01
ich
I
First-person singular personal pronoun in the nominative. It refers to the person who is speaking.
example
Ich lerne gerade Deutsch.
I am learning German right now.
ich
I
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Meanings
Usage tips
Common mistake
In German, 'ich' (I) is capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence. Unlike in English, it is always written in lowercase in the middle of a sentence.
EXAMPLE
Ich komme aus Spanien.
I come from Spain.
Sentence structure with 'ich'
'Ich' (I) is the subject form, or nominative, and performs the action of the verb. It either comes first in the sentence or directly after the conjugated verb when another element is in first position.
EXAMPLE
Ich lese ein Buch.
I am reading a book.
Other personal forms
When the speaking person is the object of an action, you use the forms 'mich' (me, accusative) or 'mir' (me/to me, dative), not 'ich' (I).
EXAMPLE
Er hat mich gefragt.
He asked me.
Compare with
ich vs wir
we
'ich' and 'wir' both refer to the person speaking, but not in the same way. 'ich' means only the person who is speaking. 'wir' means a group that the person speaking belongs to. This can be a small group, for example friends or family, or a larger group such as a class or society. Learners confuse the words when they do not pay close attention to whether only one person is speaking or whether other people are included too. Remember: 'ich' is one person; 'wir' is me plus at least one other person.
ich
Ich habe morgen einen Termin beim Arzt.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.
wir
Wir gehen nächste Woche zusammen zur Behörde.
We are going to the government office together next week.
In real life
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