Among family members, very close friends, in talking with preteen children, and in certain other social situations, Germans use distinctive forms meaning "you." The singular form is du; the plural is ihr. A summary of case forms follows.

The use of du versus Sie is in flux. In particular, du has increased in use among students and young adults as a sign of solidarity, non-authoritarian values or "modern" thinking. Generally, it is the option of the older or socially higher person to make the change to du, as it is in English the option of the socially higher person, e.g. a boss, a doctor, a teacher, a customer, to switch to first names.
 

The possessive adjectives are:
 

Verb Endings with du and ihr

The verb ending for du is -st. The vowel used for the er/sie/es/man form is also used for du.
 

If the verb stem ending already ends in s-, ß-, or z-, the s of the -st ending is absorbed.
 

The verb ending for ihr is -t.
 

If the verb stem ends in d- or t-, insert an -e- between the stem and the ending -t.
 

Auxiliary Verbs with du and ihr

The verbs sein, haben and werden have irregular forms following du and ihr in the present.

PRESENT
 

The simple past forms and one word present subjunctive forms are as follows:

SIMPLE PAST
 

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE (one word)
 

Examples of du and ihr

• Wenn du schon am Donnerstag losfahren willst, könnten wir uns fürs Wochenende eine Ferienwohnung mieten.
• Karla, was hältst du von einer Hexe als Geschenk für Udo?
• Ach, Udo, wir vermissen euch sehr, seit ihr von Atlanta weg seid. Gute Freunde sind selten.