Pronouns Come Early

Level 3

Short pronouns like mech, dech, et and eis go as early as possible: right after the verb or the conjunction. Gëschter huet mech de Paul ugeruff.

How It Works

1. After the conjugated verb
When something other than the subject comes first, the verb is second. A short pronoun then comes straight after the verb, even before a noun subject:

  • Gëschter huet mech de Paul ugeruff. (Yesterday Paul called me.)
  • Muer besicht eis d'Tatta. (Tomorrow our aunt is visiting us.)

2. After the conjunction
In a subordinate clause, the pronoun comes right after datt, well, ob and other conjunctions:

  • Ech weess, datt et de Chef scho gesinn huet. (I know that the boss has already seen it.)
  • Ech weess net, ob dech den Här Weber nach kennt. (I don't know whether Mr Weber still knows you.)

3. Before every other detail
Pronouns come before time, place and noun objects: Ech gesinn dech muer an der Stad. Never put a pronoun object at the end: Ech hunn en net gesinn. See time before place.

4. A pronoun subject comes first
If the subject is also a pronoun, it comes first, then the other pronouns: Gëschter huet hie mech ugeruff. With two object pronouns, the dative usually comes first: see order of two objects.

5. A tendency with nouns, a rule with short forms
A noun subject can also come before the pronoun: Gëschter huet de Paul mech ugeruff is possible. But short object forms like en, se, et, mer and der must lean on the verb or conjunction, and as objects they never start a sentence. To put an object first for emphasis, use the full form or a demonstrative: Dat hunn ech gëschter kaaft. See unstressed pronouns and demonstratives.

Examples (6)

  1. Gëschter huet mech de Paul ugeruff.

    Paul called me yesterday.

    The pronoun mech comes right after the verb, before the subject de Paul.

  2. Ech weess, datt et de Chef scho gesinn huet.

    I know that the boss has already seen it.

    After datt, the pronoun et comes before the subject de Chef.

  3. Muer besicht eis d'Tatta.

    Tomorrow our aunt is visiting us.

  4. Ech gesinn dech muer an der Stad.

    I'll see you tomorrow in town.

    The pronoun comes before the time and the place.

  5. Ech hunn en net gesinn.

    I didn't see him.

    The short form en comes before net.

  6. Wéini huet dech de Monni ofgeholl?

    When did your uncle pick you up?

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the pronoun object at the end, as in English.

    Gëschter huet de Paul ugeruff mech.
    Gëschter huet mech de Paul ugeruff.

    An object pronoun never comes after the participle. It goes right after the conjugated verb.

  • Putting the pronoun after the verb at the end of a subordinate clause.

    Ech weess, datt de Chef scho gesinn huet et.
    Ech weess, datt et de Chef scho gesinn huet.

    In a subordinate clause, the pronoun comes right after the conjunction.

  • Putting a pronoun after time and place.

    Ech gesinn muer an der Stad dech.
    Ech gesinn dech muer an der Stad.

    Pronouns come before details like time and place.

How It Connects

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

Pronouns Come EarlyLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Pronouns Come Early, learn Order of Two Objects and The Verb at the End of Subordinate Clauses.