Esperanto pronouns: mi, vi, li, ŝi, si and more

Esperanto's personal pronouns are mi – "I", vi – "you", li – "he", ŝi – "she", ĝi – "it", ni – "we", ili – "they", oni – "one, people" and the reflexive si. Add -n for the object (min – "me") and -a for the possessive (mia – "my"). There are no other forms to learn.

These nine pronouns are listed in rule 5 of the 16 rules. A tenth, ci, exists only in the Fundamento's dictionary and is almost never used.

#All personal pronouns

mi + -n = min

Pronoun	English	Object (-n)	Possessive (-a)
mi	I	min – me	mia – my, mine
vi	you (one or many)	vin – you	via – your, yours
li	he	lin – him	lia – his
ŝi	she	ŝin – her	ŝia – her, hers
ĝi	it	ĝin – it	ĝia – its
ni	we	nin – us	nia – our, ours
ili	they	ilin – them	ilia – their, theirs
oni	one, people	onin – one (rare)	onia – one's (rare)
si	(reflexive)	sin – himself, herself, itself, themselves	sia – his/her/its/their own

• vi is singular and plural, formal and informal. One word covers "you", "you all" and the polite "you".
• ĝi is for things, animals and small babies.
• ili is for any group of people or things, with no gender.
• oni means people in general: Oni diras, ke… – "People say that…". It often matches an English passive: Oni parolas Esperanton tie. – "Esperanto is spoken there." Onin and onia are regular but rarely needed.

The object form follows the rules on the accusative: Ŝi amas lin. – "She loves him." Ĉu vi vidis min? – "Did you see me?"

#Possessives agree like adjectives

Possessives are adjectives, so they take -j and -n from their noun:

A possessive already makes the noun definite, so it is never combined with la before a noun: mia libro, not la mia libro. Alone, la mia means "mine": Tiu ĉambro estas la mia. – "That room is mine." See the article.

#Si, sin, sia: the reflexive

Si points back to the subject of its own clause, and only when that subject is third person: li, ŝi, ĝi, ili, oni or a noun.

Two rules prevent most mistakes:

1. Only third person. For mi, vi, ni, use their own forms: Mi lavas min. – "I wash myself." Ni amas nian urbon. – "We love our town."
2. Never in the subject. Anna kaj ŝia fratino venis. – "Anna and her sister came." Sia is wrong here, because the phrase is the subject itself. With kun it becomes correct: Anna kun sia fratino venis.

#Ci: the old "thou"

The Fundamento's dictionary contains ci, an intimate singular "you", but the 16 rules do not mention it. PMEG states that ci has never really been used in practice and that many speakers would not understand it. Normal Esperanto always uses vi.

#Ri and gender-neutral pronouns

Esperanto has no official pronoun for one person of unknown or unspecified gender. Traditionally li was used, which is now increasingly criticised as sexist. Zamenhof also allowed ĝi for people of unknown sex, but PMEG warns that using it for adults can sound objectifying.

The unofficial pronoun ri (rin, ria) means "he or she" for one person, regardless of gender. PMEG marks it as unofficial and notes that it has spread fairly widely, especially among young speakers. According to English Wikipedia it was the most popular gender-neutral proposal as of 2019; the Akademio de Esperanto has not adopted it.

• Mia amiko diris, ke ri venos. – "My friend said they would come."

#Pronouns after prepositions

After a preposition, pronouns stay in their basic form: kun mi – "with me", por vi – "for you", al ŝi – "to her". The receiver of an action takes al: Donu al mi la libron. – "Give me the book." See prepositions.

#Examples in sentences

• Mi amas vin. – "I love you."
• Ni parolis pri vi hieraŭ. – "We were talking about you yesterday."
• Ŝi donis al li sian libron. – "She gave him her (own) book."
• Ŝi donis al li lian libron. – "She gave him his book."
• Ili vizitis siajn gepatrojn. – "They visited their (own) parents."
• Li lavas sin ĉiumatene. – "He washes every morning."
• La hundo ludas kun sia pilko. – "The dog is playing with its ball."
• Ĉu tiu ombrelo estas via aŭ mia? – "Is that umbrella yours or mine?"
• Oni diras, ke la vintro estos malvarma. – "People say the winter will be cold."

#Common questions

#How do you say "you" formally in Esperanto?

Use vi, for one person or many, formal or informal. For extra politeness add a title such as sinjoro – "sir" or sinjorino – "madam".

#What is the difference between sia and lia?

Sia refers back to the subject of the clause: Li legas sian libron – "He is reading his (own) book". Lia means someone else's: Li legas lian libron – "He is reading his (another man's) book".

#Does Esperanto have a gender-neutral pronoun?

Not officially. The unofficial ri is the most widely used option; li and ĝi were used traditionally for people of unknown sex.

#Is ci still used in Esperanto?

Almost never. It appears only in the Fundamento's dictionary, and PMEG recommends always using vi.

#How do you say "mine" or "yours"?

Use the possessive with la: la mia – "mine", la via – "yours". It agrees like an adjective: Viaj ŝuoj estas novaj, la miaj estas malnovaj. – "Your shoes are new, mine are old."

#Sources

• Fundamento de Esperanto, rule 5 (English) – Akademio de Esperanto
• PMEG: Personaj pronomoj, Posedaj pronomoj, Dua persono (vi, ci), Tria persono (li, ŝi, ĝi, ri), Si en simplaj frazoj
• Esperanto grammar and Gender reform in Esperanto – Wikipedia