A method for hydrogenating an ester of the general formula in which the radicals R a and R b are each independently a carbon-containing organic, linear or branched, noncyclic or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic, aromatic or araliphatic radical which is unsubstituted or interrupted or substituted by heteroatoms or functional groups and has a molar mass of 15 to 10 000 g/mol, wherein the two radicals R a and R b may also be bonded to each other, with molecular hydrogen to give the alcohols at a temperature of 50 to 200°C and a pressure of 0.1 to 20 MPa abs in the presence of a manganese complex, in which the manganese complex comprises a tridentate ligand L of the general formula and comprises at least two carbonyl ligands, wherein R 1, R 2 are each independently an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon radical having 6 or 10 carbon atoms or an araliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 7 to 12 carbon atoms, where the hydrocarbon radicals specified are unsubstituted or substituted by 1 to 3 methoxy, thiomethoxy or dimethylamino groups, and the two radicals R 1 and R 2 may also be bonded to each other to form a 5-to 10-membered ring including the phosphorus atom, R 3, R 4, R 5, R 6, R 10, R 11 are each independently hydrogen, linear C 1 to C 4 -alkyl, branched C 3 to C 4 -alkyl, methoxy, hydroxyl, trifluoromethyl, nitrile or dialkylamino each independently having 1 to 4 carbon atoms per alkyl group, R 7, R 8, R 9 are each independently hydrogen, linear C 1 to C 4 -alkyl or branched C 3 to C 4 -alkyl, n, m are each independently 0 or 1, and the solid-dashed double lines are a single or double bond, with the proviso that in the case of n = 1, both solid-dashed double lines are a single bond and m is 1, and in the case of n = 0, one solid-dashed double line is a single bond and the other solid-dashed double line is a double bond, wherein, in the case of a double bond on the side facing the phenyl ring m = 1, in the case of a double bond on the side facing the pyridyl ring m = 0, or both solid-dashed double lines are a single bond and m equals 1. in which the radicals R a and R b are each independently a carbon-containing organic, linear or branched, noncyclic or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic, aromatic or araliphatic radical which is unsubstituted or interrupted or substituted by heteroatoms or functional groups and has a molar mass of 15 to 10 000 g/mol, wherein the two radicals R a and R b may also be bonded to each other, with molecular hydrogen to give the alcohols at a temperature of 50 to 200°C and a pressure of 0.1 to 20 MPa abs in the presence of a manganese complex, in which the manganese complex comprises a tridentate ligand L of the general formula and comprises at least two carbonyl ligands, wherein R 1, R 2 are each independently an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon radical having 6 or 10 carbon atoms or an araliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 7 to 12 carbon atoms, where the hydrocarbon radicals specified are unsubstituted or substituted by 1 to 3 methoxy, thiomethoxy or dimethylamino groups, and the two radicals R 1 and R 2 may also be bonded to each other to form a 5-to 10-membered ring including the phosphorus atom, R 3, R 4, R 5, R 6, R 10, R 11 are each independently hydrogen, linear C 1 to C 4 -alkyl, branched C 3 to C 4 -alkyl, methoxy, hydroxyl, trifluoromethyl, nitrile or dialkylamino each independently having 1 to 4 carbon atoms per alkyl group, R 7, R 8, R 9 are each independently hydrogen, linear C 1 to C 4 -alkyl or branched C 3 to C 4 -alkyl, n, m are each independently 0 or 1, and the solid-dashed double lines are a single or double bond, with the proviso that in the case of n = 1, both solid-dashed double lines are a single bond and m is 1, and in the case of n = 0, one solid-dashed double line is a single bond and the other solid-dashed double line is a double bond, wherein, in the case of a double bond on the side facing the phenyl ring m = 1, in the case of a double bond on the side facing the pyridyl ring m = 0, or both solid-dashed double lines are a single bond and m equals 1.