ihr
/iːr/
In German, the English phrase "you guys" is translated as ihr.
ihr is used to address a group of two or more people in a casual or familiar setting.
Which one should you use?
ihr is the specific form used for addressing a group of people informally, whereas Sie is used for formal address.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In southwestern Germany, you might encounter the variant Ihr Leut instead of Ihr Leute.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ihr changes to euch when it functions as the direct object or the object of a preposition. To express the possessive "your" when referring to something belonging to the group, use euer.
How do you pronounce it?
/iːr/
Did you know?
- In very formal or poetic German, the word Ihr was historically capitalized and used to address a single person of high rank, such as a noble.
- The German word ihr is a direct linguistic relative of the archaic English word 'ye'. If you have read the King James Bible or Shakespeare, you have already seen the ancestor of this German phrase.
- While ihr is the standard informal plural, some German speakers use the formal Sie even with friends to be jokingly sarcastic or overly dramatic.
Examples in context
- Was habt ihr vor?What are you guys up to?This sentence shows how to ask what a group is planning using ihr.Tatoeba #2045682 by Manfredo, translation #1886812 by CK
- Wo wart ihr heute?Where were you guys today?This sentence shows how to ask about the location of a group in the past using ihr.Tatoeba #3405777 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3396731 by CK
- Wo seid ihr jetzt?Where are you guys now?This sentence shows how to ask about the current location of a group using ihr.Tatoeba #4258766 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5365244 by danepo
- 460 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Sarah are meeting a group of friends at a cafe.
- FelixHallo! Habt ihr schon bestellt?Hello! Have you guys already ordered?
- SarahNein, wir warten noch auf euch.No, we are still waiting for you.
- FelixKönnt ihr uns einen Platz zeigen?Can you guys show us a seat?
- SarahKlar, kommt einfach mit hier entlang.Sure, just come along this way.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ihr, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ihr, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
