wir

German

Alternative forms
  • Wir (pluralis majestatis)
  • -wa, wa (rare, colloquial)

Etymology

From Middle High German wir, from Old High German wir, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wéy-, plural of *éǵh₂. Compare Low German wi, Dutch wij, English we, Danish vi, Icelandic vér, Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (weis).

Pronunciation
  • (standard) IPA(key): /viːɐ̯/
  • audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːɐ̯
  • (colloquially in unstressed position) IPA(key): /vɐ/, /mɐ/

Pronoun

wir

  1. we

Inflection
German personal pronouns
nominative accusative genitive dative possessive
1st person singular ichmichmeiner
(† mein)		mirmein
2nd person singular (familiar)1 du
(-e)		dichdeiner
(† dein)		dirdein
3rd person singular m erihnseiner
(† sein)		ihmsein
f sieihrer ihr
n esseiner
(† sein)		ihmsein
1st person plural wir
(mir)		unsunserunsunser
2nd person plural (familiar)1 ihreucheuereucheuer
3rd person plural sieihrerihnenihr
polite address naturally: 2nd person sg. or pl.;
grammatically: 2nd person pl.		 IhrEuchEuerEuchEuer
naturally: 2nd person sg. or pl.;
grammatically: 3rd person pl.		 SieIhrerIhnenIhr

1Often capitalized, especially in letters

  • The genitive case unser is used more and more rarely in modern German.
  • While the genitive of a personal pronoun does express ownership, it must not be confused with a possessive pronoun. While possessive pronouns such as unser are put in front of the noun they relate to and follow the inflection rules of adjectives, the genitive form of a personal pronoun has only one form, which is not further inflected. Additionally, personal pronouns in the genitive can be put after the word they relate to.

Further reading
  • wir in Duden online

Middle High German

Etymology

From Old High German wir, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz.

Pronoun

wir

  1. we: nominative plural of ich

Descendants

Old English

Alternative forms
  • ƿīr

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wīraz. Cognate with Middle Low German wīre, and related to late Old Norse víravirki (“filigree work”), Old High German wiara.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /wiːr/

Noun

wīr m (nominative plural wīras)

  1. wire

Descendants

Polish

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *virъ.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /vʲir/

Noun

wir m inan

  1. vortex
  2. whirlpool
  3. whirl
  4. swirl
  5. eddy
  6. whirlwind
    wir pyłowy ― dust devil

Declension
declension of wir
singular plural
nominative wir wiry
genitive wiru wirów
dative wirowi wirom
accusative wir wiry
instrumental wirem wirami
locative wirze wirach
vocative wirze wiry

Synonyms

Derived terms

Further reading
  • wir in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Scots

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

wir

  1. simple past tense of be
Usage notes

Use wir with plural pronouns otherwise use wis.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Alternative forms

Determiner

wir

  1. our
    Synonym: oor
  2. my
    Synonym: ma

Welsh

Noun

wir

  1. Soft mutation of gwir.
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