In German
sie / Sie
Meaning: she, they, or formal you — the same spelling, three different meanings
Example sentences
SieistmeineSchwester.
She is my sister.
SiekommenheuteAbend.
They are coming this evening.
HabenSieeinenMoment?
Do you (formal) have a moment?
Grammar note
Lowercase “sie” means “she” (verb ending “-t”: “sie kommt”) or “they” (verb ending “-en”, same as the infinitive: “sie kommen”). Capitalized “Sie” — always capitalized, mid-sentence or not — is the formal “you”, singular or plural, and also takes the “-en” ending: “Sie kommen”.
Common mistake
Context and capitalization are the only way to tell these apart in writing — “sie kommen” (they are coming) and “Sie kommen” (you formal are coming) are spelled almost the same, so always check the capital S and the sentence's subject.
Quick check
Which German word can mean “she”, “they”, or formal “you” depending on context and capitalization?
More words on this topic
Keep learning German
Practise it in a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you tell “sie” (she/they) and “Sie” (formal you) apart?
Capitalization — “Sie” is always capitalized, even mid-sentence — plus context.
Do “sie” (they) and “Sie” (formal you) conjugate the same way?
Yes — both take the “-en” ending, same as the infinitive: “sie/Sie kommen”.