Einander

Einander is a German reciprocal pronoun used to express mutual action or relation among two or more participants. It corresponds to the English "each other" or "one another." In contrast to the reflexive sich, einander denotes reciprocity rather than an action directed back only at the subject. It is typically used when the participants act upon one another.

The pronoun is written as einander, one word, and is indeclinable. It generally functions as the object of verbs that take a dative in German. Examples: "Sie helfen einander" (they help one another), "Wir kennen einander seit Jahren" (we have known each other for years). With prepositions it can appear in phrases such as "Sie standen einander gegenüber" (they stood opposite one another).

In many contexts, other expressions can convey a similar meaning. "miteinander" emphasizes joint action or interaction, while "untereinander" refers to relations within a group. For instance: "Sie arbeiten miteinander" (they work together) and "Sie unterhalten sich untereinander" (they talk among themselves). "Gegenseitig" can also convey reciprocity, often in more formal registers.

Etymology traces einander to the Germanic roots meaning “one beside the other.” The concept is central to describing mutual or bidirectional actions and relations, and it plays a distinct role from nominative or reflexive forms in German grammar.