wir
German
Alternative forms
- Wir (pluralis majestatis)
- -wa, wa (rare, colloquial)
Etymology
From Middle High German wir, from Old High German wir, from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ. Compare Low German wi, Dutch wij, English we, Danish vi, Icelandic vér, Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (weis).
Pronunciation
- (standard) IPA(key): /viːɐ̯/
- Rhymes: -iːɐ̯
audio (file) - (colloquially in unstressed position) IPA(key): /vɐ/, /mɐ/
Pronoun
wir
- we
Declension
singular | plural | singular and plural | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st person | 2nd person familiar1 | 3rd person | 1st person | 2nd person familiar1 | 3rd person | 2nd person polite/formal | |||
m | f | n | |||||||
nominative | ich | du -e2 | er | sie -se2 | es | wir mir3 | ihr | sie -se2 | Sie Ihr4 |
genitive | meiner mein4 | deiner dein4 | seiner sein4 | ihrer | seiner sein4 | unser | euer | ihrer | Ihrer Euer4 |
dative | mir | dir | ihm | ihr | ihm | uns | euch | ihnen | Ihnen Euch4 |
accusative | mich | dich | ihn | sie -se2 | es | sie -se2 | Sie Euch4 |
1These forms are sometimes capitalized, especially in letters. 2enclitic, colloquial 3dialectal 4archaic
- 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
- “wir” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Middle High German
Etymology
From Old High German wir, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wir/
Pronoun
wir
- we: nominative plural of ich
Descendants
- Bavarian:
- Cimbrian: biar, bar
- Mòcheno: biar
- German: wir
Old English
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)
- wire
Descendants
- Middle English: wir, wyr
- Scots: wire, weyr
- English: wire
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wiːr/
Pronoun
wir
- we: nominative plural of ih
Descendants
- Bavarian:
- Cimbrian: biar, bar
- Mòcheno: biar
- German: wir
Polish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Polish wir, from Proto-Slavic *virъ.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vir/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ir
- Syllabification: wir
Noun
wir m inan
- vortex
- Synonyms: kłębowisko, odmęt
- whirlpool
- Synonyms: topiel, odmęt
- whirl
- Synonyms: kłębowisko, kotłowisko
- swirl
- Synonym: trąba powietrzna
- eddy
- gyre
- whirlwind
Declension
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | wir | wiry |
genitive | wiru | wirów |
dative | wirowi | wirom |
accusative | wir | wiry |
instrumental | wirem | wirami |
locative | wirze | wirach |
vocative | wirze | wiry |
Derived terms
- wir pyłowy
- wirować
Further reading
- wir in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- wir in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Scots
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
wir
- simple past tense of be
Usage notes
Wir is used with plural pronouns, and wis is used otherwise.
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Alternative forms
- (Orkney) wur
Determiner
wir
- our
- Synonym: oor
- my
- Synonym: ma
Welsh
Noun
wir
- Soft mutation of gwir.
Mutation
Welsh mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
gwir | wir | ngwir | unchanged |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |