er
/eːr/
The German word for "he" is er.
Meaning: personal pronoun "he" (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun changes its form based on the grammatical case required by the sentence: er is used in the nominative case, ihn is the accusative form and ihm is the dative form.
How do you pronounce it?
/eːr/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use er in positions where German requires the accusative ihn or the dative ihm.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Er kam zu mir.He came to see me.This sentence shows how to use er as a subject.Tatoeba #610626 by Dejo, translation #297579 by CK
- Er hat zu tun.He is busy.Tatoeba #1270437 by Esperantostern, translation #1349951 by sacredceltic
- Er ist ein DJ.He is a DJ.Tatoeba #1313728 by al_ex_an_der, translation #288669 by CK
- Er ist ein erfolgreicher Geschäftsmann.He is a successful businessman.
- Er hat heute Geburtstag.He has a birthday today.
- 19013 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Felix are talking about a new neighbor.
- FelixWer ist der neue Nachbar?Who is the new neighbor?
- HannahEr wohnt direkt nebenan.He lives right next door.
- FelixIst er nett?Is he nice?
- HannahJa, er ist sehr freundlich.Yes, he is very friendly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “he” translations and entries er, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries er, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
