Greek Pronouns and Formal Address: Εσύ or Εσείς?

The Greek personal pronouns, how the plural εσείς doubles as the polite you, when Greeks switch to informal, and the clitic forms like μου and σου.

Like French and German, Greek distinguishes informal and formal "you". Understanding it helps you sound polite, and the pronoun forms are useful in every sentence.

Subject pronouns

Person	Pronoun
I	εγώ
you (informal)	εσύ
he / she / it	αυτός / αυτή / αυτό
we	εμείς
you (plural or formal)	εσείς
they	αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά

Subject pronouns are usually left out, since the verb ending shows the person. Use them for emphasis or contrast.

Informal and formal you

εσύ is for one person you know well: friends, family, children, peers, and increasingly most people in casual settings.
εσείς is the plural, and also the polite singular: strangers, older people, officials, and in formal or business settings.

The verb changes: Πώς είσαι; (informal) versus Πώς είστε; (formal or plural).

Greetings

Γεια σου! — Hello / goodbye (informal)
Γεια σας! — Hello / goodbye (formal or plural)
Τι κάνεις; — How are you? (informal)
Τι κάνετε; — How are you? (formal or plural)
Καλημέρα (good morning), καλησπέρα (good evening), καληνύχτα (good night)
Χαίρω πολύ. — Pleased to meet you.

Switching to informal

Greeks are often quick to move to εσύ, and it's common to be told Να με λες Γιώργο or Πες μου Γιώργο ("call me George"). In doubt, start with εσείς and follow the other person's lead. Many young people use εσύ with everyone, apart from elders and formal contexts.

Titles and names

κύριε / κυρία — sir / madam (used with or without a name)
κύριος Παπαδόπουλος — Mr Papadopoulos
δεσποινίς — Miss (older use)
First names are used quickly, and diminutives (Γιώργος → Γιωργάκης) show affection.

Clitic (weak) pronouns

Greek has short pronoun forms that attach to verbs:

Genitive (indirect object, "to me", and possession):

μου (my, to me), σου (your, to you), του (his, to him), της (her, to her), μας (our, to us), σας (your, to you), τους (their, to them)

Accusative (direct object):

με (me), σε (you), τον / την / το (him / her / it), μας (us), σας (you), τους / τις / τα (them)

Examples:

Με λένε Μαρία. — My name is Maria (literally "they call me").
Σε αγαπάω. — I love you.
Μου αρέσει ο καφές. — I like coffee (coffee is pleasing to me).
Σου δίνω το βιβλίο. — I'm giving you the book.
Το σπίτι μου. — My house (the house of me).

Possessives come after the noun

Greek puts the short possessive after the noun: το σπίτι μου (my house), ο φίλος σου (your friend), η μητέρα του (his mother).

Reflexive

Ο εαυτός μου (myself), and the verb form πλένομαι (I wash myself).

Using pronouns naturally

Πώς σε λένε; — What's your name? (informal)
Πώς σας λένε; — What's your name? (formal)
Πώς είστε; — How are you? (formal)
Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ. — Thank you very much (polite).

Learning tips

Learn εσύ/εσείς with their verb forms.
Practise the clitics in set phrases: μου αρέσει, σε αγαπάω.
Follow the other person's lead.
Remember possessives follow the noun.

Common mistakes

Using εσύ with elders you've just met.
Putting possessives before nouns.
Using subject pronouns everywhere.

Look up Greek pronouns with English Greek Dictionary →