German Pronouns

So far on this language learning course, we have made our way past some important German Grammar stepping stones.

We have covered German nouns, German verbs, and German declension.

This means, we are now able to build a simple sentence with a subject, an action and an object, in the nominative & accusative cases:

nominative

Die Oma

+

subject

trinkt

+

action

accusative

den Wein.

.

object

---

The grandma drinks the wine.

In this lesson, let's learn how to use pronouns in our sentences, in the nominative and accusative cases:

nominative

Sie

+

pronoun

trinkt

+

action

accusative

ihren

+

pronoun

accusative

Wein.

.

object

---

She drinks her wine.

Introduction To Pronouns

There are several types of pronouns, but in this lesson we will focus on three:

1. Personal Pronouns,
2. Possessive Pronouns &
3. Demonstrative Pronouns

Let's start off with personal pronouns (in the nominative & accusative cases).

1. Personal Pronouns

Nominative Case

Take a look at this grammar table for personal pronouns in the nominative case:

Using the table above to help you, replace each noun with it's corresponding personal pronoun, in each example sentence.

Accusative Case

Now, let's take a look at the same grammar table for personal pronouns, but with the addition of the accusative case:

With the table above in mind, guess which personal pronoun could replace the noun in the accusative case, in these example sentences.

Well done! 🎉

We have covered personal pronouns. Now let's tackle the possessive pronouns (in the nominative & accusative cases).

2. Possessive Pronouns

Nominative Case

Here is a grammar table for the possessive pronouns in the nominative case:

Using the table above to help you, guess the correct English translations for the example sentences:

Mein Hund isst.

My dog eats.Your dog eats.Our dog eats.

Accusative Case

Now, let's take a look at the same grammar table for possessive pronouns, with the addition of the accusative case:

Note that only the masculine possessive pronouns change in the accusative case (by adding an -en to the end of the word).

With the table above in mind, guess which possessive pronoun could replace the noun in the accusative case, in these example sentences:

Good job! 🎉

Lastly, let's take a look at demonstrative pronouns (in the nominative & accusative cases).

3. Demonstrative Pronouns

Nominative Case

Here is a grammar table for the demonstrative pronouns in the nominative case:

Have a look at the sentences below. Using the table above to help you, write the correct demonstrative pronoun in each input.

Pay special attention to the gender of the nouns, and whether they are singular or plural.

Accusative Case

Now let's take a look at the same grammar table for demonstrative pronouns, but with the addition of the accusative case:

Once again, only the masculine demonstrative pronoun changes in the accusative case (by swapping the -r with an -n at the end of the word).

With the table above in mind, guess which demonstrative pronoun could replace the noun in the accusative case, in these example sentences.

Amazing 🎉!

We have now covered:

1. Personal Pronouns
2. Possessive Pronouns
3. Demonstrative Pronouns

... in both the nominative and accusative cases.

Final Exercise

Let's practice all of what you have learned this lesson, with a final exercise:

Read the sentence and guess the correct pronoun needed to complete it. Use the tables in this article to help you!

Well done! 🎉

You're ready to move on to the next lesson: German Numbers.