Greek Pronouns
Learning pronouns in Greek, a language with a rich historical background and significant influence on many languages, is essential for mastering both spoken and written forms. Greek pronouns vary according to person, number, gender, and case (nominative, genitive, accusative, and vocative). This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns in Modern Greek, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in Greek replace nouns referring to people or things and change based on their function in a sentence.
Subject Pronouns:
- Εγώ (Egó) – I: “Εγώ πηγαίνω.” (Egó pigaíno) – I am going.
- Εσύ (Esý) – You (singular, informal): “Εσύ τρέχεις.” (Esý trécheis) – You are running.
- Αυτός/Αυτή/Αυτό (Aftós/Aftí/Aftó) – He/She/It: “Αυτός τρώει.” (Aftós tróei) – He eats.
- Εμείς (Emeís) – We: “Εμείς μαθαίνουμε.” (Emeís mathaínoume) – We learn.
- Εσείς (Eseís) – You (plural or formal): “Εσείς γράφετε.” (Eseís gráfete) – You write.
- Αυτοί/Αυτές/Αυτά (Aftoí/Aftés/Aftá) – They (masculine/feminine/neuter): “Αυτοί διαβάζουν.” (Aftoí diavázoun) – They read.
Object Pronouns:
Object pronouns in Greek often come after the verb and can change based on case.
- Με (Me) – Me: “Με βλέπεις;” (Me vlépeis?) – Do you see me?
- Σε (Se) – You: “Σε αγαπώ.” (Se agapó) – I love you.
- Τον/Την/Το (Ton/Tin/To) – Him/Her/It: “Τον ξέρω.” (Ton xéro) – I know him.
- Μας (Mas) – Us: “Μας καλεί.” (Mas kaleí) – He/She is calling us.
- Σας (Sas) – You (plural or formal): “Σας ευχαριστώ.” (Sas efcharistó) – I thank you.
- Τους/Τις/Τα (Tous/Tis/Ta) – Them: “Τους βοηθάω.” (Tous voitháo) – I help them.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in Greek indicate ownership and agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.
- Δικός μου/Δική μου/Δικό μου (Dikós mou/Dikí mou/Dikó mou) – My: “Το δικό μου βιβλίο.” (To dikó mou vivlío) – My book.
- Δικός σου/Δική σου/Δικό σου (Dikós sou/Dikí sou/Dikó sou) – Your: “Η δική σου γνώμη.” (I dikí sou gnómi) – Your opinion.
- Δικός του/Δική της/Δικό του (Dikós tou/Dikí tis/Dikó tou) – His/Her: “Το δικό του αυτοκίνητο.” (To dikó tou aftokínito) – His car.
- Δικός μας/Δική μας/Δικό μας (Dikós mas/Dikí mas/Dikó mas) – Our: “Το δικό μας σπίτι.” (To dikó mas spíti) – Our house.
- Δικός σας/Δική σας/Δικό σας (Dikós sas/Dikí sas/Dikó sas) – Your (plural or formal): “Η δική σας ευθύνη.” (I dikí sas efthýni) – Your responsibility.
- Δικός τους/Δική τους/Δικό τους (Dikós tous/Dikí tous/Dikó tous) – Their: “Τα δικά τους προβλήματα.” (Ta diká tous problímata) – Their problems.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns in Greek point to specific nouns and vary based on distance and gender.
- Αυτός/Αυτή/Αυτό (Aftós/Aftí/Aftó) – This/That: “Αυτός είναι έξυπνος.” (Aftós eínai éxypnos) – This/That is smart.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns in Greek are used when the subject performs an action upon itself.
- Ο εαυτός μου/Ο εαυτός σου/Ο εαυτός του (O eaftós mou/O eaftós sou/O eaftós tou) – Myself/Yourself/Himself: “Πλένω τον εαυτό μου.” (Pléno ton eaftó mou) – I wash myself.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.
- Ποιος/Ποια/Ποιο (Poios/Poia/Poio) – Who/Which: “Ποιος είναι αυτός;” (Poios eínai aftós?) – Who is that?
- Τι (Ti) – What: “Τι κάνεις;” (Ti káneis?) – What are you doing?
Mastering the use of pronouns in Greek is crucial for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations to apply these concepts actively. Remember, the context, number, gender, and case are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Greek.