Short Pronouns at the Start

Level 2Sounds Like kratki zamenki na početokot na rečenicata

A short pronoun such as го, ми or се can open a sentence: Го видов вчера. (I saw him yesterday.) · Ми се допаѓа. (I like it.)

How It Works

The short pronouns (ме, те, го…, ми, ти, му… and се) lean on the verb. In a statement or question they come right before a verb with a personal ending, and nothing else may stand between them and that verb.

At the start: if the verb is the first word, the pronoun comes first: Го видов вчера. · Ти благодарам. · Се викам Ана. · Ми се допаѓа.

After other words: a subject or a time word can come first, but the pronoun still sticks to the verb: Вчера го видов. · Марко ми рече.

After не, ќе and да: these little words come before the pronouns: Не го видов. · Ќе ти се јавам. · Сакам да го видам. The full order before the verb is taught in ред пред глаголот: не; ќе; ми; го.

Different from the neighbours: in Serbian and Croatian these pronouns go to the second place of the sentence (Видео сам га), and in Bulgarian they cannot be the first word, so the verb goes first there. Macedonian follows the verb instead, so Го видов is correct and Видов го is not.

The main exception is a command, where the pronouns follow the verb: Земи го! See заповеден начин + кратка заменка. The verbal adverb in -јќи works the same way (давајќи му го), as you will see in кратки заменки по глаголски прилог.

Examples (6)

  1. Го видов вчера.

    I saw him yesterday.

    Word by Word: Him saw-I yesterday.

  2. Ми се допаѓа.

    I like it.

    Word by Word: To-me itself pleases.

  3. Ти благодарам!

    Thank you!

    Word by Word: To-you I-thank!

    The everyday thank-you phrase itself starts with a short pronoun.

  4. Ќе ти се јавам утре.

    I will call you tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Will to-you myself call-I tomorrow.

  5. Вчера ја сретнав Ана.

    Yesterday I met Ana.

    Word by Word: Yesterday her met-I Ana.

    Вчера comes first, but ја still sits right before the verb.

  6. Не ве разбирам.

    I don't understand you.

    Word by Word: Not you I-understand.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the short pronoun after a verb that is not a command.

    Видов го вчера.
    Го видов вчера.

    This is the Bulgarian word order. In Macedonian the pronoun comes before the verb, even at the start of a sentence.

  • Letting another word slip between the pronoun and the verb.

    Марко ми вчера рече.
    Марко вчера ми рече.

    The pronoun must touch the verb. Place time words and other words before the pronoun or after the verb.

How It Connects

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Short Pronouns at the StartLevel 2

Learn This First

Short pronouns at the start need both pronoun sets.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.