In German: Is a Beemer he, she or it?

A Beemer, or BMW, made by the famous German car manufacturer Bayrische Motorenwerke in Munich, is a popular accessory for many and complements the German language learning experience perfectly. The car’s satnav and onboard systems set to German helps to pick up new vocabulary and learn the German imperative when the friendly satnav lady reminds you to turn right and belches out: Biegen Sie rechts ab!

When referring to your BMW in German, do you use he, she or it?

It all depends on how many wheels your BMW sports. The four-wheel version is der BMW, and in German, you refer to your car using the masculine singular pronoun ‘er’. If your money didn’t quite stretch that far and you bought a BMW motorcycle, you refer to the bike in German using the feminine singular pronoun ‘sie’ as it is die BMW.

Should you be in the habit of addressing your BMW affectionately after you’ve bonded with him or her, then you can reassuringly use the informal ‘du’. Should you ever get disheartened with your BMW’s German instructions, you can either take German lessons, change the language settings back to English or replace him or her with a VW or Porsche. Remember to use’ er’ when referring to either of those, as none of them makes motorcycles.

Gute Fahrt!

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