German word

du

Pronunciation

IPA/duː/

Meaning

  • pronounyou

Example

Du bist müde.

You're tired.

Illustration for du (you)

More examples

Was denkst du?

What do you think?

Core concept

A single person occupies the other side of an informal two-person conversation.

Common phrases

  • Hast du

    do you have

  • du bist

    you are

  • Wenn du

    if you

Similar words

Sie: The formal singular form of you used to address someone respectfully.
ihr: The informal plural form of you used when addressing several people.
dich: The informal singular object form of you used for the person affected by an action.
dir: The informal singular form of you used for a recipient or beneficiary.

Definition in German

Bezieht sich im informellen Sprachgebrauch bei direkter Anrede auf eine einzelne Person.

Word origin

The modern form du developed through earlier German stages from the ancient Germanic pronoun *þu, which shares an origin with English thou.

Usage tips

  • The usual present-tense verb ending with du is -st, as in du kommst, although common verbs such as sein have the form du bist.

Opposites

  • Sieformal pronoun youpronoun

Related words

  • duzenuse informal du to address someoneverb

Word lists with this word