“Sie” versus “du” Part 1
“Wie geht es dir/euch (plural)? / Wie geht es Ihnen?” … both translate to “How are you?”. So what’s the difference and is it important to know?
The answer is YES, because Germans tend to be uncomfortable when the “du” / “Sie” rules are broken.
du / ihr (plural) = addresses to someone in a familiar way
Sie / Sie (plural) = addresses to someone in the formal way
Except for English, all Indo-European languages have those two forms for “you”. English has just lost it for some reason - the eqivalent of “du” used to be “thou” a long time ago.
Apart from grammatical problems that will occur if you don’t use “du” and “Sie” correctly (different verb conjugation), it’s also a cultural problem which I will explain in another post.
But now it’s your turn - when do Germans say “du” and when “Sie”? Any guesses?
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ribbonofblack liked this
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mydearestliebe liked this
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mjduffy answered:
formal and informal
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stuwilliams answered:
“Du” is for close friends,family and kids. Right?
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johncabrera liked this
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desirawrr answered:
Germans say “du” to friends, and siblings. Germans say “Sie” to adults, and strangers. (:
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therealrapthi liked this
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vb answered:
du to people you’re familiar with like friends and family on equal levels. sie to elder family, unfamiliar people & professional relations
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silkandvelvet answered:
Du to friends and family. Sie to others. Especially people in a higher postition than you. Like -san & -sama & -kun in Japanese.
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witharmswideopen liked this
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witharmswideopen answered:
du to famly and friends and possibly friends parents. but never say sie to family. sie for the boss or teacher/principal or stranger
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germanheit posted this
