Pronoun placement in the middle of a sentence

In brief

In a neutral German sentence, short, unstressed pronouns usually appear early in the middle of the clause. Put an object pronoun such as ihn, sie, or mir before details about time, manner, or place. This often differs from English, where an object stays directly after its verb.

Form

Main clause: subject + finite verb + unstressed object pronoun + time/place details + remaining verb (if any). If a time expression opens the sentence, the pronoun still follows the finite verb early in the middle: Heute rufe ich sie an.

Usage

• Keep an unstressed object pronoun near the beginning of the middle part of the sentence: Ich habe ihn gestern gesehen.
• With a subject pronoun, place the subject before the object pronoun: Heute habe ich sie angerufen.
• A strongly emphasized pronoun may appear later for contrast; the early position is the natural choice without special emphasis.

Examples

• Ich habe ihn gestern angerufen. — I called him yesterday.
• Heute habe ich sie im Büro getroffen. — I met her at the office today.
• Meine Schwester bringt mir morgen das Buch. — My sister is bringing me the book tomorrow.

Common mistake

❌ Ich habe gestern angerufen ihn.

✅ Ich habe ihn gestern angerufen.

Do not put an unstressed object pronoun after the past participle. Place it early in the middle of the clause, normally before gestern.

Remember

In a neutral sentence, short pronouns usually come early, before time and place details.