LingoflyMy: το σπίτι μου and το δικό μου σπίτι
The ordinary "my" is a short unstressed word, and it stands after the noun. το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu), η αδελφή (i adelfí) σου (su), ο παππούς (o papús) της (tis). The word for "the" stays where it was. Your hand will want to move it forward; don't. For example: “Το (to) ποδήλατό μου (mu) είναι (íne) στην (stin) αυλή” (avlí) — My bicycle is in the yard. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The ordinary "my" is a short unstressed word, and it stands after the noun. το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu) (to spíti mu), η αδελφή (i adelfí) σου (su) (i adelfí su), ο παππούς (o papús) της (tis) (o papús tis). The word for "the" stays where it was. Your hand will want to move it forward; don't.
The whole set: μου (mu) (my), σου (su) (your), του (tu) (his), της (tis) (her), μας (mas) (our), σας (sas) (your), τους (tus) (their).
The trap is in writing. If a word is stressed on the third syllable from the end, the added μου (mu) pulls the stress along. A second dash appears: το (to) όνομά (ónomá) μου (mu) (to ónomá mu), το (to) ποδήλατό μου (mu) (to podílató mu). In speech the new stress is the main one and the old one weakens. A word stressed nearer the end gets no second mark: το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu).
To put weight on it — mine, not yours — take δικός μου (dikós mu). It agrees with the thing and stands before the noun, with the word for "the" kept: το (to) δικό (dikó) μου (mu) ποδήλατο (podílato) (to dikó mu podílato).
Table
| owner | the usual way | with a push |
|---|---|---|
| my | το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu) | το (to) δικό (dikó) μου (mu) σπίτι (spíti) |
| your | η μπάλα (i bála) σου (su) | η δική (dikí) σου (su) μπάλα (bála) |
| his | ο αδελφός (o adelfós) του (tu) | ο δικός (dikós) του (tu) αδελφός (adelfós) |
| her | η ομάδα (i omáda) της (tis) | η δική (dikí) της (tis) ομάδα (omáda) |
| our | το βιβλίο (to vivlío) μας (mas) | το (to) δικό (dikó) μας (mas) βιβλίο (vivlío) |
| their | τα παιδιά (ta pediá) τους (tus) | τα (ta) δικά (diká) τους (tus) παιδιά (pediá) |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say my in Greek?
The ordinary "my" is a short unstressed word, and it stands after the noun. το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu), η αδελφή (i adelfí) σου (su), ο παππούς (o papús) της (tis). The word for "the" stays where it was. Your hand will want to move it forward; don't.
Το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu) or το (to) δικό (dikó) μου (mu) σπίτι (spíti)?
To put weight on it — mine, not yours — take δικός μου (dikós mu). It agrees with the thing and stands before the noun, with the word for "the" kept: το (to) δικό (dikó) μου (mu) ποδήλατο (podílato).
Why το (to) όνομά (ónomá) μου (mu) carries two accents?
The trap is in writing. If a word is stressed on the third syllable from the end, the added μου (mu) pulls the stress along. A second dash appears: το (to) όνομά (ónomá) μου (mu), το (to) ποδήλατό μου (mu). In speech the new stress is the main one and the old one weakens. A word stressed nearer the end gets no second mark: το (to)…
When δικός μου (dikós mu) is needed and when μου (mu) is enough?
To put weight on it — mine, not yours — take δικός μου (dikós mu). It agrees with the thing and stands before the noun, with the word for "the" kept: το (to) δικό (dikó) μου (mu) ποδήλατο (podílato).
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Το (to) ποδήλατό μου (mu) είναι (íne) στην (stin) αυλή” (avlí) (to podílató mu íne stin avlí) — My bicycle is in the yard. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.