German Pronouns: Personal, Possessive, Reflexive & Relative
Personal, possessive, reflexive, relative, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns across all four cases.
Pronouns stand in for nouns, and in German they change form by case just like articles do. Personal pronouns (*ich, mich, mir*), possessives (*mein, dein*), reflexives (*mich, sich*) and relatives (*der, die, das* introducing a clause) each follow their own pattern across the four cases. The guides here walk through every type so you can pick the right form each time.
German Personal Pronouns: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr
German personal pronouns explained: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, Sie — du vs Sie, accusative & dative forms. A1 reference with examples and practice.
German Possessive Pronouns: Mein, Dein, Sein, Ihr & Endings
German possessive pronouns explained: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer endings by gender and case. Tables, the euer rule, common mistakes — A1 reference.
German dieser: Declension of dieser, diese, dieses
German dieser declension: full dieser/diese/dieses paradigm, common mistakes, and how jeder, welcher, jener pattern with it. A2 reference with practice.
German Possessives in the Dative: meinem, meiner, meinen
German possessives in the dative: meinem, meiner, meinem, meinen across mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer. A2 reference with examples and practice.
German Reflexive Pronouns: mich, dich, sich, uns, euch
German reflexive pronouns: mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich. Accusative forms, reflexive verbs like sich waschen, common mistakes. A2 reference with practice.
German Relative Pronouns: Der, Die, Das as Subject
German relative pronouns explained: der/die/das as subject, comma rules, verb-final word order, and common mistakes. A2 reference with practice.
German Indefinite Pronouns: Jemand, Man, Etwas & Jeder
German indefinite pronouns: jemand/niemand declension, man with einen/einem, jeder, and etwas/nichts + nominalized adjectives. B1 reference with practice.
German Possessives in the Genitive: meines, meiner
German possessives in the genitive: meines, meiner, meines and the -(e)s noun ending. All 8 stems × 4 forms, common mistakes, and B1 practice.
German Reflexive Pronouns: Accusative vs Dative
German reflexive pronouns accusative vs dative: when to use mich/dich/sich and when mir/dir/sich, with the second-object rule, tables, and examples.
German Relative Pronouns in Accusative and Dative
German relative pronouns in accusative and dative: den, die, dem, der, denen — forms, word order, and common mistakes. B1 reference with practice.
Frequently asked questions
How do German personal pronouns change by case?
They have separate nominative, accusative and dative forms — for example ich → mich → mir, er → ihn → ihm, wir → uns → uns. You pick the form from the pronoun's role in the sentence, exactly as you would for a noun's case.
What's the difference between 'mein' and 'mir'?
Mein is a possessive ('my') and stands before a noun, taking endings like an ein-word (mein Auto, meine Tasche). Mir is the dative form of the personal pronoun ich ('to me'). They look similar but do completely different jobs.
When do I use reflexive pronouns like 'sich'?
Reflexive pronouns appear with reflexive verbs, where the subject and object are the same person (Ich wasche mich, 'I wash myself'). Many German verbs are reflexive even when English isn't (sich freuen, sich erinnern), so they're best learned together with the verb.
How do relative pronouns work in German?
Relative pronouns (der, die, das, den, dem …) introduce a relative clause and agree in gender and number with the noun they refer back to, but take their case from their role inside the clause. The verb then moves to the end: der Mann, den ich kenne ('the man whom I know').