German Personal Pronouns: Accusative

Once a pronoun becomes the object of a sentence rather than the subject, German changes its form — and the accusative case is where that starts. In this lesson, we go through every German accusative pronoun, compare it side by side with its nominative form, and finish with a bonus tip on where the pronoun goes in the sentence.

Nominative vs. Accusative Pronouns

ich → mich (me), du → dich (you), er → ihn (him), sie → sie (her), es → es (it), wir → uns (us), ihr → euch (you, plural), sie → sie (them), Sie → Sie (you, formal). Only er changes its consonant (ihn) — most others simply follow the ich→mich, du→dich pattern. For a refresher on the case itself, see our explainer on what Akkusativ means.

Using Accusative Pronouns in a Sentence

Just like with nouns, the pronoun replacing the direct object takes the accusative form: Ich sehe den Mann. → Ich sehe ihn. (I see him.) Er liebt dich. (He loves you.) Because German nouns have gender, remembering whether you're replacing a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun tells you exactly which pronoun to use.

Bonus: Where Does the Pronoun Go?

When a sentence has both a pronoun object and other information, the pronoun usually moves early, right after the verb: Ich gebe dir das Buch heute. becomes Ich gebe es dir heute. once “das Buch” is replaced by “es” — pronoun objects jump ahead of noun objects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the German accusative personal pronouns?

Mich, dich, ihn, sie, es, uns, euch, sie, and the formal Sie.

Which nominative pronoun changes the most in accusative?

Er (he) becomes ihn — the only pronoun that changes its consonant rather than following a simple pattern.

How do you say “I see him” in German?

Ich sehe ihn.

Where does an accusative pronoun usually go in a German sentence?

Early — pronoun objects typically move ahead of noun objects, right after the verb.

Does the accusative pronoun depend on the gender of the noun it replaces?

Yes — choosing ihn, sie, or es depends entirely on whether the original noun was masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Ready to combine pronouns, cases, and full sentences with confidence? Start with our A1 German course.