Greek Clitic Pronouns: Μου, Σου, Του and the Verb Μου Αρέσει

Person	Form
me	μου
you	σου
him / it	του
her	της
us	μας
you (pl./formal)	σας
them	τους

Position: before the verb

The clitic comes before the verb (in statements and questions):

• Σε βλέπω. — I see you.
• Με ακούς; — Do you hear me?
• Το ξέρω. — I know it.
• Της τηλεφωνώ. — I'm phoning her.
• Τους δίνω το βιβλίο. — I'm giving them the book.

With a negative, δεν comes first: Δεν σε ακούω. — I can't hear you.

With commands, the clitic follows: Πες μου! — Tell me! Δώσε μου το νερό. — Give me the water.

Two pronouns together

When both an indirect and direct object are used, the genitive comes first: Μου το δίνει. — He gives it to me. Σου το λέω. — I'm telling you it.

Possessive: after the noun

The genitive clitic also means "my", "your", etc., and it goes after the noun (with the noun keeping its article):

• το σπίτι μου — my house
• ο φίλος σου — your friend
• η μητέρα του — his mother
• το αυτοκίνητό της — her car (note the accent shifts to the noun's end)
• τα παιδιά μας — our children
• οι γονείς τους — their parents

Liking: μου αρέσει

Greek says "it is pleasing to me":

• Μου αρέσει ο καφές. — I like coffee.
• Μου αρέσουν τα ταξίδια. — I like travelling (plural: αρέσουν).
• Σου αρέσει η Ελλάδα; — Do you like Greece?
• Δεν μου αρέσει. — I don't like it.
• Του αρέσει η μουσική. — He likes music.
• Μας αρέσει η θάλασσα. — We like the sea.

The verb agrees with the thing that's liked, not the person.

Similar constructions

• Μου λείπεις. — I miss you.
• Μου φαίνεται ... — It seems to me...
• Μου κάνει. — It fits me.
• Μου πάει. — It suits me.
• Μου είναι δύσκολο. — It's hard for me.

With "I love"

• Σε αγαπάω. — I love you.
• Σ' αγαπώ. — with the vowel dropped, as often written.

Elision

Before a vowel, the vowel of the clitic may be dropped and replaced by an apostrophe in writing: σ' αγαπώ, μ' αρέσει. Modern writing often keeps the full form.

Learning strategy

1. Learn both sets in a table.
2. Memorise key phrases: μου αρέσει, με λένε, σε αγαπάω.
3. Practise possessives after nouns.
4. Say commands with clitics after the verb.

Common mistakes

• Placing possessives before the noun.
• Putting clitics after the verb in statements.
• Making the verb agree with the person in μου αρέσει.

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