Short Unstressed Pronouns
In relaxed speech, pronouns that are not stressed get shorter: du → de, hien → en, si → se, mir → mer, dir → der: Wat méchs de?
How It Works
The short forms
- du → de: Wat méchs de?
- hien → en (he, him): Ech hunn en net gesinn.
- si → se (she, her, they, them): Kenns de se?
- mir → mer (we, and also to me): Mer ginn heem. Gëff mer d'Salz.
- dir → der (you all, and also to you): Hutt der Honger? Ech soen der muer Bescheed.
Where they go
Short forms lean on the word before them, so they usually come right after the conjugated verb or after a conjunction. De and en never start a sentence. Mer can start a sentence in relaxed speech, as in Mer ginn heem. After a conjunction, de takes an extra s: wann s de Zäit hues. See the s after conjunctions.
The verb does not change
With de, keep the normal du ending of the verb: méchs de, kenns de, hues de.
When to use the full form
Use du, hien, si, mir and dir when the pronoun is stressed, contrasted or stands alone: Ech kommen, awer du net. Wien? Hien! Formal and careful writing also prefers the full forms. The n-rule still applies to the full forms: hien becomes hie before most consonants.
Word order
Unstressed pronouns come early in the clause, often before a noun subject. See pronouns early in the clause.
Examples (6)
- Wat méchs de?
What are you doing?
Word by Word: What make you?
De is the short form of du. The verb keeps its du ending -s.
- Mer ginn heem.
We are going home.
Word by Word: We go home.
Mer is the short form of mir (we).
- Ech hunn en net gesinn.
I did not see him.
Word by Word: I have him not seen.
En is the unstressed form of hien.
- Kenns de se?
Do you know her?
Word by Word: Know you her?
Se is the unstressed form of si. Depending on context, it can also mean them.
- Gëff mer d'Salz, wannechgelift.
Pass me the salt, please.
Word by Word: Give me the salt, please.
Here mer is the short form of the dative mir (to me).
- Hutt der Honger, Kanner?
Are you hungry, children?
Word by Word: Have you hunger, children?
Der is the short form of dir (you all).
Common Mistakes
Using a short form where the pronoun is stressed or contrasted.
Ech kommen, awer de net.Ech kommen, awer du net.Short forms cannot carry stress or stand without a verb. For contrast, use the full form du.
Starting a sentence with de.
De bass ze spéit.Du bass ze spéit.De needs a verb or conjunction in front of it. At the start of a sentence, use du.
Dropping the verb ending with de.
Wat méch de?Wat méchs de?The short form de does not change the verb. The du form of maachen is méchs.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Short Unstressed Pronouns, learn Dative Pronouns.
Related Patterns
- ech / du / hien / si / etSubject Pronouns: Singular
The full subject forms that these short forms replace.
Level 1 - mech / dech / hien / si / hatt / etObject Pronouns (Accusative)
Hien and si as objects also shorten to en and se.
Level 2 - wann s deThe S After Conjunctions with Du
After a conjunction, de takes an extra s: wann s de.
Level 2 - Pronouns Come Early
Unstressed pronouns come right after the verb or conjunction.
Level 3 - Yes or No Questions
Short forms are very common after the verb in questions: Hues de Zäit?
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Short Unstressed Pronouns in Bubblegum
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