du, ihr or Sie: which you?
Informal du and ihr, polite Sie, and when to switch
Part of the free A0 German course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
English has one word for you. German has three:
| One person | Two or more people | |
|---|---|---|
| Informal | du | ihr |
| Polite | Sie | Sie |
When to use du and ihr
Use du (one person) or ihr (several people) with:
- family and friends;
- children and teenagers;
- other students, and often colleagues of the same age;
- in many shops, apps and adverts that want to sound friendly.
When to use Sie
Use Sie with adults you don't know, and in formal situations: in shops, offices, at the doctor's, with your teacher in an adult class, with a boss. With Sie, call people Herr or Frau plus their surname: Herr Schmidt, Frau Weber. Using du with a stranger can sound rude.
Sie always has a capital S, and it takes the same verb form as sie (they): Sie kommen (you come), sie kommen (they come).
| kommen | heißen | sein | |
|---|---|---|---|
| du | kommst | heißt | bist |
| ihr | kommt | heißt | seid |
| Sie | kommen | heißen | sind |
Switching to du
The older person, or the person with the higher position, usually offers du: Sag doch du zu mir! or Wollen wir uns duzen? Saying du is called duzen, saying Sie is siezen. If you aren't sure, start with Sie; people will tell you when they prefer du.
- Kommst du heute Abend?Are you coming this evening?
- Habt ihr Hunger, Kinder?Are you hungry, kids?
- Sprechen Sie Englisch?Do you speak English?
- Herr Schmidt, wo wohnen Sie?Mr Schmidt, where do you live?
- Anna und Jonas, woher kommt ihr?Anna and Jonas, where are you from?
- Sag doch du zu mir!Just call me du!
- Wie geht es Ihnen?How are you?
- Wie geht es dir?How are you?
The last two examples mean the same; the first is polite, the second informal. The other personal pronouns are in I, you, he, she, it: personal pronouns.
When in doubt, use Sie. Being too polite is a small problem; being too familiar can offend.
Common mistakes
- Using du with a shop assistant, an official or an older stranger. Use Sie.
Sie kommt aus Berlin, Herr Wagner?Polite Sie takes the -en form: Kommen Sie aus Berlin, Herr Wagner?- Writing polite Sie with a small s: sie means "she" or "they".
- Using du for a group of friends. For two or more people it is ihr: Kommt ihr?
Hallo, Herr Lena!Herr and Frau go with the surname, and go with Sie.
Practice
- You speak to your little sister. Which 'you' do you use?Options: du · ihr · Sie
Show the answer
du — Family members get du.
- You ask a police officer you don't know for directions. Which 'you'?Options: Sie · du · ihr
Show the answer
Sie — Adults you don't know get Sie.
- You speak to two friends at once. Which 'you'?Options: ihr · du · Sie
Show the answer
ihr — ihr is the informal you for two or more people.
- You speak to two business clients at once. Which 'you'?Options: Sie · ihr · du
Show the answer
Sie — Sie is polite for one person and for several.