Du, Ihr, and Sie: How do you know which one to use?

1. Du, Ihr, and Sie: How do you know which one to use? Deutsch I Frau Spampinato

2. Du: you, singular & informal • “Du” is used for when you are talking to only one person face to face • Use “du” only when you are talking to friends, family, and pets, people you know well • Do not use “du” and the du-verb form with adults, strangers, and people in positions of authority like policemen, teachers, store clerks, etc.

3. Sie: You, formal (sing. and plural) • “Sie” means “you” when it is capitalized—you use this when you are talking to adults, strangers, and people in positions of authority like policemen, teachers, store clerks, etc. • You can use “Sie” and the Sie-verb form with one adult or more (both sing. and plural) • When in doubt, use “Sie”—never “du”

4. Ihr: you (all) “ya’ll” plural form of “you” • Standard English does not differentiate between the singular and plural forms of “you” • z.B. You do your homework. • This is why there are so many different, regional ways to compensate for this lack of clarity. • People will say “ya’ll” or “you’s(e)” or “yous guys” or “all’ya’ll” or …?? what else? (are you talking to one person or 2? the whole class?...no clue unless you point or use body language.)

5. Examples of when to use each pronoun: Ich heiße Martina, und du? Hallo! Wie heißt du? 2 friends, teens the same age

6. Guten Morgen! Wie heißen Sie? Guten Morgen! Ich heiße Frau Martins. Und du? Wie heißt du?

7. Wir heißen Johann und Dirk. Hallo, wie heißt ihr?

8. What would you say to these people? du • your mom • your math teacher • your friend’s aunt • a cashier at the store • your cousins • the principal of the school • Frau Spampinato • your grandma Sie Sie Sie ihr Sie Sie du