Before Sie, German used other polite forms of address. Ihr, the plural you, came into use as a polite form in the 12th century, following French practice. It remained common across the German-speaking area until the 18th century. In the 17th century the highest polite form was the third person singular, Er or Sie, he or she. In the early 18th century the plural Sie replaced it, and Er sank in rank. People of higher social standing and officials used it toward ordinary citizens when they chose to. In Berlin and Brandenburg it survives in colloquial speech as the Berliner Er.