Personal Pronouns in Greek

Overview

Greek personal pronouns (Προσωπικές Αντωνυμίες) are one of the first things you will encounter at the CEFR A1 level. They identify who is performing or receiving an action: εγώ (I), εσύ (you), αυτός/αυτή/αυτό (he/she/it), εμείς (we), εσείς (you plural/formal), and αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά (they).

One of the most distinctive features of Greek is that subject pronouns are frequently omitted. Because Greek verbs carry person and number in their endings, the pronoun is often redundant. For example, you can say simply μιλάω (I speak) without needing εγώ. Pronouns are used mainly for emphasis or contrast.

Understanding when to include or omit the pronoun is an important early step. As a beginner, you can always include the pronoun for clarity -- Greek speakers will understand you perfectly, even if it sounds slightly over-explicit.

How It Works

Subject Pronoun Forms

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	εγώ (I)	εμείς (we)
2nd	εσύ (you)	εσείς (you, formal/plural)
3rd masc.	αυτός (he)	αυτοί (they, masc.)
3rd fem.	αυτή (she)	αυτές (they, fem.)
3rd neut.	αυτό (it)	αυτά (they, neut.)

Strong Forms After Prepositions

When pronouns follow prepositions, they take stressed (strong) forms:

Person	Form	Example
1st sg.	εμένα / μένα	με μένα (with me)
2nd sg.	εσένα / σένα	για σένα (for you)
3rd sg.	αυτόν/αυτήν/αυτό	σε αυτόν (to him)
1st pl.	εμάς / μας	από εμάς (from us)
2nd pl.	εσάς / σας	για εσάς (for you)
3rd pl.	αυτούς/αυτές/αυτά	με αυτούς (with them)

Pronoun Drop (Pro-drop)

Greek is a pro-drop language -- the verb ending already shows who the subject is:

• Μιλάω ελληνικά. = I speak Greek. (the -ω ending means "I")
• Δουλεύεις εδώ; = Do you work here? (the -εις ending means "you")

Use the pronoun only when you need emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ δουλεύω, εσύ κοιμάσαι! = I work, you sleep!

Examples in Context

Greek	English	Note
Εγώ είμαι Έλληνας.	I am Greek.	Pronoun included for emphasis
Εσύ μιλάς αγγλικά.	You speak English.	Informal singular
Αυτή μένει στην Αθήνα.	She lives in Athens.	3rd person feminine
Εμείς δουλεύουμε εδώ.	We work here.	1st person plural
Αυτός τραγουδάει ωραία.	He sings beautifully.	3rd person masculine
Δουλεύουμε κάθε μέρα.	We work every day.	Pronoun dropped -- common
Εσείς τι νομίζετε;	What do you think?	Formal/plural
Αυτές μένουν στη Θεσσαλονίκη.	They (fem.) live in Thessaloniki.	Feminine plural
Πού πας;	Where are you going?	Pronoun dropped, casual
Εγώ θα πληρώσω.	I will pay.	Emphatic -- "I'll pay, not you"
Αυτό είναι δικό μου.	That is mine.	Neuter pronoun
Εμείς είμαστε έτοιμοι.	We are ready.	Included for clarity

Common Mistakes

Including pronouns unnecessarily

• Wrong: Εγώ πάω στο σχολείο κάθε μέρα. (no reason for emphasis)
• Right: Πάω στο σχολείο κάθε μέρα.
• Why: Greek verb endings already show the person. Overusing pronouns sounds unnatural and overly explicit.

Confusing εσείς formality

• Wrong: Using εσύ with a stranger or elder.
• Right: Using εσείς as the polite singular form.
• Why: Like French "vous," εσείς serves as both plural and formal singular. Use it with strangers, elders, and in professional contexts.

Forgetting gender in 3rd person plural

• Wrong: Αυτοί πήγαν στο σινεμά. (referring to a group of women)
• Right: Αυτές πήγαν στο σινεμά.
• Why: Greek distinguishes masculine (αυτοί), feminine (αυτές), and neuter (αυτά) in the third-person plural.

Using English word order with prepositional pronouns

• Wrong: *με εγώ (trying to say "with me")
• Right: με μένα or με εμένα
• Why: After prepositions, pronouns take special strong forms, not the subject forms.

Usage Notes

Greek pronoun usage is closely tied to social register. In casual speech, pronouns are dropped even more frequently than in writing. In formal contexts such as news broadcasts and academic texts, pronouns may be included for clarity even when the verb ending is unambiguous.

The formal/informal distinction (εσείς vs. εσύ) parallels the French "vous/tu" or German "Sie/du" systems. Use εσείς with strangers, elders, and in professional settings. Young people in casual settings often drop the formality quickly. When in doubt, start with εσείς and wait for the other person to suggest switching.

In the Athens dialect and most standard spoken Greek, the third-person pronouns αυτός/αυτή/αυτό sometimes contract in rapid speech. You may hear τος, τη, or το as reduced forms. These are not considered proper in writing but are common in conversation.

Practice Tips

1. Practice verb-only sentences: Express ideas without pronouns first. Say Δουλεύω (I work), Μένεις εδώ; (Do you live here?), and add the pronoun only when you want emphasis or contrast.

2. Contrast drills: Practice pairs that show emphasis: Πάω στη δουλειά (I go to work) vs. Εγώ πάω στη δουλειά, εσύ μένεις (I go to work, you stay). This builds intuition for when pronouns add meaning.

3. Listen for omission in media: When watching Greek shows or listening to podcasts, count how many sentences include an explicit subject pronoun versus those that rely on verb endings alone. You will notice that pronoun-free sentences far outnumber those with explicit subjects.

Related Concepts

• Είμαι (to be) -- builds on this concept
• Έχω (to have) -- builds on this concept
• Present Tense (Group A: -ω) -- builds on this concept
• Present Tense (Group B: -ώ/-άω) -- builds on this concept
• Object Pronouns -- builds on this concept
• Indefinite Pronouns -- builds on this concept
• Colloquial Greek -- builds on this concept