Learning pronouns in Yiddish, a High German-derived language historically spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews, is essential for mastering both spoken and written communication. Yiddish pronouns are characterized by their forms according to person, number, gender, and case. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each, including transliterations for pronunciation help.

Personal Pronouns

Subject Pronouns:

• איך (ikh) – I: “איך גיי.” (Ikh gey) – I am going.
• דו (du) – You (singular informal): “דו זיצט.” (Du zitst) – You are sitting.
• ער/זי/עס (er/zi/es) – He/She/It: “ער לערנט.” / “זי לאָפּט.” / “עס רעגנט.” (Er lernt / Zi loyft / Es regnt) – He learns. / She runs. / It rains.
• מיר (mir) – We: “מיר שפּילן.” (Mir shpiln) – We play.
• איר (ir) – You (plural or formal): “איר עסט.” (Ir est) – You eat.
• זיי (zey) – They: “זיי שרייבן.” (Zey shraybn) – They write.

Object Pronouns:

• מיך (mikh) – Me: “זע מיך.” (Ze mikh) – See me.
• דיך (dikh) – You: “איך האָב דיך ליב.” (Ikh hob dikh lib) – I love you.
• אים/איר/עס (im/ir/es) – Him/Her/It: “איך זען אים.” / “איך רופן איר.” / “איך האָב עס.” (Ikh zen im / Ikh ruf ir / Ikh hob es) – I see him. / I call her. / I have it.
• אונז (unz) – Us: “געב אונז.” (Geb unz) – Give us.
• אייך (eykh) – You (plural or formal): “איך דאַנק אייך.” (Ikh dank eykh) – I thank you.
• זיי (zey) – Them: “איך זען זיי.” (Ikh zen zey) – I see them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Yiddish indicate ownership and are often used with the noun they modify.

• מײַן (mayn) – My: “מײַן בוך.” (Mayn bukh) – My book.
• דײַן (dayn) – Your (singular informal): “דײַן הויז.” (Dayn hoyz) – Your house.
• זײַן/איר (zayn/ir) – His/Her: “זײַן קאַץ.” / “איר קלייד.” (Zayn kats / Ir kleid) – His cat. / Her dress.
• אונדזער (undzer) – Our: “אונדזער גאָרטן.” (Undzer gortn) – Our garden.
• אײַער (ayer) – Your (plural or formal): “אײַער בריוו.” (Ayer briv) – Your letter.
• זייער (zeyer) – Their: “זייער הויז.” (Zeyer hoyz) – Their house.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Yiddish point to specific nouns and vary based on distance.

• דאָס (dos) – This: “דאָס איז גוט.” (Dos iz gut) – This is good.
• יענער (yener) – That: “יענער איז שלעכט.” (Yener iz shlekht) – That is bad.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Yiddish are used when the subject performs an action upon itself.

• זיך (zikh) – Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself/Itself/Ourselves/Yourselves/Themselves: “ער וואַשט זיך.” (Er vosht zikh) – He washes himself.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• ווער (ver) – Who: “ווער איז דאָס?” (Ver iz dos?) – Who is this?
• וואָס (vos) – What: “וואָס טוסטו?” (Vos tustu?) – What are you doing?
• וווּ (vu) – Where: “וווּ איז די ביבליאָטעק?” (Vu iz di bibliotek?) – Where is the library?

Understanding and correctly using Yiddish pronouns is vital for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, context, formality, and the nuances of Yiddish grammar and culture play a significant role in choosing the correct pronoun form.