In the previous lesson you have learnt:
1 what a personal pronoun is,
2 the difference between du, dir and Dir
3 examples of the personal pronouns in the nominative case
In this lesson we will take a look at several examples of the personal pronouns in the accusative and in the dative case. So, don’t worry, by the end of this lesson Luxembourgish personal pronouns will have become much clearer to you, I promise! ;).
Personal Pronouns In The Accusative Case
Use the personal pronouns in the accusative case when they are the object of the sentence.
| Pronoun | English | Example in Luxembourgish | Example in English |
| mech | me | Hues du mech gär? | Do you love me? |
| dech | you (informal singular) | Ech hunn dech gär. | I love you |
| hien | him | Ech hunn hien am Supermarché gesinn. | I saw him at the supermarket |
| hatt | her | Kanns du hatt gesinn? | Can you see her? |
| si | her (formal) | Ech hu Si gëschter getraff. | I met her yesterday. |
| eis/ons | us | Hien huet eis Bescheed gesot. | He has let us know |
| iech | you (informal plural) | Mir besichen iech de Weekend. | We visit you on the weekend. |
| Iech | you (formal singular and plural) | Ech féieren Iech heem. | I will drive you home |
| si | them | Ech hu si scho getraff. | I have already met them |
Personal Pronouns In The Dative Case
| Pronoun | English | Example in Luxembourgish | Example in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mir | to me | Kanns du mir d’Salz ginn, wgl? | Can you pass me the salt, please? |
| dir | to you (informal singular) | Jo, ech ginn dir et. | Yes, I give it to you |
| him | to him | Ech hunn him eppes geschenkt. | I offered something to him. |
| him | to her | Hues du him de Kaddo ginn? | Have you given the gift to her? |
| hir | to her (formal) | Ech hunn hir vill gehollef. | I have helped her a lot. |
| eis / ons | to us | Kënnt Dir eis d’Rechnung bréngen, wgl? | Can you bring us the bill, please? |
| iech | to you (informal plural) | Mir hunn iech Drénkgeld ginn. | We have given tips to you. |
| Iech | to you (formal singular and plural) | Ech hunn Iech vill ze soen. | We have to tell you a lot. |
| hinnen | to them | D’Joffer huet hinne vill Bicher geléint | The teacher lent them lots of books. |
Ech, mech oder mir
1 Ech is the subject – the person who does the action in the sentence:
Beispill (Example)
- Ech ginn dem Claude d’Buch. – I give Claude the book.
2 Mech is the direct object – in the sentence.
Beispill (Example)
- De Claude gesäit mech. – Claude sees me.
3 Mir is the indirect object – the person who receives the action in the sentence.
Beispill (Example)
- De Claude gëtt mir d’Buch. – Claude gives the book to me.
Most people get confused when there are multiple subjects or objects in the sentence, but the rule is still true:
- D’Marie an ech hunn de Claude am Kino gesinn. – Marie and I saw Claude at the cinema.
d’Marie = subject / ech = subject / Claude = object
- D’Joffer huet d’Sarah a mech geruff. – The teacher called Sarah and me.
D’Joffer = subject / d’Sarah = object / mech = object
Do you now feel comfortable by now with these particular Luxembourgish pronouns?
If not, why not go back to the previous lesson and look at the table which gives you the all-important overview? Use this as your main reference table and then refer to the individual case tables as and when you need more specific examples.
Let’s practice:
Complete the following sentences with the correct pronoun:
- Kennt hatt ______? – Does she (informal) know him?
- Ech hu(nn) ______ eppes gefrot. – I asked them something.
- Hues du _______ dat gesot? Have you told her (inform.) that?
Check the solution by downloading the PDF and practice with MORE sentences to translate !
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I hope you liked it and found it useful. And …. why not sharing this lesson with your friends:-)
