Pronoun 'Sie' (you, formal, nominative)
Pronomen 'Sie' (formell, Nominativ)
'Sie' (you, formal) is the polite , always capitalized.
Structure
Sie + Verb (Höflichkeitsform, immer groß)
Sie + verb (polite form, always capitalised)
Details
- Part of Speech
- Pronoun
- Word Type
- Personal pronoun
- Register
- Formal
Explanation
Sie (always capitalized) is the polite, formal "you". You use it with people you do not know well: strangers, shop assistants, officials, colleagues, teachers - anyone you would address respectfully. It works for one person or several, the same form for both.
The after Sie takes the ending -en, exactly like sie (they):
- Sprechen Sie Deutsch? - Do you speak German?
- Woher kommen Sie? - Where do you come from?
- Sie sind sehr freundlich. - You are very kind.
Common mistakes:
- Always capitalize Sie, even in the middle of a sentence - this is what visually marks the polite form and tells it apart from sie (she/they).
- Choosing du when Sie is expected can sound rude; if in doubt, start with Sie.
- The form is the plural form: Sie haben, Sie sind - never Sie hat or Sie ist.
- The contrast: informal = du, informal = ihr, formal ( & plural) = Sie.
About Pronoun 'Sie' (you, formal, nominative)
'Sie' (you, formal) is the polite , always capitalized.
Polite form for one or more people; always capitalized; like the (Sie kommen).
'Sie' ist die höfliche Anredeform, immer großgeschrieben.
Caution
Formal 'Sie' is always capitalized and takes the same verb form as plural 'sie' (Sie sind). Use it with people you don't know well.