mech / dech / hien / si / hatt / et

Object Pronouns (Accusative)

Level 2

When a pronoun is the direct object, ech becomes mech, du becomes dech, mir becomes eis and dir becomes iech: Ech gesinn dech muer.

How It Works

The forms

  • ech → mech (me): Kanns du mech héieren?
  • du → dech (you): Ech gesinn dech muer.
  • hien → hien (him, or it for a masculine noun): Mir kennen hien net.
  • si → si (her, or it for a feminine noun)
  • hatt → hatt (her, for a woman or girl called by her first name): Ech hunn hatt gëschter gesinn.
  • et → et (it, for a neuter noun): Ech fannen et net.
  • mir → eis (us), dir → iech (you all), si → si (them)
  • Dir → Iech (polite you, always capitalized): Ech besichen Iech muer.

Pronouns follow the noun's gender
For things, choose the pronoun by the gender of the noun: de Bus → hien, d'Täsch → si, d'Buch → et. For a woman or girl called by her first name, use hatt.

The n-rule
The object pronoun hien follows the n-rule like the subject form: Mir kennen hien net, but Mir kennen hie gutt.

Short forms
In relaxed speech, unstressed hien and si often become en and se: Ech hunn en net gesinn. See short unstressed pronouns.

Accusative or dative?
Some verbs, such as hëllefen, take a dative object instead: Ech hëllefen dir, not dech. See dative pronouns. Mech, dech, eis and iech are also the reflexive pronouns: Ech wäsche mech.

Examples (6)

  1. Ech gesinn dech muer.

    See you tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I see you tomorrow.

    Du becomes dech as the object.

  2. Mir kennen hien net.

    We do not know him.

    Word by Word: We know him not.

    Hien has the same form as a subject and an object. It keeps its n before the n of net.

  3. D'Anna? Ech hunn hatt gëschter gesinn.

    Anna? I saw her yesterday.

    Word by Word: The Anna? I have her yesterday seen.

    A woman called by her first name is hatt, and the object form is also hatt.

  4. Wou ass mäi Buch? Ech fannen et net.

    Where is my book? I cannot find it.

    Word by Word: Where is my book? I find it not.

    D'Buch is neuter, so it is et.

  5. Kanns du mech héieren?

    Can you hear me?

    Word by Word: Can you me hear?

    Ech becomes mech as the object.

  6. Ech besichen Iech muer.

    I will visit you tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I visit you tomorrow.

    Polite Dir becomes Iech, always with a capital I. Besichen takes a direct object.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the subject form ech or du as an object.

    Hie gesäit ech.
    Hie gesäit mech.

    Ech is only for the subject. After a verb that takes a direct object, use mech.

  • Using the dative mir or dir with a verb that takes a direct object.

    Kanns du mir héieren?
    Kanns du mech héieren?

    Héieren takes a direct object, so it needs the accusative mech. Mir is the dative form, as in Kanns du mir hëllefen?

  • Writing lower-case iech when speaking politely to one person.

    Ech besichen iech muer, Här Weber.
    Ech besichen Iech muer, Här Weber.

    Lower-case iech means you all among friends. The polite object form is always Iech with a capital I.

How It Connects

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mech / dech / hien / si / hatt / etLevel 2Object Pronouns (Accusative)

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Before Object Pronouns (Accusative), learn Subject Pronouns: Plural and Three Cases.

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Words in This Pattern

mechdechhiensihatteisiechIech