ich
/ɪç/
The English phrase 'I' is translated into German as ich.
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
Is it said differently in some regions?
On the northern coast, some people say ik instead of ich. In parts of southern Germany, you might hear i instead of ich.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun ich changes to mich in the accusative case and to mir in the dative case. Its first-person plural form is wir, and its derived possessive adjective is mein.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɪç/
Did you know?
- German has a strict social rule where the pronoun ich is usually placed after other people in a list, such as saying Maria und ich instead of ich und Maria, to show politeness.
- The word ich can be turned into a noun, das Ich, which in German psychology and philosophy refers to the 'ego' or the conscious self.
- The sound of ich is so distinct that it is used to name the 'ich-Laut', a specific phonetic category in German that differs from the harder 'ach-Laut'.
Examples in context
- Ich war oft da.I was often there.This sentence shows the use of ich in a past tense context.Tatoeba #970219 by Esperantostern, translation #942450 by spockofvulcan
- Ja, ich mag es.Yes, I love it.This sentence demonstrates how to use ich to express liking something.Tatoeba #1603095 by Esperantostern, translation #924146 by Scott
- Ich aß den Käse.I ate the cheese.This sentence shows ich as the subject of a sentence involving eating.Tatoeba #631487 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #416554 by Scott
- Ich möchte Ihnen meine Meinung dazu sagen.I would like to tell you my opinion on this.
- Ich gehe zur Arbeit.I am going to work.
- Ich liebe es, Deutsch zu lernen!I love learning German!
- Ich esse gerne Pizza.I enjoy eating pizza.
- Ich helfe dir gerne.I am happy to help you.
- 19322 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Laura are talking in a cafe.
- MaximilianIch bin hungrig.I am hungry.
- LauraIch auch.Me too.
- MaximilianSoll ich etwas bestellen?Should I order something?
- LauraJa, bitte.Yes, please.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries ich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
