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pronoun

du

/dˈuː/

you (singular, informal)

Definitions

  1. 1

    Second-person singular informal pronoun — used to address one person you know well, such as a friend, family member, child, or peer.

    “Kannst du mir bitte helfen, den Tisch zu decken?”

    Can you please help me set the table?

  2. 2

    Used in informal written communication, such as text messages, emails to friends, or social media posts.

    “Hast du meine Nachricht schon gelesen?”

    Have you already read my message?

  3. 3

    Used in a general or impersonal sense (like 'one' in English) in informal speech.

    “Wenn du hart arbeitest, kannst du viel erreichen.”

    If you work hard, you can achieve a lot.

German has two ways to say 'you' in the singular: informal **du** (used with friends, family, children, and peers) and formal **Sie** (used with strangers, authority figures, and in professional settings). Using **du** with someone who expects **Sie** can come across as rude, so when in doubt with an adult you don't know well, default to **Sie**. Note that **du** is always written in lowercase unless it starts a sentence (unlike the formal **Sie**, which is always capitalized).