dich

Dich is a German personal pronoun used in the accusative case to refer to the second-person singular “you” as the direct object of a verb. It is the object form of the informal pronoun du, and it is used in everyday speech and writing.

Grammatically, dich pairs with du as part of the subject–object pronoun system. The corresponding dative form is dir, and the nominative form is du. In sentence structure, dich can appear as the object after a verb (Ich sehe dich) or after a preposition that governs the accusative in certain contexts (Ich bleibe bei dir, not dich in that example). German word order is flexible, so dich may be placed before or after the finite verb for emphasis or in subordinate clauses (Dich kenne ich schon).

Common usage and examples include direct statements, questions, and commands that involve the listener as the object. It also features in reflexive or semi-reflexive constructions with auxiliary verbs or imperatives, such as Lass dich überraschen (Let yourself be surprised), where dich functions as the object of überraschen in infinitival form with lassen.

Dich can also appear in literary or colloquial phrases and is found in many fixed expressions, songs, and colloquialisms. Beyond the pronoun, dich may occur as part of proper nouns or surnames in German-speaking regions, or appear in cross-linguistic contexts where German forms are quoted or studied.

In sum, dich is the standard accusative form of you in German, essential for direct-object functions and a key element of everyday communication in the language.