јас / ти / тој / таа

Subject Pronouns

Level 1Sounds Like lični zamenki: ǰas; ti; toǰ; taa

јас I · ти you · тој he · таа she · тоа it · ние we · вие you (plural) · тие they

How It Works

1. The pronouns

  • јас – I
  • ти – you (one person you know well)
  • тој – he; таа – she; тоа – it
  • ние – we
  • вие – you (several people); Вие – polite you
  • тие – they, for men, women and things alike

2. Often left out
Macedonian verbs carry the person in their ending: читам (I), читаш (you), чита (he or she). So Читам книга is complete without јас.

3. When to say them

  • To contrast two people: Ние сме тука, а тие се дома.
  • To introduce who you are talking about: Ова е Марко. Тој е од Битола.

4. Тој, таа and тоа for things
These words follow the noun's gender, not whether it is a person: кафето is neuter, so it is тоа.

5. Watch out for ја
In Macedonian, ја is a short word for her or it. I is always јас.

Examples (6)

  1. Јас сум Ана, а ти?

    I'm Ana, and you?

    Word by Word: I am Ana, and you?

    The pronouns are said aloud to contrast the two people.

  2. Ова е Марко. Тој е од Битола.

    This is Marko. He is from Bitola.

    Word by Word: This is Marko. He is from Bitola.

  3. Таа работи во Скопје.

    She works in Skopje.

    Word by Word: She works in Skopje.

  4. Читам книга.

    I'm reading a book.

    Word by Word: I-read book.

    No јас is needed: the ending -м shows the person.

  5. Ние сме тука, а тие се дома.

    We are here, and they are at home.

    Word by Word: We are here, and they are at-home.

  6. Кафето е тука. Тоа е топло.

    The coffee is here. It is hot.

    Word by Word: Coffee-the is here. It is hot.

    Кафе is neuter, so it is тоа.

Common Mistakes

  • Using Serbian ја for I.

    Ја сум Ана.
    Јас сум Ана.

    In Macedonian, I is јас. Ја means her or it, so Ја сум Ана does not make sense.

  • Using они for they.

    Они се тука.
    Тие се тука.

    Они is Serbian or Russian. The Macedonian word for they is тие.

  • Giving the verb an ending that does not match the pronoun.

    Тој читам.
    Тој чита.

    The verb ending must match the subject. -м is for јас; тој takes the plain form чита.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

јас / ти / тој / тааLevel 1Subject Pronouns

Learn This First

Subject pronouns are introduced with the verb to be.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

вие