du or Dir?

Level 2

Say du to friends, family and children, and Dir to adults you do not know: Wéi geet et dir? but Wéi geet et Iech?

How It Works

Who gets du

  • friends and family
  • children and teenagers
  • classmates, and colleagues who have agreed to it

Who gets Dir

  • adults you do not know
  • staff in shops, restaurants and offices
  • older people and people in official roles, unless they offer du

Offering du
The verb duzen means to say du to someone. A friendly way to offer it is Mir kënnen eis duzen or Kënne mir eis duzen? Once it has been offered, switching back to Dir can feel cold.

Keep the forms together
The two systems must not be mixed in one sentence:

  • du: verb with -s (hues, kanns), dech, dir, däin/deng
  • Dir: plural verb (hutt, kënnt), Iech, Ären/Är/Äert

Capital letters
The polite Dir, Iech and Är are always capitalized, even in the middle of a sentence. Lower-case dir, iech and är are the informal plural for a group of friends. See polite Dir.

When in doubt
Start with Dir with an adult you do not know. It is always correct, and the other person can offer du.

Examples (6)

  1. Moien, wéi geet et dir?

    Hi, how are you?

    Word by Word: Hello, how goes it to you?

    To a friend: informal dir, the dative of du.

  2. Moien, wéi geet et Iech?

    Hello, how are you?

    Word by Word: Hello, how goes it to you?

    To someone you do not know well: polite Iech.

  3. Hutt Dir Zäit fir eng Fro?

    Do you have time for a question?

    Word by Word: Have you time for a question?

    Polite Dir takes the plural verb form hutt.

  4. Kënnt Dir mir hëllefen, wannechgelift?

    Could you help me, please?

    Word by Word: Can you me help, please?

    Polite Dir with kënnt, a natural way to ask for help in a shop.

  5. Mir kënnen eis duzen. Ech sinn de Marc.

    We can say du to each other. I'm Marc.

    Word by Word: We can us du-say. I am the Marc.

    This is how someone offers du.

  6. Mamm, hues du mäin Handy gesinn?

    Mum, have you seen my phone?

    Word by Word: Mum, have you my phone seen?

    In the family, people say du to each other, with the du verb form hues.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the du verb form with Dir.

    Hues Dir Zäit?
    Hutt Dir Zäit?

    Dir always takes the plural verb form, even when you speak to one person.

  • Mixing polite Dir with an informal possessive.

    Dir hutt däin Handy vergiess.
    Dir hutt Ären Handy vergiess.

    Däin belongs to du. With Dir, the possessive is Ären, Är or Äert.

  • Using du with a shop assistant you do not know.

    Pardon, Madamm, kanns du mir hëllefen?
    Pardon, Madamm, kënnt Dir mir hëllefen?

    The sentence is grammatical, but it does not fit the situation: an adult you do not know gets polite Dir until they offer du.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

du or Dir?Level 2

Learn This First

Before Du or Dir?, learn Polite Dir.

Words in This Pattern

IechÄr