German word

ihn

Pronunciation

IPA/iːn/

Meaning

  • pronounhim

Example

Hast du ihn gesehen?

Have you seen him?

Illustration for ihn (him)

More examples

Ich muss ihn anrufen.

I have to call him.

Core concept

One previously mentioned male person placed at the receiving end of a direct action.

Common phrases

  • ihn anrufen

    call him

  • ihn fragen

    ask him

  • ohne ihn

    without him

Similar words

er: A previously mentioned male person who performs the main action.
ihm: A previously mentioned male person receiving something or benefiting from an action.
sie: A previously mentioned female person directly affected by an action.

Definition in German

Die Objektform von „er“ wird für eine zuvor erwähnte männliche Person als direktes Objekt verwendet.

Word origin

Ihn is an inherited Germanic pronoun form whose older accusative forms developed alongside the nominative form er.

Usage tips

  • The form remains lowercase in German, and its case is visible in contrasts such as Ich sehe ihn and Ich helfe ihm.

Word lists with this word