German Personal Pronouns: Nominative
German personal pronouns work like English ones, with one key twist: even objects get a gender-based pronoun, not just people. In this lesson, we go through all the German nominative pronouns and explain why a table can be “er” while a baby is “es.”
The German Nominative Pronouns
ich (I), du (you, informal singular), er/sie/es (he/she/it), wir (we), ihr (you, informal plural), sie (they), plus the formal Sie (you, formal). These are the exact pronouns you'll need for verb conjugation — see our full guide to German present-tense verbs and pronouns.
Why Objects Have a Gender in German
Because every German noun has a grammatical gender, the pronoun that replaces it must match: der Tisch (masculine) becomes er, not “es” like in English. die Lampe (feminine) becomes sie. das Baby (neuter) becomes es. So “es” in German is reserved specifically for neuter nouns — not for all inanimate objects the way “it” is in English.
Du, Ihr, or Sie?
Choosing the right pronoun for “you” also depends on formality and number: du for one person you know informally, ihr for multiple people you know informally, and Sie (always capitalized) for anyone you address formally, singular or plural. For the full rules on when to use each, see our guide on du vs. Sie.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the German nominative personal pronouns?
Ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie, and the formal Sie.
Why does a table use the pronoun “er” in German?
Because der Tisch is a masculine noun, and pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace.
Is “es” used for all inanimate objects in German, like “it” in English?
No — es is reserved for neuter nouns specifically, such as das Baby, not for every non-living thing.
What's the difference between “du”, “ihr”, and “Sie”?
Du is informal singular, ihr is informal plural, and Sie (always capitalized) is formal, used for one or more people.
What role does the nominative case play with pronouns?
It marks the pronoun as the subject of the sentence — the one doing the action.
Ready to put these pronouns into full sentences? Start with our A1 German course.
