German Phrase
Ich hol's dir.
Meaning
Literally, “I fetch it for you.” It is a friendly, informal way to say you will go and get something that the listener needs or wants.
When to use
Use this phrase in casual conversation with friends, family, or colleagues you know well. It works when you’re offering to retrieve an object (a book, a drink, a tool, etc.) that the other person has asked for.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ichholesdir
Personal pronoun Ich
Subject pronoun for the first person singular; always nominative.
Verb holen (1st pers. sg.)
Present tense of holen is 'hole'. In spoken German the vowel is often dropped and the verb contracts to 'hol' before the object pronoun.
Object pronoun es
Neutral accusative pronoun that replaces a previously mentioned thing; placed directly after the verb.
Dative pronoun dir
Second‑person singular dative pronoun meaning 'to you'. It follows the accusative object in this construction.
Contraction hol's
In everyday speech 'hole es' contracts to 'hol's' (or 'hols'), written with an apostrophe to show the omitted 'e'.
🗨In Conversation
Kannst du mir das Buch geben?
Can you give me the book?
Klar, ich hol's dir.
Sure, I’ll get it for you.
✕Common Mistakes
Ich hol dir.
Missing the accusative pronoun ‘es’; the verb needs an object before the dative.
Ich hole dir.
‘hole’ is the full verb form; when you add the object pronoun it must be ‘hole es dir’ or the contracted ‘hol's dir’.
Ich hol's dich.
‘dich’ is accusative, but the phrase requires the dative ‘dir’ because you are doing something for the person.
↔Alternatives
Ich bringe es dir.
I’ll bring it to you.
Ich hole es für dich.
I’ll fetch it for you.
Ich besorge es für dich.
I’ll obtain it for you.
Cultural Tip
‘Ich hol's dir.’ is strictly informal. In a formal setting you would say ‘Ich hole es Ihnen’ or ‘Ich bringe es Ihnen’. Also, avoid the contraction in written formal German; write the full form ‘Ich hole es dir.’ when you need to be precise.