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Pronoun 'dir' (you/to you, informal, dative)

Pronomen 'dir' (Dativ)

'dir' (to you) is the of 'du' - the indirect .

Structure

… + dir (Dativ, 2. Person Singular)

… + dir (dative, 2nd person singular)

Details

Part of Speech
Pronoun
Word Type
Personal pronoun
Register
Informal

Explanation

'dir' is the dative form of 'du' - it means (to) you (informal, one person) when that person is the indirect object.

When you use it:

  • after dative verbs: helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören, geben (for example Ich danke dir - I thank you)
  • after dative prepositions: mit, bei, von, zu, nach, aus (for example mit dir - with you, bei dir - at your place)
  • as the receiver in give-type sentences (Ich gebe dir das Buch - I give you the book)

Use dir only with someone you address as du. For a formal addressee use Ihnen.

Contrast:

  • Du bist nett. ( - )
  • Ich sehe dich. (direct - )
  • Ich danke dir. (indirect - )

Examples:

  • Ich danke dir sehr. - Thank you very much.
  • Wie geht es dir? - How are you?
  • Das Buch gehört dir. - The book belongs to you.

Common mistakes: Do not use dich () after verbs: say Ich helfe dir, not Ich helfe dich.

About Pronoun 'dir' (you/to you, informal, dative)

'dir' (to you) is the of 'du' - the indirect .

of 'du'; after dative verbs and prepositions (mit dir).

'dir' ist der von 'du' (indirektes ).

Caution

Use 'dir' after dative verbs (Ich danke dir) and dative prepositions (mit dir, bei dir).

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