μου

Ancient Greek

first person pronoun ^(edit)

case	singular		dual	plural
	str.	encl.	str.	str.
nominative	ἐγώ		νώ, νῶϊ	ἡμεῖς
genitive	ἐμοῦ	μου	νῷν	ἡμῶν
dative	ἐμοί	μοι	νῷν	ἡμῖν
accusative	ἐμέ	με	νώ, νῶϊ	ἡμᾶς
adjective	ἐμός		νωΐτερος	ἡμέτερος

Alternative forms

• ἐμοῦ (emoû) — stressed
• ἐμοῦγε (emoûge) — emphatic
• μευ (meu) — Epic, Ionic

Etymology

enclitic genitive of ἐγώ (egṓ)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /muː/ → /mu/ → /mu/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /muː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /mu/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /mu/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /mu/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /mu/

Pronoun

μου • (mou)

1. (genitively): "of me", "than me", etc.
2. (possessively): "my" (possessive adjective, definite article must be present)
3. (reflexively): "of mine", "of my own" (only without the definite article, and so "a/an (something) of my own")
   • 330 BCE, Demosthenes, On the Crown Section 28:

     εἶτα τοῦτο μὲν οὐχὶ λέγει τὸ ψήφισμ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἀναγιγνώσκει: εἰ δὲ βουλεύων ἐγὼ προσάγειν τοὺς πρέσβεις ᾤμην δεῖν, τοῦτό μου διαβάλλει. ἀλλὰ τί ἐχρῆν με ποιεῖν; μὴ προσάγειν γράψαι τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦθ᾽ ἥκοντας, ἵν᾽ ὑμῖν διαλεχθῶσιν; ἢ θέαν μὴ κατανεῖμαι τὸν ἀρχιτέκτον᾽ αὐτοῖς κελεῦσαι; ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τοῖν δυοῖν ὀβολοῖν ἐθεώρουν ἄν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτ᾽ ἐγράφη. τὰ μικρὰ συμφέροντα τῆς πόλεως ἔδει με φυλάττειν, τὰ δ᾽ ὅλα, ὥσπερ οὗτοι, πεπρακέναι; οὐ δήπου. λέγε τοίνυν μοι τὸ ψήφισμα τουτὶ λαβών, ὃ σαφῶς οὗτος εἰδὼς παρέβη.

     That decree Aeschines neither cites nor reads. I suggested in Council that the Macedonian ambassadors should be introduced; he gives a false account of this (suggestion) of mine. What ought I to have done? Objected to the introduction of men who had come expressly to confer with you? Ordered the lessee not to give them reserved seats in the theatre? But they could have sat in the threepenny seats, if I had not moved my resolution. Or was it my business to take care of the public pence, and put up the state for sale, like Aeschines and his friends? Surely not. Please take and read this decree, which the prosecutor omitted, though he knows it well.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μου (mou).

Pronoun

μου • (mou) (possessive and genitive)

1. (as the weak genitive case form of εγώ): of me
2. (possessive) my

   Το παιδί μου κι εγώ.

   To paidí mou ki egó.

   My child and I.

   το όνομά μου είναι …

   to ónomá mou eínai …

   my name is …

3. (personal, indirect object) me

   Μου είπε την αλήθεια.

   Mou eípe tin alítheia.

   He told me the truth.

Notes

As the dative case has disappeared from Greek in the modern period, μου has replaced μοι (moi) in functioning to mark the indirect object of a verb. In addition, the English possessive pronoun "mine", once rendered in Ancient Greek by ἐμός (emós) with the definite article, is rendered in modern Greek by the appropriate declentive of the pronoun δικός (dikós) followed by μου.

Synonyms

• (personal): εμένα (eména) (strong form)

Related terms

First person forms

	singular (familiar)			plural (formal)
	strong	weak		strong	weak
nominative	εγώ (egó)	—		εμείς (emeís)	—
genitive	εμένα (eména)	μου† (mou†)		εμάς (emás)	μας† (mas†)
accusative	εμένα (eména)	με (me)		εμάς (emás)	μας (mas)

There is no 1st person vocative case.
† These terms double as possessive pronouns.
All personal pronoun forms are displayed at εγώ (egó, “I”).

Interjection

μου • (mou)

1. (onomatopoeia) moo; the characteristic sound made by a cow or bull.