pronoun
it (colloquial contraction of ''es'')
A1
’s: colloquial contraction of the neuter pronoun 'es' meaning 'it' (e.g., '’s regnet' = 'es regnet' – it's raining). Used in speech and informal writing, mainly in some dialects and casual registers. Not appropriate for formal writing. Grammatically a personal pronoun, unstressed.
Examples
Wie geht's?
How's it going?
’s war offensichtlich, dass die Maschine repariert werden musste, bevor sie wieder eingesetzt wurde.
It was obvious that the machine had to be repaired before it was put back into use.
Details
Mnemonics
Visualize the little trailing apostrophe like a tiny 'es' being swallowed in fast speech: Wie geht's? = Wie geht es?
Sounds like the English contraction "'s" (as in "it's"); in German it stands for spoken 'es' (it).
Notes
Colloquial/clitic form representing 'es' in spoken and informal German (e.g., Wie geht's? = Wie geht es?). Not typically used in formal writing except in direct reproductions of speech. Often appears attached to verbs or phrases in casual conversation.