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

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/pronouns/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-28

> Esperanto pronouns follow one pattern: add -n for the object and -a for the possessive (mi, min, mia). Full table, si vs li, the old ci and unofficial ri.

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](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/16-rules/). A tenth, *ci*, exists only in the Fundamento's dictionary and is almost never used.

## All personal pronouns

| 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](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/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:

| | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| **Subject** | *mia libro* | *miaj libroj* |
| **Object** | *mian libron* | *miajn librojn* |

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](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/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.

| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| *Petro lavas sin.* | "Peter washes himself." |
| *Petro lavas lin.* | "Peter washes him" (another man). |
| *Ŝi vizitis sian patrinon.* | "She visited her (own) mother." |
| *Ŝi vizitis ŝian patrinon.* | "She visited her (another woman's) mother." |

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](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/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)](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_angla.html) – Akademio de Esperanto
- PMEG: [Personaj pronomoj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/pronomoj/personaj.html), [Posedaj pronomoj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/pronomoj/posedaj.html), [Dua persono (vi, ci)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/pronomoj/dua.html), [Tria persono (li, ŝi, ĝi, ri)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/pronomoj/tria.html), [Si en simplaj frazoj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/pronomoj/si/simplaj_frazoj.html)
- [Esperanto grammar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto_grammar) and [Gender reform in Esperanto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_reform_in_Esperanto) – Wikipedia