Full Pronouns for Contrast
Use a full pronoun together with its short pronoun to stress who: Него го видов, а неа не. (I saw him, but not her.)
How It Works
The pairs. Object: мене ме, тебе те, него го, неа ја, нас нѐ, вас ве, нив ги. To-someone: мене ми, тебе ти, нему му, нејзе ѝ, нам ни, вам ви, ним им. Мене and тебе look the same in both lists, so the short pronoun shows which kind of object it is.
- Мене ми се допаѓа, а тебе? (I like it. What about you?)
- Него го видов, а неа не. (I saw him, but not her.)
- Нас нѐ поканија, а нив не. (They invited us, but not them.)
With на. In everyday speech the to-someone form often uses на: На мене ми се допаѓа. На него му е студено, а на неа ѝ е топло. Both ways are correct.
The short pronoun stays. When the full pronoun is the object of a verb, it never replaces the short one: Него го видов, not Него видов. After a preposition such as за or со, the full pronoun stands alone: за тебе, со него. See full object pronouns.
Position. The full pronoun usually comes first, but it can also follow the verb: Го видов него, а не неа. Short replies can drop the verb: А тебе? (And you?), а неа не (but not her).
Subjects. For the subject, contrast uses the ordinary subject pronouns: Јас пијам кафе, а таа чај.
Examples (5)
- Мене ми се допаѓа, а тебе?
I like it. What about you?
Word by Word: Me to-me self pleases, and you?
- Него го видов, а неа не.
I saw him, but not her.
Word by Word: Him him I-saw, and her not.
- Тебе те бараат, не мене.
They are looking for you, not me.
Word by Word: You you they-seek, not me.
- Нас нѐ поканија, а нив не.
They invited us, but not them.
Word by Word: Us us they-invited, and them not.
- Нему му е студено, а нејзе ѝ е топло.
He is cold, but she is warm.
Word by Word: To-him to-him is cold, and to-her to-her is warm.
Нему and нејзе are the full to-someone forms. In speech you will often hear на него му and на неа ѝ.
Common Mistakes
Using the full pronoun without the short one.
Него видов, а неа не.Него го видов, а неа не.The full pronoun adds stress, but the short pronoun must still stand before the verb.
Pairing мене with the wrong short pronoun.
Мене ме се допаѓа.Мене ми се допаѓа.Допаѓа takes a to-someone pronoun (ми, ти, му). Мене looks the same for both kinds, so the short pronoun decides: мене ми here, but мене ме with a verb such as бара.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Full pronouns for contrast combine full pronouns and doubling.
Related Patterns
- ме / те / го / ја / нѐ / ве / гиShort Object Pronouns
The object pronouns that pair with мене, тебе, него, неа.
Level 2 - ми / ти / му / ѝ / ни / ви / имShort To-Someone Pronouns
The to-someone pronouns that pair with мене, нему, нејзе, нам.
Level 2 - ми се допаѓаSaying Something Pleases You
A common place for contrast: Мене ми се допаѓа, а тебе?
Level 2 - јас / ти / тој / тааSubject Pronouns
Subject pronouns carry contrast for the subject: Јас пијам кафе, а таа чај.
Level 1 - Putting the Object First
The same rule for nouns: a known object at the front keeps its short pronoun.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Full Pronouns for Contrast in Bubblegum
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