Pronouns & the Three Cases
ikh / mir / mikh and friends: nominative, accusative and dative without the headache.
Yiddish pronouns change form depending on their job in the sentence. Like German, Yiddish has four cases, but for beginners the three main ones matter most: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), and dative (indirect object / after certain prepositions).
Personal pronouns in three cases
| Case | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. m. | 3rd sg. f. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | איך (ikh) | דו (du) | ער (er) | זי (zi) | מיר (mir) | איר (ir) | זיי (zey) |
| Accusative | מיך (mikh) | דיך (dikh) | אים (im) | איר (ir) | אונדז (undz) | אײַך (aykh) | זיי (zey) |
| Dative | מיר (mir) | דיר (dir) | אים (im) | איר (ir) | אונדז (undz) | אײַך (aykh) | זיי (zey) |
💡 Tip: Accusative and dative are the same for 3rd person singular and plural, and for 1st/2nd plural. Only 1st and 2nd singular distinguish all three cases.
When to use each case
Nominative — the subject
The pronoun doing the action:
| Yiddish | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| איך גיי | ikh gey | I go. |
| דו קומסט | du kumst | You come. |
| ער לערנט | er lernt | He learns. |
| זי שרײַבט | zi shraybt | She writes. |
Accusative — the direct object
The pronoun receiving the action:
| Yiddish | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ער זעט מיך | er zet mikh | He sees me. |
| איך האָב דיך ליב | ikh hob dikh lib | I love you. |
| זי הערט אים | zi hert im | She hears him. |
| מיר זעען זיי | mir zeen zey | We see them. |
Dative — the indirect object or after prepositions
The pronoun receiving something, or following prepositions like מיט (mit, with), פֿאַר (far, for), צו (tsu, to):
| Yiddish | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ער גיט מיר אַ בוך | er git mir a bukh | He gives me a book. |
| איך שרײַב דיר | ikh shrayb dir | I write to you. |
| זי רעדט מיט אים | zi redt mit im | She talks with him. |
| מיר גייען צו איר | mir geyen tsu ir | We go to her. |
Prepositions and cases
Some prepositions take accusative, some dative:
| Preposition | Case | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| מיט (mit) | dative | מיט מיר | with me |
| פֿאַר (far) | dative | פֿאַר דיר | for you |
| צו (tsu) | dative | צו אים | to him |
| אויף (oyf) | accusative | אויף מיך | on me |
| דורך (durkh) | accusative | דורך אים | through him |
| פֿון (fun) | dative | פֿון איר | from her |
💡 Memory trick: Many prepositions of location/relationship take dative (mit, far, tsu, fun). Prepositions of direction often take accusative (oyf, durkh).
Possessive pronouns
| Person | Possessive | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| my | מײַן (mayn) | מײַן בוך | my book |
| your (sg.) | דײַן (dayn) | דײַן הויז | your house |
| his | זײַן (zayn) | זײַן קאַץ | his cat |
| her | איר (ir) | איר מאַן | her husband |
| our | אונדזער (undzer) | אונדזער טאַטע | our father |
| your (pl.) | אייער (eyer) | אייער שול | your school |
| their | זייער (zeyer) | זייער קינד | their child |
Possessives do not change for case or gender in the singular, but they do add endings in plural:
- מײַן בוך (mayn bukh) — my book
- מײַנע ביכער (mayne bikher) — my books
✅ Key takeaways
- Yiddish pronouns have nominative, accusative, and dative forms. | 1st/2nd singular distinguish all three cases clearly.
- Use nominative for subjects, accusative for direct objects, dative for indirect objects and many prepositions.
- Possessives: מײַן, דײַן, זײַן, איר, אונדזער, אייער, זייער.
✏️ Practice
- What is the accusative of "I"?
- Give the dative of "you" (singular).
- Which case does מיט take?
- How do you say "my books"?
- Translate: ער זעט מיך.
Answers
- מיך (mikh).
- דיר (dir).
- Dative: מיט מיר (mit mir).
- מײַנע ביכער (mayne bikher).
- "He sees me."