ich
I
First-person singular personal pronoun in the nominative. It refers to the person who is speaking. The accusative form is 'mich' (me).
EXAMPLE
Ich lerne gerade Deutsch.
I am learning German right now.
ich
I
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
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.
The accusative form 'mich'
'Mich' (me) is the accusative form of 'ich' (I). It is used as a direct object and answers the question 'Wen?' (whom?), for example with verbs like 'sehen' (to see), 'fragen' (to ask), 'anrufen' (to call), or 'verstehen' (to understand). 'Mich' is also used after prepositions with the accusative such as 'für' (for), 'ohne' (without), 'durch' (through), 'gegen' (against), and 'um' (around/at).
EXAMPLE
Verstehst du mich, wenn ich langsam spreche?
Do you understand me when I speak slowly?
Reflexive verbs with 'mich'
Many reflexive verbs use 'mich' (myself) when 'ich' (I) is the subject. The action then refers back to the person speaking. Typical examples are 'sich freuen' (to be pleased/look forward to), 'sich beeilen' (to hurry), and 'sich anziehen' (to get dressed).
EXAMPLE
Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.
I'm looking forward to the weekend.
Compare with
ich vs wir
we
A single author can refer to themselves with ich or wir. Ich sounds personal and directly identifies the speaker. Wir is possible as an authorial plural, especially in academic texts, and creates more distance even though only one person is writing.
ich
In diesem Artikel untersuche ich die Folgen des Klimawandels.
In this article, I examine the consequences of climate change.
wir
In diesem wissenschaftlichen Artikel untersuchen wir die Folgen des Klimawandels.
In this academic article, we examine the consequences of climate change.
In real life
Loading video examples...