German Personal Pronouns: Accusative
In the accusative, only some of the German personal pronouns change: ich becomes mich, du becomes dich and er becomes ihn. In this lesson Luzi gives you the full table, 12 question-and-answer examples with verbs that take the accusative, and a bonus tip about where a pronoun stands in the sentence.
The Personal Pronouns in the Accusative
The nominative is the original form and the subject of a sentence is always in the nominative. The accusative comes after certain verbs and prepositions, and it follows the same rules as the articles. Here are both forms side by side:
| Nominative | Accusative | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mich | me |
| du | dich | you |
| er | ihn | him, it |
| sie | sie (no change) | her, it |
| es | es (no change) | it |
| wir | uns | us |
| ihr | euch | you (plural) |
| sie | sie (no change) | them |
Only five forms change: mich, dich, ihn, uns, euch. The forms for sie (she and they) and es stay the same.
12 Examples With Verbs That Take the Accusative
In every example below there is a question and a positive and a negative answer. When the question is about a thing, you use the pronoun that matches the gender of the noun. In German we literally say “him” about a masculine thing.
| Verb | Question | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| sehen (to see) | Siehst du mich? (Can you see me?) | Ja, ich sehe dich. / Nein, ich sehe dich nicht. |
| verstehen (to understand) | Verstehst du mich? (Do you understand me?) | Ja, ich verstehe dich. / Nein, ich verstehe dich nicht. |
| mögen (to like), person | Magst du Hans? (Hans is a man's name.) | Ja, ich mag ihn. / Nein, ich mag ihn nicht. |
| mögen, thing | Magst du den Tisch? (der Tisch is masculine) | Ja, ich mag ihn. (I like it.) / Nein, ich mag ihn nicht. |
| hören (to hear) | Hörst du Karina? (a woman's name) | Ja, ich höre sie. / Nein, ich höre sie nicht. |
| kaufen (to buy) | Kauft ihr die Wohnung? (die Wohnung is feminine) | Ja, wir kaufen sie. / Nein, wir kaufen sie nicht. |
| finden (to find, to think), person or baby | Findest du das Baby süß? (das Baby is neuter) | Ja, ich finde es süß. / Nein, ich finde es hässlich. |
| finden, thing | Findest du das Handy billig? | Ja, ich finde es billig. / Nein, ich finde es teuer. |
| anrufen (to call) | Rufst du uns an? (Are you going to call us?) | Ja, ich rufe euch an. / Nein, ich rufe euch nicht an. |
| stören (to bother) | Stört euch die Musik? (Is the music bothering you?) | Ja, sie stört uns. / Nein, sie stört uns nicht. |
| kennen (to know a person or thing) | Kennst du die Leute? (die Leute is plural) | Ja, ich kenne sie. / Nein, ich kenne sie nicht. |
| lieben (to love) | Liebst du Äpfel? (plural) | Ja, ich liebe sie. / Nein, ich mag sie nicht. |
Two Pronouns in One Sentence
In the stören example the answer Sie stört uns has two pronouns. Sie is the subject, so it is in the nominative (red in Luzi's colour system). Uns is the object, so it is in the accusative (blue). The first sie stands for die Musik.
Why mögen and Not lieben in the Negative?
For people you can say Ich liebe dich nicht. For things, Germans use mögen in the negative, because Ich liebe sie nicht about apples sounds a bit weird. It is better to say Nein, ich mag sie nicht.
Side Note: The Future in German
In the kaufen example you see that English uses “will” or “going to”. German has a future tense too, but you can simply use the present tense, especially with a time word: Morgen kaufe ich eine Wohnung. (Tomorrow I am going to buy an apartment.)
Bonus Tip: Where Does the Pronoun Go in the Sentence?
Take the normal sentence Hans kauft morgen den Tisch. (Hans buys the table tomorrow.) The verb is in position 2. Now replace the noun with a pronoun and watch the order change.
Rule 1: A Pronoun Stands Directly After the Verb
- Hans kauft ihn morgen. (Hans buys it tomorrow. Ihn replaces den Tisch and now stands before morgen.)
- Morgen kauft ihn Hans. (Tomorrow Hans buys it. Even when morgen is first, the pronoun ihn stands right after the verb.)
Rule 2: With Two Pronouns, the Nominative Comes Before the Accusative
- Er kauft ihn morgen. (He buys it tomorrow.)
- Morgen kauft er ihn. (Tomorrow he buys it. Er (nominative) stands before ihn (accusative).)
Another tip for beginners: always put the conjugated verb in the second position. The subject, the time word and the object can stand in front of it or behind it, but the verb stays in position 2. Later, with main clauses and subordinate clauses, this can change.
What to Learn Next
If you have not seen the first part, start with personal pronouns in the nominative, and continue with personal pronouns in the dative. The case itself is explained in what is the Akkusativ. To train the forms, try the exercise on personal pronouns in accusative and dative, and for more word order see the position of dative and accusative objects and the 30 most important German verbs with accusative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the personal pronouns in the accusative in German?
They are mich (me), dich (you), ihn (him, it), sie (her, it), es (it), uns (us), euch (you, plural) and sie (them).
Which personal pronouns change from nominative to accusative?
Only ich becomes mich, du becomes dich, er becomes ihn, wir becomes uns and ihr becomes euch. The forms sie and es stay the same.
When do you use the accusative in German?
The subject is always in the nominative. The accusative is used after certain verbs, such as sehen, verstehen, mögen, kaufen, finden, kennen and lieben, and after certain prepositions.
Where does the personal pronoun stand in a German sentence?
A personal pronoun stands directly after the verb: Hans kauft ihn morgen. If there are two pronouns, the nominative stands before the accusative: Morgen kauft er ihn.
Do you say ihn for a masculine thing in German?
Yes. German nouns have a gender, so you use the pronoun of the noun. Magst du den Tisch? is answered with Ja, ich mag ihn, because der Tisch is masculine, even though English says “it”.
Pronouns and cases become easy when you train them step by step. In our A1 German online course you get videos, worksheets and answers to your questions for every chapter.
