German Grammar A–Z
Look up German grammar topics A–Z, organized by category and level — with clear explanations and examples.
Distinguishing the Types of Pronouns
In German, pronouns (Pronomen/Pronomina) are regarded as elements that replace a noun or a noun phrase. Pronouns depend on gender (Genus: Feminin, Maskulin, Neutral), case (Kasus: Nominativ, Akkusativ….) and number (Numerus: Singular, Plural). Example: Ich kenne ihn. (ihn: Maskulin, Akkusativ, Singular). Today's article introduces how to classify the types of pronouns in German.
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There are 7 common types of pronouns in German.
|
Personalpronomen Personal pronoun |
ich, du, er, sie, es, Sie, wir, ihr, ihn, ihm |
A personal pronoun replaces a noun that has already been mentioned, and is used to talk about oneself or to address other people. |
1. Ich habe eine Katze. Sie ist sehr niedlich. (I have a cat. It is very cute.) |
|
Possessivpronomen Possessive pronoun |
dein-, mein-, sein-,..... |
A possessive pronoun is used to express ownership. |
1. Das ist mein Hut. (This is my hat.) 2. Ich suche meinen Hut. (I am looking for my hat.) |
|
Demonstrativpronomen Demonstrative pronoun |
dieser, diese, dieser, jener, jene, jenes,...... |
A demonstrative pronoun is used to emphasize and to pinpoint exactly the object being referred to. |
1. Welches Auto möchten Sie kaufen, dieses [Auto] oder jenes [Auto]? (Which car would you like to buy, this one or that one?) 2. Hat sie einen neuen Freund? – Nein, es ist derselbe [Freund] wie neulich. (Does she have a new boyfriend? - No, it is the same one as the other day.) |
|
Relativpronomen Relative pronoun |
der, die, das, welcher, welche, welches,...... |
Used to replace a noun, a noun phrase, or a phrase in a relative clause. |
1. Er hatte einige Zaubersprüche, deren er sich nicht mehr ganz entsinnen konnte. (He had some spells that he could no longer remember completely.) 2. Die Frau, welcher der Hund gehört, hatte einen Autounfall. (The woman who owns the dog had a car accident.) |
|
Interrogativpronomen Interrogative pronoun |
wer, was,.. |
An interrogative pronoun replaces the noun or pronoun being asked about in a question. |
1. Wer hat das gesagt? (Who said that?) |
|
Reflexivpronomen Reflexive pronoun |
sich, mich, dich,.... |
A reflexive pronoun is used with reflexive verbs to talk about one's own action or an action that oneself and someone else carry out together. |
1. Ich dusche mich. (I take a shower.) 2. Ich putze mir die Zähne. (I brush my teeth.) |
|
Indefinitpronomen Indefinite pronoun |
irgendwer, man, niemand, ……. |
Used to generalize about something or someone not yet specified. |
1. Ich sollte jemanden anrufen. (I should call someone.) 2. Ich habe heute nichts zu tun. (I have nothing to do today.) |
In addition, there is one special pronoun that is not classified among the 7 types above: the pronoun es.
The pronoun es can replace a word, a sentence element, or an entire sentence. This pronoun is also used in fixed expressions and as a dummy (placeholder) subject when the subject performing the action is unspecified. Example:
„Was macht unsere Tochter?“ (What is our daughter doing?)
– „Ich weiß es nicht.“ (I do not know what our daughter is doing.)
→ „Es“ replaces the whole sentence: Ich weiß nicht, was unsere Tochter macht.“) to avoid repetition.
