sie
/ziː/
The German word for 'she' is sie.
The word sie is used to refer to a person.
Meaning: person (pron)
Which one should you use?
The word sie is used for 'she', 'they' and the formal 'you', so the listener must rely on verb conjugation and context to distinguish them.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the nominative case (subject), the word for 'she' is sie.
How do you pronounce it?
/ziː/
Did you know?
- The Old English relative pronoun sēo is a distant linguistic cousin to the German sie, sharing a common Proto-Germanic ancestor.
- In some German dialects, the distinction between the different meanings of sie can be even more subtle than in Standard German, relying heavily on pitch and sentence stress.
- When sie is used as the formal 'you', it always takes a plural verb form even if the speaker is talking to only one person.
Examples in context
- Sie gab es zu.She admitted it.This sentence shows how to use sie as the subject meaning 'she'.Tatoeba #10010455 by wolfgangth, translation #8650297 by CH
- Ob es sie gibt?Does she exist?This sentence demonstrates sie as the direct object.Tatoeba #888554 by Manfredo, translation #803700 by Thanuir
- Sie ist ein DJ.She is a DJ.This sentence shows sie being used as the subject in a simple identity sentence.Tatoeba #2016123 by Vortarulo, translation #6179408 by RobinvanderVliet
- Sie ist meine Schwester.She is my sister.
- Sie ist meine beste Freundin.She is my best friend.
- 19112 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a girl they met at a cafe.
- JulianWo ist Marie?Where is Marie?
- HannahSie ist schon im Café.She is already in the cafe.
- JulianIst sie allein?Is she alone?
- HannahNein, sie wartet auf uns.No, she is waiting for us.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “she” translations and entries sie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
