The 3 pronouns you need to master: en – se – et

Do you know what a pronoun is? 🤔

Pronouns are those small but mighty words that replace nouns, referring to a person, thing, or even an animal. In this episode, we’re diving deep into the pronouns you need to master in Luxembourgish when talking about objects and animals: en, se, and et! 💬

In English, you'd simply say it, but in Luxembourgish, the choice of pronoun depends on the gender of the noun!

Let’s break it down together and make sure you know exactly when to use en, se, or et!

The Pronoun referring to feminine things – se

Let’s imagine that you have a conversation with a colleague and he / she asks you:

• Um wéi vill Auer ass d’Reunioun? – At what time is the meeting?

Now you can answer by repeating the word d’Reunioun:

• D’Reunioun ass um zwou Auer. – The meeting is at 2pm.

But in natural spoken Luxembourgish you won’t repeat d’Reunioun, instead you would replace it by using the pronoun se for feminine things →

• Se ass um zwou Auer.

Anert Beispill – other example

D’Kaz ass schéin. Se ass schéin. – The cat is beautiful. It / she is beautiful.

The Pronoun referring to masculine things – en

Let’s imagine that you intend to buy the mobile phone of a friend and you ask him / her:

• Wéi vill verkeefs du den Handy? – How much do you sell the mobile phone?

Now he / she may answer by repeating the word den Handy:

• Ech verkafen den Handy fir 250€. – I sell the mobile phone for 250€.

But in natural spoken language you won’t repeat den Handy instead you would replace it by using the pronoun en for masculine things →

• Ech verkafen e* fir 250€. – I sell it for 250€.

*Don’t forget the n-rule!

Anert Beispill – other example

De Schockela ass gutt. En ass gutt. – The chocolate is good. It is good.

The Pronoun referring to neuter things – et

Let’s imagine that you have a conversation with a friend about his new flat:

• Wou ass d’ Appartment dann an der Stad? – Where is the flat located in Luxembourg city?

Now he / she may answer by repeating the word d’Appartement:

• Mäin Appartment ass zu Bouneweg. – My flat is in Bonnevoie.

But normally you won’t repeat d’ Appartment instead you would replace it by using the pronoun et for neuter things →

• Et ass zu Bouneweg. – It is in Bonnevoie.

Remark:

Et ass is reduced to ‘t ass in spoken Luxembourgish: →

’t ass zu Bouneweg.

Anert Beispill – other example

D’Haus ass zimlech nei. ’t ass zimlech nei. – The house is quite new. It’s quite new.

Watch this lesson on Youtube!

Pronoun referring to plural things – se

Let’s imagine that you ask a waiter for the toilets in a restaurant:

• Wou sinn d’Toiletten wann ech gelift? – Where are the toilets, please?

Now you may answer by repeating the word d’Toiletten:

• D’Toilette sinn um 1. Stack. – The toilets are on the 1. floor.

But you can replace d’Toiletten by using the pronoun se for plural things →

• Se sinn um 1. Stack. – They are on the 1. floor.

Anert Beispill – other example

D’ Kleeder sinn al. Se sinn al. – The clothes are old. They are old.

Übung (exercise)

Find the correct pronoun:

1. Wou sinn d’Tasen? ______ sinn am Kicheschaf. (d’Tasen= the cups)
2. Hues du mäi Brëll gesinn? Nee, ech hunn ______ net gesinn. (mäi Brëll = my glasses)
3. Wéi vill kascht d’Luucht? _______ kascht 99€. (d’Luucht = the lamp)
4. Ass dat e neit Hiem? Jo, ech hunn ______ an der Vakanz kaaft. (en Hiem = a shirt)

Now you're ready to start mastering the nuances of Lux pronouns, right. So, practice a little bit, and don’t be afraid to dive deeper into the language with us. Trust us: when you know the basics everything else won’t be too hard. Start your Lux learning journey today and master in just 8 weeks the basics of the language with our self-study online course A1 Foudation.

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