pronoundeterminer

ihr (Possessiv zu sie, Plural)

their

Pronomen für mehrere direkt angesprochene Menschen oder für etwas, das zu einer Frau gehört.

Definition & meaning

ihr has several grammatical meanings depending on context and capitalization:

“you” — informal plural subject pronoun
It addresses two or more people.
- Ihr seid sehr freundlich. — “You are very friendly.”
“her” — dative form of “she”
It refers to a female person receiving something or benefiting from an action.
- Ich helfe ihr. — “I help her.”
“her” or “their” — possessive determiner
The meaning depends on the context:
- Das ist ihr Buch. — “That is her book.” or “That is their book.”
- Ihre Kinder spielen draußen. — “Her children are playing outside.” or “Their children are playing outside.”
“Ihr” — formal “your”
When capitalized, Ihr is the formal possessive form used when addressing one person politely.
- Wie ist Ihr Name? — “What is your name?”

The possessive form can also refer to ihr as “you plural”:

Ist das euer Auto? — “Is that your car?”
Here, euer is normally used rather than ihr.

Grammar & Word origin

Word class: personal pronoun or possessive determiner
Pronunciation: approximately “ear”
As a personal pronoun:
- ihr = nominative plural of du (“you”)
- ihr = dative singular feminine of sie (“her”)
As a possessive determiner:
- ihr = “her” or “their”
- Ihr = formal “your”

The different meanings are distinguished by grammatical case, verb agreement, capitalization, and context. The pronoun developed from older Germanic forms related to the second-person plural and third-person feminine pronouns.

Related forms include:

du — informal singular “you”
sie — “she” or “they”
euch — informal plural “you” in the accusative or dative
euer — “your” referring to several people
Ihnen — formal “you” in the dative or accusative

Synonyms & antonyms

Pronouns do not have exact synonyms or antonyms, but related forms contrast with ihr according to person, number, or politeness:

du — informal singular “you,” unlike ihr, which addresses several people.
Sie — formal “you,” unlike lowercase ihr, which is informal and plural.
euch — the accusative or dative form corresponding to nominative ihr.
ihnen — “to them” or “to them” in the dative, contrasting with ihr meaning “to her.”