1.1 Talking About People!

Fast Forward!
Lets start with the basics. In English, when talking to people about ourselves,
or when we talk about people in general, we use short words like I, you, we,
and they. These words are called pronouns.

There are two uses of the word you in English - to address one person, or more
than one. In German there are four ways of saying you. The rules are pretty
straight forward, so just relax. Well take you through these principles step by
step.

One or More?
Below you can see the German pronouns in the singular form, as in when
talking about a single person, and plural form, as used when talking about a
group of people.

Just one (singular)

ich I

du you ( casual to one person)

er he

sie she

es it

Sie you (formal to one person)

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More than one (plural)
wir we

ihr you (casual to a group)

sie they

Sie you (formal to a group)

Which you is you?

You will notice that pronouns in the singular and plural forms (as described
above) both have a you, (du and Sie in German). Back in the days of
Shakespeare, people used the words thou and thee to address their friends or
loved ones (royals were addressed with the more formal you and ye). These
polite forms of you have fallen out of use in modern-day English, but German
has maintained a distinction between familiar and polite forms of you which
are used in the following ways:

The sie form of you is used in a global way when you are addressing
several other people, not including yourself. But beware, sie also
means she.

The Sie form of you is used when you wish to be polite or show respect
to an individual or a group. You might use it with strangers, the
elderly, teachers or authority figures. In German, addressing someone
with Sie always creates a respectful distance which can be very useful
to emphasize a point. Sie is spelled with a capital S when used in a
formal way.

The du form of you is used to speak to children, friends, family

members, pets and loved ones in a casual, relaxed and familiar way.

The ihr form of you is used when you are addressing several other
people, not including yourself in a casual way, like you guys.

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If you are in doubt, just use the polite form Sie. A relationship often begins
with the more formal Sie and progresses to the more casual du.

Action Replay:
Talking about people in a global or collective sense = sie

Addressing individuals or groups in a formal respectful way = Sie

Addressing someone in a casual sense = du

Addressing a group in a casual way = ihr

For Example:
Brauchst du Hilfe?

Do you need help? (casual)

Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei?

Do you have a room available? (formal)

Du hast Glck!

You are lucky! (casual)

Sie sind in der Stadt.

They are in town. (collective sense)

Sie wollen Schuhe fr Marie kaufen.

They want to buy shoes for Marie. (collective sense)

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Mchten Sie rein kommen?

Would you like to come in? (formal)

Ihr drft nicht auf der Strae spielen.

You are not allowed to play on the road. (casual)

Du schummelst!

You are cheating! (casual)

Geben Sie mir bitte ein Stck Salami.

Give me a piece of the salami, please. (formal)

Mchten Sie sonst noch etwas?

Would you like anything else? (formal)

Some More Examples:

Habt ihr Lust ins Kino zu gehen?

Would you like to go to the movies? (casual)

Du bist zu spt!

You are too late! (casual)

Wisst ihr wo das Museum ist?

Do you know where the museum is? (casual)

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Knnen Sie mir bitte helfen?

Could you please help me? (formal)

Sie wollen Ski fahren gehen.

They want to go skiing. (collective sense)

Wie alt bist du?

How old are you? (casual)

Wann fahrt ihr in den Urlaub?

When are you going on vacation? (casual)

Sie haben kein Zimmer mehr frei.

They dont have a room available. (collective sense)

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Do you speak English?

Woher kommst du?

Where are you from?

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Test your German Skills:
Translate the following pronouns! The first one is done for you.
I ____ich_____

1. You (casual) ___________

2. You (formal) ___________

3. He ___________

4. She ___________

5. We ___________

6. You (to a familiar group) ___________

7. You (to a formal group) ___________

8. They ___________

Which one would you use? Sie or du?

For example:

What would you like to order? ___Sie_____

(a waiter asking an elderly couple)

9. Are you having fun? ___________

(a brother asking his sister)

10. You are invited! ___________

(a friend telling his mate)

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11. Do you need help? ___________

(a stranger asking a tourist)

12. How old are you? ___________

(a teacher asking a child)

13. Whats your name? ___________

(a receptionist asking a guest)

14. Whats your name? ___________

(a boy asking a girl )

15. Could you help me, please? ___________

(a mother asking her child)

16. You are beautiful.

(a gentleman telling a lady) ___________

17. Could you tell me the time, please?

(a man asking a child) ____________

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Talking about People- The Answers
Here are all the answers!

Translate the following pronouns! The first one is done for you.
I ____ich_______

1. You (casual) ____du_______

2. You (formal) ____Sie_______

3. He ____er________

4. She ____sie_______

5. We ____wir_______

6. You (to a familiar group) ___ihr_______

7. You (to a formal group) ____Sie_______

8. They ____sie______

Which one would you use? Sie or du?

What would you like to order? ___Sie_____

(a waiter asking an elderly couple)

9. Are you having fun? ____du_______

(a brother asking his sister)

10. You are invited! ____du______

(a friend telling his mate)

11. Do you need help? ____Sie______

(a stranger asking a tourist)

12. How old are you? _____du______

(a teacher asking a child)

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13. Whats your name? _____Sie______

(a receptionist asking a guest)

14. Whats your name? _____du______

(a boy asking a girl )

15. Could you help me, please? _____du_____

(a mother asking her child)

16. You are beautiful. _____Sie______

(a gentleman talking to a lady)

17. Could you tell me the time, please? ______du______

(a man asking a child)

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