Greek Possessive Pronouns: Simple Tips and Practical Examples

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Hello my beautiful friends!

Today’s lesson will be short, sweet and easy, because most of the concepts we will discuss today, you already know from our previous lesson of personal pronouns.

The only thing you need to know about Greek Possessive Pronouns is that they are the weak forms of personal pronouns in the genitive case. You see? You already know them. Just a quick reminder of what they are: μου, σου, του, της, του, μας, σας, τους.

But when do we use them?

We use possessive pronouns to indicate to whom something belongs.

Let’s see some examples

• Η τσάντα μου είναι ροζ (ee tsanta mu eene roz) – My bag is pink
• Ο πατέρας σου είναι πολύ καλός άνθρωπος. (o pateras su eene polee kalos anthropos) – Your father is a very good person.
• Ο σκύλος του τρέχει στον κήπο. (o skeelos tu trehee ston kipo) – His dog is running in the garden.
• Αυτό είναι το βιβλίο της (afto eene to vivlio tees) – This is her book
• Το ποδήλατό του έχει καινούρια λάστιχα. (to podilato tu ehee kenuryia lastiha) – Its bicycle has new tires.
• Οι διακοπές μας φέτος ήταν υπέροχες. (ee diakopes mas fetos eetan eeperohes) – Our vacation this year was the wonderful.
• Τα παιδιά σας είναι πολύ ευγενικά. (ta pedia sas eene polee evgenika) – Your children are very polite.
• Τα πράγματά τους είναι πάνω στο τραπέζι. (ta pragmata tus eene pano sto trapezi) – Their things are on the table.

Each example demonstrates how the possessive pronoun is used in context to show ownership or association.

Additionally, especially when we want to emphasize, we use the pronoun δικός/ή- ιά/ό (dikos, –i/ia, -o) – own + genitive of the weak form of the personal pronoun.

• Αυτή η τσάντα είναι δικιά μου! (aftee ee tsanta eene dikia mu) – This is my own bag!
• Μένουν στο δικό τους σπίτι (menun sto diko tus spiti) – They live in their own house.

The possessive pronoun δικός μου, δική μου, δικό μου has three persons, two numbers, and is declined like a second-declension adjective (e.g., καλός-ή-ό).

Usage Notes

1. To avoid confusing the weak forms of possessive pronouns with the weak forms of personal pronouns, we just need to remember that personal pronouns are found before or after verbs, while possessive pronouns are placed after nouns.

For example:

• Του είπα την αλήθεια. (tu eepa tin aleethia) – I told him the truth. – personal pronoun

• Δώσε μου τη γόμα. (dose mu ti goma) – Give me the eraser. – personal pronoun

• Έσπασα το ρολόι του. (espasa to roloi tu) – I broke his watch. – possessive pronoun

• Έχασα τη γόμα μου. (ehasa ti goma mu) – I lost my eraser. – possessive pronoun
  

2. Another way to understand whether a pronoun in its weak form is personal or possessive, is to replace it with the corresponding strong form.

For example:

• Το σπίτι μου είναι μεγάλο. (to spiti mu eene megalo) – My house is big – possessive pronoun

• Με πήρε τηλέφωνο. (me pire tilefono) – He/she called me (Πήρε εμένα τηλέφωνο) – personal pronoun
  

3. When we have phrases with an adjective and a noun such as, η περσινή γιορτή (ee persinee yiorti) – the last year’s celebration, the weak form of the possessive pronoun is usually placed between them: η περσινή μας γιορτή.

Conclusion

Understanding the usage of Greek possessive pronouns can significantly enhance your
fluency in the language. By remembering their placement and how they relate to personal pronouns, you can more accurately convey ownership and association in your conversations. Keep practicing, and soon this will become second nature to you.

Happy learning!