Language/Swiss-german/Grammar/Pronouns

Swiss German Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Swiss German learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the pronouns in Swiss German. Pronouns are essential for communication, and they allow us to refer to people, things or ideas in sentences. They play a crucial role in constructing phrases or sentences. Besides, they help avoid repetition, which makes the language more concise and straightforward.

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Gender, Negation, Questions & How to Use Have.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to replace the noun referring to a person. Below is a table illustrating personal pronouns, along with their corresponding translations.

Swiss German	Pronunciation	English
ich	ɪch	I
du	du	you (informal)
er	ǝr	he
sie	zi	she
es	ɛs	it
mir	mi:r	we
ihr	i:r	you (plural)
sie	zi	they

__Example:__

• Person 1: Wo isch dini Mueter? (Where is your mother?)
• Person 2: Si isch drüben. I hani scho gseh. (She's over there. I've already seen her.)

In the above example, the personal pronoun sei (she) is used to refer to the mother in the question.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to indicate ownership or possession. They replace a noun phrase that indicates the owner of an object, making writing or speaking more concise. Below is a table illustrating the possessive pronouns in Swiss German, along with their corresponding translations.

Swiss German	Pronunciation	English
min	mi:n	my
din	di:n	your (informal)
siin	zi:n	his
ihr	i:r	her
sini/sinis	zi:nɛs	its
üsri	y:srɪ	our
ir	i:r	your (plural)
iri	i:rɪ	their

__Example:__

• Person 1: Wo isch ds Handy? (Where is the phone?)
• Person 2: Das esch min. (That is mine.)

In the above example, the possessive pronoun min (mine) is used to indicate ownership of the phone.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used to refer to the subject of a sentence. They are used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject. In Swiss German, reflexive pronouns are formed by adding the suffix "-sich" to the personal pronoun. Here is a table illustrating reflexive pronouns in Swiss German.

Swiss German	Pronunciation	English
mich	mɪç	myself
dich	dɪç	yourself
sich	zɪç	himself, herself, itself, themselves
üs	ys	ourselves
ier	i:r	yourselves

__Example:__

• Person 1: Wo bereitsch di uf ds Date vor? (Where are you getting ready for the date?)
• Person 2: I bereite mich dert vor. (I am getting ready there.)

In the above example, the reflexive pronoun mich (myself) refers to the subject of the sentence, which is Person 2.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people or things. Here is a table illustrating some examples of Swiss German interrogative pronouns.

Swiss German	Pronunciation	English
Wär	vær	Who
Was	vas	What
Worum	vu:rʊm	Why
Wänn	væn	When
Wie vili	wi: fɪli	How many

__Example:__

• Person 1: Wär isch das gsi? (Who was that?)
• Person 2: Das isch min Brüeder. (That's my brother.)

In the above example, the interrogative pronoun wär (who) is used to ask about the identity of a person in the question.

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to people, places, or things in a non-specific sense. Here are some examples of Swiss German indefinite pronouns:

• alli - all, every
• ebbis - something
• nüt - nothing
• villicht - maybe, perhaps

__Example:__

• Person 1: Hesch ebbis z'trinke? (Do you have something to drink?)
• Person 2: Ja, ich han alli Sorte vu Getränk. (Yes, I have all kinds of drinks.)

In the above example, the indefinite pronoun ebbis (something) is used to ask for a specific item.

To improve your Swiss German Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Swiss German - Wikipedia
• Pronoun - Wikipedia

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Give your Opinion
• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Gender
• Future Tense
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Have
• Adjectives