ми / ти / му / ѝ / ни / ви / им
Short To-Someone Pronouns
To say to me, to her or to them, Macedonian uses a short pronoun right before the verb: Ми даде книга. (She gave me a book.)
How It Works
Macedonian nouns have no case endings, but the short pronouns still show who receives something. They answer the question to whom? with verbs such as дава (give), кажува (tell), пишува (write), покажува (show) and се јавува (call).
The forms:
- ми — to me
- ти — to you (one friend)
- му — to him, or to it (a masculine or neuter noun such as детето)
- ѝ — to her
- ни — to us
- ви — to you (several people, or polite Вие)
- им — to them
Where they go: right before a verb with a personal ending: Ми даде книга. If не, ќе or да comes first, the pronoun sits between that word and the verb: Не ми кажа. · Ќе ти покажам. · Сакам да ти покажам. The pronoun can open the sentence, which is explained in кратки заменки на почетокот на реченицата. After a command it moves behind the verb, as in Кажи ми! (see заповеден начин + кратка заменка).
Spelling: ѝ (to her) always has the grave mark, because plain и means and (see ѐ; ѝ). The pronoun ти looks the same as ти (you, the subject); its place right before the verb tells you it means to you.
Naming the person too: when you also name the person with на, the short pronoun stays: Му дадов книга на Марко. This is covered in на + лице за индиректен објект. The same short forms also follow family words to mean my, your and so on: мајка ми (my mother), explained in мајка ми; брат ми.
Examples (6)
- Ми даде книга.
She gave me a book.
Word by Word: To-me gave book.
The ending of даде does not show who gave it; context tells you it is she, he or you.
- Ѝ пишувам писмо.
I am writing her a letter.
Word by Word: To-her I-write letter.
- Им се јавив вчера.
I called them yesterday.
Word by Word: To-them myself called-I yesterday.
Се јавува means to call someone on the phone; им says who was called.
- Ќе ти покажам нешто.
I will show you something.
Word by Word: Will to-you I-show something.
- Не ни кажаа ништо.
They did not tell us anything.
Word by Word: Not to-us told-they nothing.
- Што ви донесе Марко?
What did Marko bring you?
Word by Word: What to-you brought Marko?
Ви is several people, or one person addressed politely with Вие.
Common Mistakes
Using the object pronoun ја instead of ѝ for "to her".
Ја пишувам писмо.Ѝ пишувам писмо.Ја means "her" as the thing acted on, as in Ја видов (I saw her). The person who receives the letter takes ѝ.
Writing ѝ without its grave mark.
И дадов подарок.Ѝ дадов подарок.Plain и means "and", so the first sentence reads "And I gave a gift." The mark on ѝ is what makes it "to her".
How It Connects
Learn This First
To-someone pronouns build on object pronouns and short possessives.
Related Patterns
- на + PersonIndirect Objects with На
When the person is named with на, the short to-someone pronoun is still used before the verb.
Level 2 - ми го / ти ја / му гиTwo Short Pronouns Together
A to-someone pronoun and an object pronoun can appear together, and the to-someone pronoun comes first.
Level 2 - ѐ / ѝThe Marks on Ѐ and Ѝ
The grave mark on ѝ keeps "to her" apart from и "and".
Level 1 - ми се допаѓаSaying Something Pleases You
Liking something is expressed with a to-someone pronoun: Ми се допаѓа.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ми / ти / му / ѝ / ни / ви / им in Bubblegum
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