Dutch personal pronouns come in stressed and unstressed (reduced) forms. Stressed forms are used for emphasis; unstressed forms appear in normal, rapid speech. Subject pronouns: ik / ‘k (I), jij / je (you, singular), u (you, formal), hij / ie (he), zij / ze (she/they), het / ‘t (it), wij / we (we), jullie (you, plural). Object pronouns: mij / me (me), jou / je (you), u (formal), hem (him), haar (her), het / ‘t (it), ons (us), jullie (you pl.), hen / ze (them).
The hen vs. hun distinction is a famous prescriptive rule that many Dutch speakers ignore in practice. Traditionally: hen is the direct object (accusative): “Ik zie hen” (I see them). Hun is the indirect object (dative): “Ik geef hun het boek” (I give them the book) and possessive. In spoken Dutch, ze replaces both. For writing formal Dutch, knowing the distinction matters; for conversation, ze always works.
The formal pronoun u is used when addressing strangers, elders, customers, or in professional contexts. Among friends, young people, and in casual settings, jij/je is universal. Dutch society has been moving toward greater use of jij for decades — many companies and institutions now use jij in their communications. However, in a job interview, with an elderly neighbor, or in a formal letter, u is still the appropriate choice.