Pronouns and possessives · Greek grammar A1

Saying who: the subject pronouns εγώ, εσύ, αυτός#

The subject pronoun is usually left out, because the ending of the verb already shows the person.

Εγώ πίνω τσάι, εσύ τι πίνεις;I'm having tea, what are you having?
Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ. Κι εσύ;I'm fine, thanks. And you?
Αυτή είναι η αδερφή μου.This is my sister.
Κυρία Παππά, εσείς μένετε εδώ;Mrs Pappas, do you live here?

Formation

The subject pronouns are εγώ, εσύ, αυτός / αυτή / αυτό, εμείς, εσείς, αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά.
Αυτός is used for a man or a masculine noun, and αυτή for a woman or a feminine noun. Αυτό is used for a neuter noun.

Use

The ending of the verb shows the person, so the subject pronoun is usually left out: Μένω στην Αθήνα. (“I live in Athens.”)
The subject pronoun is used to stress the person, often to set two people against each other. It is also used when it stands alone: Εγώ μένω εδώ, εσύ μένεις εκεί. — Κι εσύ; (“I live here, you live there. — And you?”)
Εσείς is used for several people, and as the polite you to one person. The polite εσείς is used with a stranger, an older person, or anyone addressed as κύριε or κυρία.

Difference from English

English I, you and he are needed with every verb. In Greek, είμαι, μένεις, πίνει (“I am, you live, he drinks”) are whole sentences.
English has one you, while Greek has εσύ for one person known well. For several people or one person addressed politely, Greek has εσείς.

Common mistakes

~~Εγώ είμαι καλά, εγώ δουλεύω εδώ.~~ → Είμαι καλά, δουλεύω εδώ.With no emphasis, the subject pronoun is left out.
~~Είσαι καλά, κύριε Παππά;~~ → Είστε καλά, κύριε Παππά;A person addressed as κύριε or κυρία is spoken to with the εσείς form of the verb.

Remember

Leave the subject pronoun out when there is no emphasis: Μένω στην Αθήνα. (“I live in Athens.”)
Use the εσείς form with a stranger or an older person: Από πού είστε; (“Where are you from?”)
Αυτός, αυτή and αυτό agree in gender: Αυτός είναι από την Αθήνα, αυτή από τη Ρόδο. (“He is from Athens, she is from Rhodes.”)

You now know the subject pronouns and when to leave them out.

Practise

“The present tense: είμαι and introducing yourself”, Introducing yourself: είμαι, είσαι “The present tense: είμαι and introducing yourself”, He, she, it is: είναι, αυτός, αυτή, αυτό “The present tense: είμαι and introducing yourself”, Plural and polite you: είμαστε, είστε, είναι

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Saying him, her, it: the weak object pronouns τον, την, το#

An object pronoun is usually the weak form, short and unstressed, placed directly before the verb.

Η Μαρία; Δεν τη βλέπω.Maria? I can't see her.
Ο χυμός είναι στο τραπέζι. Τον θέλεις;The juice is on the table. Do you want it?
Τα κλειδιά; Τα έχει ο Νίκος.The keys? Nikos has got them.
Σας περιμένουμε στο εστιατόριο.We're waiting for you at the restaurant.
Ο καινούργιος δάσκαλος; Πώς τον λένε;The new teacher? What's his name?

Formation

The weak object pronouns are με, σε, τον / την / το, μας, σας, τους / τις / τα.
The third person has the forms of the accusative article.
The -ν of τον is written before every word. Την has its -ν only before a vowel or κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ. Before other letters it is τη, as in the article: την ξέρω, τη βλέπω (“I know her, I see her”).
Each personal pronoun also has a strong form, which is stressed and used alone and after a preposition. It is explained in Saying for me, with him: the strong pronouns εμένα, εσένα, αυτόν.

	Singular	Plural
1st person	με (me)	μας (us)
2nd person	σε (you)	σας (you)
3rd person	τον, την, το (him, her, it)	τους, τις, τα (them)

Use

The weak pronoun is placed directly before the verb: Τον ξέρω. (“I know him.”)
In a negative sentence, the weak pronoun is placed between δεν and the verb: Δεν τον ξέρω. (“I don't know him.”)
For a thing, the pronoun takes the noun's gender: ο καφές → τον, η μπίρα → την, το βιβλίο → το.
After the simple imperative (imperative), the pronoun follows the verb: Κλείσε το! (“Close it!”)

Names and politeness

Σας is also the polite you to one person: Σας ευχαριστώ. (“Thank you.”)
The formula με λένε means “my name is”, literally “they call me”. It is built with the weak pronouns: με λένε, σε λένε, τον λένε, τη λένε.

Difference from English

In English, him, it and them are placed after the verb. In Greek, the weak pronoun is placed before the verb: Τους ξέρω. (“I know them.”)
In English, it is used for every thing. In Greek, the pronoun has the gender of the noun it replaces. Την πίνω (“I drink it”) is used for η μπίρα, and Τον πίνω (“I drink it”) for ο καφές.

Common mistakes

~~Ξέρω τον.~~ → Τον ξέρω.The weak pronoun is placed before the verb.
~~Δεν ξέρω τον.~~ → Δεν τον ξέρω.The order is δεν, the pronoun, the verb.
~~Η πίτσα; Το τρώω.~~ → Η πίτσα; Την τρώω.Πίτσα is feminine: the pronoun is την.

Remember

Put the weak pronoun before the verb: Τον ξέρω. (“I know him.”)
Choose τον, την or το by the gender of the noun: Ο καφές; Τον θέλω. (“The coffee? I want it.”)
Ask someone's name with σε λένε: Πώς σε λένε; (“What's your name?”)

You now know the weak object pronouns, where they are placed and how they agree with the noun they replace.

Going further

The possessives μου, σου, του… are weak pronouns too, placed after the noun. They are explained in Saying my, your, his: the possessives μου, σου, του, της after the noun.

Practise

“The present tense: είμαι and introducing yourself”, Giving a name: με, σε, τον, τη λένε “Pronouns and possessives: object pronouns”, Him, her, it before the verb: τον, την, το “Pronouns and possessives: object pronouns”, Me, you, us, them: με, σε, μας, σας, τους, τις, τα

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Placing the pronoun: weak pronouns after θα, να, δεν, μην#

After the particles θα, να, δεν and μην, the weak pronoun still comes directly before the verb.

Η εφημερίδα; Θα τη διαβάσω το βράδυ.The newspaper? I'll read it in the evening.
Θέλω να τους δω το Σάββατο.I want to see them on Saturday.
Η σούπα; Η Άννα δεν θα τη φάει.The soup? Anna won't eat it.
Μην το πεις στον Κώστα!Don't tell Kostas!

Formation

After the particles θα, να, δεν and μην, the weak pronoun is placed directly before the verb. This order is found in θα το κάνω, να τον δω, δεν θα τη δω, μην το πεις. (“I'll do it, to see him, I won't see her, don't say it.”)
With two particles, as in δεν θα, both come before the pronoun.
Nothing else stands between the pronoun and the verb.

Common mistakes

~~Θα διαβάσω το αύριο.~~ → Θα το διαβάσω αύριο.After θα, the weak pronoun comes before the verb.
~~Θέλω να δω τον.~~ → Θέλω να τον δω.After να, the weak pronoun comes before the verb.
~~Μην πεις το!~~ → Μην το πεις!After μην, the weak pronoun comes before the verb.

Remember

Put the weak pronoun between θα and the verb: Θα σε πάρω τηλέφωνο. (“I'll call you.”)
Put the weak pronoun between να and the verb: Θέλω να το δω. (“I want to see it.”)
Put the weak pronoun between μην and the verb: Μην το ξεχάσεις! (“Don't forget it!”)

You now know where the weak pronoun is placed after θα, να, δεν and μην.

Practise

“The future and the να-form”, Where the pronoun goes: θα το κάνω

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Saying for me, with him: the strong pronouns εμένα, εσένα, αυτόν#

The strong object pronouns are used after a preposition, alone as a short answer, and for emphasis.

Ποιον είδες στο πάρτι; — Αυτόν!Who did you see at the party? — Him!
Το τσάι είναι για μένα.The tea is for me.
Θα πάω στον κινηματογράφο με αυτούς.I'll go to the cinema with them.

Formation

The strong object forms are εμένα, εσένα, αυτόν / αυτή(ν) / αυτό, εμάς, εσάς, αυτούς / αυτές / αυτά.
After a preposition, the first ε- of εμένα, εσένα, εμάς, εσάς is usually dropped. The usual forms are then για μένα, με σένα, για μας, με σας.
After a preposition, the full forms are also correct: για εμένα, με εσένα.

Use

The strong forms are used after a preposition: για μένα, από σένα, με αυτόν.
A strong form is used alone, as a short answer: Αυτόν! (“Him!”)
A strong form is also used for emphasis, to stress the person: Εσένα θέλω, όχι αυτόν. (“It's you I want, not him.”)

Difference from English

English me and you are the same after a verb and after for. In Greek, the weak με, σε (“me, you”) are placed before a verb. After a preposition, για μένα, για σένα are used. These weak pronouns are not the prepositions με (“with”) and σε (“to, in”).

Common mistakes

~~Ο καφές είναι για με.~~ → Ο καφές είναι για μένα.After a preposition, the strong form is used.
~~Το δώρο είναι για τους.~~ → Το δώρο είναι για αυτούς.Τους is placed before a verb; after a preposition, the strong form αυτούς is used.

Remember

After a preposition, use a strong form: με αυτόν.
After a preposition, usually drop the first ε- of εμένα, εσένα, εμάς, εσάς: για μένα, με σένα.
Answer with a strong form alone: Εμένα! (“Me!”)

You now know the strong pronouns and where they are used instead of the weak ones.

Practise

“Pronouns and possessives: object pronouns”, Alone or stressed: εμένα, εσένα, αυτόν

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Saying my, your, his: the possessives μου, σου, του, της after the noun#

A possessive is a weak pronoun placed after the noun, with the article before it: το σπίτι μου (“my house”).

Δεν βρίσκω το κινητό μου.I can't find my mobile.
Ο Νίκος και η αδερφή του μένουν μαζί.Nikos and his sister live together.
Η Άννα πίνει τον καφέ της.Anna is drinking her coffee.
Κύριε Παππά, το εισιτήριό σας, παρακαλώ.Mr Pappas, your ticket, please.
Τα παιδιά παίζουν με τους φίλους τους.The children are playing with their friends.

Formation

	one owner	more than one owner
first person	μου (my)	μας (our)
second person	σου (your)	σας (your)
third person	του (his, its), της (her, its)	τους (their)

The possessive is placed after the noun, and the article comes before the noun: το σπίτι μου.
An adjective is placed between the article and the noun. The possessive comes after the noun or after the adjective: το καινούργιο σπίτι μου, το καινούργιο μου σπίτι.

Use

The possessive changes with the owner, not with the thing owned: ο φίλος μου, η φίλη μου, οι φίλοι μου.
Του is used for a man or a masculine or neuter owner, της for a woman or a feminine owner.

Second accent

A noun stressed on the third syllable from the end takes a second accent before the possessive: το όνομά μου.
This accent is explained in Writing my, your, his: a second accent before a weak pronoun, το όνομά μου.

Difference from English

English your is the same for a friend and for a stranger. Greek σου is used for a friend, and σας is also the polite your to one person: το εισιτήριό σας.

Common mistakes

~~μου σπίτι~~ → το σπίτι μουUnlike English my, the possessive is placed after the noun, with the article before it.
~~Η Μαρία και ο φίλος του~~ → Η Μαρία και ο φίλος τηςThe owner, Maria, is a woman: της.
~~το όνομα μου~~ → το όνομά μουΌνομα is stressed on the third syllable from the end, so it takes a second accent before μου.

Remember

Put the article before the noun and the possessive after it: το κινητό μου.
Choose του or της by the owner, as English his and her: η αδερφή του.
Use σας as the polite your: το εισιτήριό σας.

You now know how to say whose something is with μου, σου, του, της and the other possessives.

Practise

“Pronouns and possessives: μου, σου, αυτός, εκείνος”, My, your, his, her: μου, σου, του, της “Pronouns and possessives: μου, σου, αυτός, εκείνος”, Our, your, their: μας, σας, τους

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Saying mine and asking whose: δικός μου, ποιανού#

Mine, yours, his… is δικός followed by the possessive, and δικός agrees with the thing owned.

Ποιανού είναι αυτά τα παπούτσια; — Είναι δικά μου.Whose are these shoes? — They're mine.
Αυτό το στυλό δεν είναι δικό σου.This pen isn't yours.
Η κόκκινη τσάντα είναι δική της.The red bag is hers.

Formation

Δικός agrees with the thing owned, like an adjective in -ός, -ή, -ό: δικός, δική, δικό; δικοί, δικές, δικά.
The possessive after δικός changes with the owner: δικός μου, δική σου, δικό του.
In everyday speech, the feminine is also δικιά.

Use

Δικός μου answers Ποιανού; and stresses the owner.
With the article, ο δικός μου, η δική σου stand for a noun: “mine, yours”.

Asking whose

Whose? is ποιανού: Ποιανού είναι; (“Whose is it?”)
Ποιου and τίνος are also used with the same meaning.
Ποιανής is used when the owner is known to be a woman: Ποιανής είναι η τσάντα; (“Whose bag is it?”)

Common mistakes

~~Το κλειδί είναι δικός μου.~~ → Το κλειδί είναι δικό μου.Δικός agrees with the thing owned: το κλειδί, so δικό.
~~Το κλειδί είναι μου.~~ → Το κλειδί είναι δικό μου.Μου alone is placed only after a noun; for English mine, δικός is used before it.

Remember

Say mine with δικός and the possessive: Είναι δικό μου. (“It's mine.”)
Make δικός agree with the thing owned: δική μου for η τσάντα.
Ask who the owner is with ποιανού: Ποιανού είναι; (“Whose is it?”)

You now know how to say mine, yours and his with δικός μου and how to ask whose with ποιανού.

Practise

“Pronouns and possessives: μου, σου, αυτός, εκείνος”, Whose? ποιανού and δικός μου

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Pointing to people and things: αυτός (this) and εκείνος (that)#

Αυτός (“this”) and εκείνος (“that”) agree with their noun like an adjective, and the article is placed after them.

Αυτός ο δρόμος πάει στη θάλασσα.This road goes to the sea.
Εκείνο το φόρεμα είναι πολύ ακριβό.That dress is very expensive.
Εκείνοι οι άνθρωποι είναι από την Ιταλία.Those people are from Italy.
Ξέρεις αυτόν τον κύριο;Do you know this gentleman?

Formation

Αυτός, αυτή, αυτό (“this”) and εκείνος, εκείνη, εκείνο (“that”) take the endings of an adjective in -ος.
In the plural, the forms are αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά and εκείνοι, εκείνες, εκείνα.
Before a noun, they are followed by the article: αυτό το βιβλίο (“this book”), εκείνη η πόρτα (“that door”).
As an object, the masculine singular ends in -ν, and so does its article: αυτόν τον, εκείνον τον.

Use

Αυτός is used for what is near, often with εδώ (“here”).
Εκείνος is used for what is further away, often with εκεί (“there”).
In everyday Greek, αυτός is also used for that when the distance does not matter.
Alone, αυτό means “this”, “this one” or “it”: Αυτό είναι για σένα. (“This is for you.”)

Difference from English

English this and that change only for the plural (these, those). In Greek, αυτός and εκείνος also change for gender: αυτός ο δρόμος, αυτή η πόρτα.

Common mistakes

~~αυτό σπίτι~~ → αυτό το σπίτιUnlike English this house, Greek has the article after αυτός and εκείνος.
~~εκείνος η πόρτα~~ → εκείνη η πόρταΕκείνος agrees with the noun, and πόρτα is feminine.
~~Ξέρω αυτός τον άνθρωπο.~~ → Ξέρω αυτόν τον άνθρωπο.As an object, the masculine singular ends in -ν, like its article τον.

Remember

Put the article after αυτός and εκείνος: Αυτό το παιδί διαβάζει πολύ. (“This child reads a lot.”)
Give αυτός and εκείνος the gender of the noun: Εκείνη η πόρτα είναι κλειστή. (“That door is closed.”)
Use εκείνος for what is further away: Ποιος είναι εκείνος ο άνθρωπος; (“Who is that man?”)

In short: pronouns and possessives

	Weak object	Strong	Possessive
εγώ	με	εμένα, για μένα	μου
εσύ	σε	εσένα, για σένα	σου
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό	τον / την / το	αυτόν / αυτή(ν) / αυτό	του / της / του
εμείς	μας	εμάς, για μας	μας
εσείς	σας	εσάς, για σας	σας
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά	τους / τις / τα	αυτούς / αυτές / αυτά	τους

The weak pronoun is placed before the verb: Τον ξέρω, θα τον δω. (“I know him, I will see him.”) After an imperative, it is placed after the verb: Πες μου. (“Tell me.”) The possessive is placed after the noun: ο φίλος μου (“my friend”). Δικός μου is used to answer ποιανού (“whose”). The article is placed after αυτός and εκείνος: αυτός ο, εκείνος ο.

You now know how to point to people and things near you and further away.

Practise

“Pronouns and possessives: μου, σου, αυτός, εκείνος”, This: αυτός, αυτή, αυτό “Pronouns and possessives: μου, σου, αυτός, εκείνος”, That: εκείνος, εκείνη, εκείνο

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