LingoflyWhere the pronoun stands: μου το έδωσε, δώσε μου το
The short shapes μου (mu), σου (su), του (tu), το (to), τα (ta) are easy to remember. The hard part is where they stand: not where English puts them, and you cannot move them. For example: “Ο μεσίτης (o mesítis) μού το (to) έδειξε (édikse) χθες” (khthes) — The agent showed it to me yesterday. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The short shapes μου (mu), σου (su), του (tu), το (to), τα (ta) are easy to remember. The hard part is where they stand: not where English puts them, and you cannot move them.
The rule is that the pronoun goes before the verb, right up against it. Μου (mu) το (to) έδωσε (édose) (mu to édose). Δεν (den) με (me) ξέρει (kséri) (den me kséri). Θα (tha) σου (su) τηλεφωνήσω (tilefoníso) (tha su tilefoníso). Nothing squeezes in between — δεν (den), θα (tha) and να (na) step further left, taking the whole group along.
One exception, and a frequent one: after a command the pronoun moves behind. Δώσε μου (dóse mu) το (to) (dóse mu to). Πες (pes) μου (mu) (pes mu). The same two words in the other order are a different sentence. μου (mu) δίνεις (dínis) (mu dínis) — you give me; δώσε μου (dóse mu) — give me.
With two pronouns the order is fixed: first who gets it, then what. Μου (mu) το (to) έδωσε (édose), never "το (to) μου (mu) (to mu)".
Table
| the case | the order | example |
|---|---|---|
| an ordinary verb | the pronoun before | μου (mu) το (to) έδωσε (édose) |
| with δεν (den) and θα (tha) | they stand even further left | δεν (den) θα (tha) σου (su) το (to) πω (po) |
| an imperative | the pronoun after | δώσε μου (dóse mu) το (to) |
| two pronouns | to whom, then what | σου (su) το (to) στέλνω (stélno) |
| by a noun | after the word | το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu) |
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
Where the pronoun stands: how does it work in Greek?
The short shapes μου (mu), σου (su), του (tu), το (to), τα (ta) are easy to remember. The hard part is where they stand: not where English puts them, and you cannot move them.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Ο μεσίτης (o mesítis) μού το (to) έδειξε (édikse) χθες” (khthes) (o mesítis mu to édikse khthes) — The agent showed it to me yesterday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.