For example:
- Ich bin anderer Ansicht. "I beg to differ."
- Du bist wohl nicht recht gescheit. "You must be out of your mind."
- Man ist was man isst. "One is what one eats."
- Sie gingen weg wie warme Semmeln. "They sold like hotcakes."
German Accusative Pronouns
Like the object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us, and them in English, the accusative pronouns in German perform the grammatical functions of direct object and prepositional complement. Direct objects are words that follow and receive the action of a transitive verb. Prepositional complements are words that complete the meaning of a prepositional phrase. The eleven accusative German pronouns are:
- mich "I" – first person singular
- dich "you" – second person singular familiar
- Sie "you" – second person singular formal
- ihn "he, it" – third person singular masculine
- sie "she, it" – third person singular feminine
- es "it" – third person singular neuter
- uns "we" – first person plural
- euch "you" – second person plural familiar
- Sie "you" – second person plural formal
- sie "they" – third person plural
For example:
- Sie brachte mich auf die Palme. "She drove me crazy."
- Das gilt nicht für I. "This does not apply to you."
- Sahen Sie es? "Did you see it?"
- Sie lieben uns. "They love us."
German Dative Pronouns
Like the object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us, and them in English, the dative pronouns in German perform the grammatical functions of indirect object and prepositional complement. Indirect objects are words that indicate to or for whom or what the action of a ditransitive verb is performed. Prepositional complements are words that complete the meaning of a prepositional phrase. The eleven dative German pronouns are:
- mir "I" – first person singular
- dir "you" – second person singular familiar
- Ihnen "you" – second person singular formal
- ihm "he, it" – third person singular masculine
- ihr "she, it" – third person singular feminine
- ihm "it" – third person singular neuter
- uns "we" – first person plural
- euch "you" – second person plural familiar
- Ihnen "you" – second person plural formal
- ihnen "they" – third person plural
For example:
- Bitte, reichen Sie mir das Brot. "Please pass me the bread.
- Ich lasse dir ein Bad ein. "I will draw you a bath."
- Wir haben unsere liebe Not mit ihm. "We have our hands full with him."
- Der Mann gibt Ihnen den Schatz. "The man is giving you the treasure."
German Genitive Pronouns
Similar to the possessive clitics 's and s' (apostrophe s and s apostrophe) in English, the genitive pronouns in German function to indicate possession of and other relationships to nouns. The genitive pronouns in German are related to possessive pronouns and possessive determiners in English. The eleven genitive German pronouns are:
- meiner "of me" – first person singular
- deiner "of you " – second person singular familiar
- Ihrer "of you" – second person singular formal
- seiner "of him, of it" – third person singular masculine
- ihrer "of her, of it" – third person singular feminine
- seiner "of it" – third person singular neuter
- unser "of us" – first person plural
- euer "of you" – second person plural familiar
- Ihrer "of you " – second person plural formal
- ihrer "of them" – third person plural
For example:
- Das Auto meines Bruders is defekt. "My brother's car is broken."
- Die Kinder deiner Tante essen die Plätzchen. "Your aunt's children eat the cookies."
- Das Buch seines Lehrers bohrt. "His teacher's book is boring."
- Das ist unser Auto. "This car is ours."
The four types of personal pronouns in the German language are nominative pronouns, accusative pronouns, dative pronouns, and genitive pronouns. German students must learn the forms and functions of pronouns in order to construct grammatical correct German sentences.
Sources
Dieter, Sevin. Wie Geht's?: An Introductory Course. Boston: Heinle, 2006.
"German Pronouns, Personal, Possessive and Object Pronouns." Learn German. 2006. Speak7. 19 Sep. 2009.
 |
