A1-39 · Invite someone and respond

Invitations

Replace people and things with accusative pronouns when inviting, visiting and thanking.

About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions

Two friends arrange a small dinner together, one handing the other an invitation card without text.

Invite me or you

Einladen means invite. It separates: Ich lade dich ein. When someone receives the action, ich becomes mich and du becomes dich.

Du lädst mich ein.

You invite me.

Ich lade dich ein.

I invite you.

Besuchst du mich?

Are you visiting me?

Ich besuche dich.

I am visiting you.

Compare Du lädst mich ein with Ich lade dich ein. The subject does the inviting; the accusative pronoun names the invited person.

A host welcomes a man and a woman to a dinner, with a wrapped present on a side table.

Talk about another guest

The accusative forms are ihn for er, sie for sie and es for es. A pronoun can replace a noun: Ben → ihn; Mara → sie; das Geschenk → es.

Ben kommt. Ich sehe ihn.

Ben is coming. I see him.

Mara kommt. Ich sehe sie.

Mara is coming. I see her.

Das Geschenk ist schön. Ich kaufe es.

The present is lovely. I am buying it.

Ben ist nett. Ich lade ihn ein.

Ben is nice. I am inviting him.

The form follows the noun or person being replaced. Ich sehe ihn means I see him; Ich sehe sie means I see her.

A group of friends arrive at a dining table while their hosts greet them warmly.

Invite a group

Wir becomes uns and ihr becomes euch as accusative objects. Sie can mean her or them; the context tells you which. Polite Sie stays Sie in the accusative.

Lädst du uns ein?

Are you inviting us?

Ich lade euch ein.

I invite you all.

Die Freunde kommen. Ich sehe sie.

The friends are coming. I see them.

Danke, aber ich habe keine Zeit.

Thank you, but I have no time.

Accept with Ja, gern! Decline politely with Danke, aber ich habe keine Zeit. Einladen still separates around the object.

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