sie
/ziː/accusative
In German, the English pronoun 'them' can be expressed as sie or ihnen.
Meaning: third personal plural pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb (pron)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sie | /ziː/ (standard) /zə/ (colloquial) |
accusative |
| ihnen | [ˈʔiːnən] (narrow) | dative |
These forms are used as the third person plural pronoun to refer to a group of people or objects. The specific form you choose depends on the grammatical role the word plays in your sentence.
Which one should you use?
The choice between the two forms depends on the grammatical case. Use sie when 'them' is the direct object of a verb or follows an accusative preposition. Use ihnen when 'them' is the indirect object of a verb or follows a dative preposition.
How do you pronounce it?
/ziː/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse the plural 'them' (sie or ihnen) with the formal 'you' (Sie), which is capitalized in writing.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'them' for both people and objects, German speakers sometimes use the word die instead of sie in casual speech to refer to 'them' when pointing at objects.
- In spoken German, because sie can mean 'she', 'they' or 'you', listeners must rely entirely on the verb ending or the context of the conversation to know who is being discussed.
- The word sie for 'them' is a close relative of the Old English 'sēo', which was used to mean 'that one'.
Examples in context
- Das ist für sie.That's for them.This sentence is useful for seeing sie used after a preposition.Tatoeba #13486540 by Vortarulo, translation #3917308 by CH
- Sie tun uns leid.We feel bad for them.Tatoeba #2027613 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2027609 by halfb1t
- Er hat sie nicht.He hasn't got them.This sentence demonstrates sie as a direct object.Tatoeba #10760563 by Yorwba, translation #11051560 by sundown
- Ich habe ihnen die Informationen geschickt.I have sent them the information.
- Bitte geben Sie ihnen den Bericht.Please hand them the report.
- 3018 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Felix are talking about some old books in a box.
- SarahSiehst du die Bücher?Do you see the books?
- FelixJa, ich sehe sie.Yes, I see them.
- SarahSoll ich sie nehmen?Should I take them?
- FelixNein, lass sie dort.No, leave them there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “them” translations and entries sie, ihnen, 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.
