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This presentation will introduce you to German personal pronouns in the nominative case.
By the end of this presentation you will have reviewed English personal pronouns and have
learned about the familiar and formal forms of German personal pronouns in the nominative
case. In addition, you will have also learned how personal pronouns can be used to refer
to German nouns, and will have seen how you can apply what you have learned to complete
the associated online course activity. Let's get started.
As you see on the screen, the English personal pronouns in the nominative can be classified
as either singular or plural, and as either first person, second person, or third person.
The singular personal pronouns in English are: I (first person singular); you (second
person singular); and he/she/it (third person singular). The plural personal pronouns in
English are: we (first person plural); y'all (second person plural, a contraction of �you
all� and a regionalism frequently found in the Southern United States); and they (third
person plural).
German personal pronouns can be classified in the same manner. The singular personal
pronouns in German are: ich (first person singular); du (second person singular); and
er/sie/es (third person singular). The plural personal pronouns in German are: wir (first
person plural); ihr (second person plural); and sie (third person plural).
English generally does not have a formal form of address, although it can be approximated
by adding �sir� or �ma'am� to the second personal singular and plural personal
pronouns, as you see on the screen.
It is important to note, however, that German has a formal form of address that uses specific
personal pronouns. These are Sie (second personal singular formal) and Sie (second personal
plural formal). These formal personal pronouns are always capitalized.
Now how do we use these personal pronouns to refer to nouns? You will recall from our
earlier presentation on German nouns and definite articles that German nouns have a grammatical
gender: They are either masculine, feminine, or neuter.
You will also recall that the grammatical gender of a German noun determines its definite
article: masculine nouns have the definite article �der�; feminine nouns have the
definite article �die�; and neuter nouns have the definite article �das.�
Finally, you will remember that plural German nouns do not manifest any gender and their
definite article is always �die.�
In German, the grammatical gender or number of a noun determines the personal pronoun
that gets used. The personal pronouns you see on the screen all manifest gender: er
(masculine), sie (feminine), and es (neuter).
The gender of the personal pronoun, therefore, can be matched to the gender of a German noun,
which is manifested by its definite article: er (masculine third person singular), sie
(feminine third person singular), and es (neuter third person singular). When referring to
people or living things with a biological gender, the appropriate matching personal
pronoun is used.
For plural nouns, the number of the noun determines it personal pronoun: sie (third person plural).
Let's now take a look at how we can apply German personal pronouns in the nominative
case. The explanations that follow will help you to complete the related online course
activity.
The grammatical gender of the German noun �Lebenslauf,� or r�sum�, is masculine,
and the number of the noun is singular. If you were to see the definite article of the
noun here, it would be �der.�
Since �Lebenslauf� is a masculine singular noun, the matching personal pronoun needs
to be used: er (masculine third person singular).
The grammatical gender of the German noun �Postleitzahl,� or postal code, is feminine,
and the number of the noun is singular. If you were to see the definite article of the
noun here, it would be �die.�
Since �Postleitzahl� is a feminine singular noun, the matching personal pronoun needs
to be used: sie (feminine third person singular).
The grammatical gender of the German noun �Foto,� or photograph, is neuter, and
the number of the noun is singular. If you were to see the definite article of the noun
here, it would be �das.�
Since �Foto� is a neuter singular noun, the matching personal pronoun needs to be
used: es (neuter third person singular).
Finally, the German noun �Kinder� has no gender as it is the plural form of the
neuter singular noun �Kind,� or child. If you were to see the definite article of
the noun here, it would be �die.�
Since �Kinder� is a plural noun, the matching personal pronoun needs to be used: sie (third
person plural). This concludes the presentation on German personal pronouns in the nominative
case. Be sure now to test your knowledge by completing the related online
course activity.