Esperanto marks a personal pronoun as a direct object by adding -n: mi → min, vi → vin, ili → ilin. English changes only a few forms—“I/me,” “he/him,” “she/her,” “we/us,” “they/them”—but Esperanto applies one visible rule to the whole set.
The -n shows who receives the action directly. Because that role is marked on the word, Esperanto can move an object for contrast without changing who did what.
The complete subject–object pattern
| Reference | Subject form | Direct-object form |
|---|---|---|
| speaker | mi | min |
| addressee(s) | vi | vin |
| male person | li | lin |
| female person | ŝi | ŝin |
| thing, animal, or contextual referent | ĝi | ĝin |
| speaker plus others | ni | nin |
| multiple referents | ili | ilin |
| unspecified person or people | oni | onin |
| third-person subject reflected back | — | sin |
Vi/vin serves both one addressee and several. Oni/onin is grammatically singular in form but refers generically to an unspecified person or people. Onin is fully regular but very rare in practice, so speakers often recast a sentence instead. Si has no subject use; only its object form sin appears in this table.
Mi aŭdas vin klare.
I hear you clearly.
Ŝi vokis min post la kunveno.
She called me after the meeting.
Ni trovis ilin apud la stacidomo.
We found them near the station.
Direct objects receive -n
A direct object is the participant directly affected, perceived, found, wanted, or otherwise selected by a transitive verb. The verb does not change; the pronoun does.
La infanoj vidas ĝin de la fenestro.
The children see it from the window.
Ĉu vi konas ŝin?
Do you know her?
Mi ne komprenas lin, kiam li parolas tiel rapide.
I do not understand him when he speaks so quickly.
The contrast is visible even when English uses the same form “you”: Vi vidas min means “You see me,” while Mi vidas vin means “I see you.”
Vi helpis min hieraŭ, kaj hodiaŭ mi helpos vin.
You helped me yesterday, and today I will help you.
Case permits flexible word order
Neutral order is usually subject–verb–object, but -n keeps the roles clear when an object is fronted.
Ŝin mi invitis, ne ŝian fraton.
Her I invited, not her brother.
Ilin ni jam konas; la aliajn gastojn ni ankoraŭ ne renkontis.
We already know them; we have not met the other guests yet.
In Ŝin mi invitis, the first word cannot be the subject because ŝin is accusative. Fronting is marked and contrastive; use ordinary Mi invitis ŝin when no special focus is intended.
The pronoun remains an independent word, not an attached object clitic. It may occur before or after the verb according to information structure, but its case does not change.
After an ordinary preposition, do not add -n
A preposition already marks the pronoun's role. Use kun mi, por vi, al ŝi, pri ĝi, de ni, inter ili—not accusative forms. English object forms after prepositions (“with me,” “for him”) can tempt learners to add Esperanto -n, but the two systems are different.
La mesaĝo estas por ŝi, ne por li.
The message is for her, not for him.
Ĉu vi venos kun ni al la muzeo?
Will you come with us to the museum?
— Kiu sidas apud vi? — Mia nova kolego sidas apud mi.
— Who is sitting next to you? — My new colleague is sitting next to me.
Direction can add -n after certain spatial prepositions, but that is a separate directional construction, not the ordinary personal-object rule. At A1, learn the dependable contrast: direct object min; prepositional complement al mi.
Direct and indirect participants
Esperanto does not use an unmarked second object in the same way as English “give me the key.” The thing given is the direct object; the recipient normally follows al.
Bonvolu doni al mi la ŝlosilon.
Please give me the key.
Here la ŝlosilon is the direct object, while al mi names the recipient. In La instruisto montris al ni la mapon, the map is shown and ni are the recipients after al.
La instruisto montris al ni la plej mallongan vojon.
The teacher showed us the shortest route.
Different Esperanto verbs have different argument patterns, so do not decide solely from English word order. Still, once a personal pronoun is a direct object, its -n is regular.
Reflexive objects
When the direct object is the same as a first- or second-person subject, use the normal accusative form: mi lavas min, ni preparas nin, vi vidas vin. With a third-person subject, use sin.
Mi demandis min, ĉu mi fermis la pordon.
I asked myself whether I had closed the door.
La kato purigas sin post la manĝo.
The cat cleans itself after the meal.
La kato purigas ĝin post la manĝo.
The cat cleans it after the meal.
In the last sentence, ĝin refers to something other than the subject cat. Sin is not simply another word for English “him/her/it”; it specifically points back to a third-person subject in its clause. The detailed rules belong on The Reflexive Pronoun Si.
Coordinated and recoverable objects
Each coordinated direct object shows its role. This matters even when both items are pronouns.
La gastiganto salutis ŝin kaj min ĉe la pordo.
The host greeted her and me at the door.
In an answer, a verb may be omitted when the question makes it recoverable, but the case remains:
— Kiun ili elektis? — Min, sed ne lin.
— Whom did they choose? — Me, but not him.
The answer forms are min and lin because the understood verb elektis still treats them as direct objects.
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving a direct-object pronoun unmarked
❌ Mi vidas ŝi ĉiutage.
Incorrect: ŝi is the subject form, but the pronoun is the direct object.
✅ Mi vidas ŝin ĉiutage.
I see her every day.
2. Adding -n after an ordinary preposition
❌ Ĉu vi venos kun nin?
Incorrect: kun already marks the pronoun's role.
✅ Ĉu vi venos kun ni?
Will you come with us?
3. Copying English double-object order
❌ Donu min la kvitancon, mi petas.
Incorrect: the recipient is introduced with al; min would mean that I am the thing given.
✅ Donu al mi la kvitancon, mi petas.
Give me the receipt, please.
4. Using sin for first person
❌ Mi preparis sin por la intervjuo.
Incorrect: sin cannot refer to subject mi.
✅ Mi preparis min por la intervjuo.
I prepared myself for the interview.
5. Forgetting case in a short answer
❌ — Kiun ŝi vokis? — Mi.
Incorrect: the understood role is direct object.
✅ — Kiun ŝi vokis? — Min.
— Whom did she call? — Me.
Key Takeaways
Add -n to a personal pronoun used as a direct object: min, vin, lin, ŝin, ĝin, nin, ilin, onin, sin. Do not add -n merely because English uses an object-form pronoun; after ordinary prepositions use kun mi, al ŝi, pri ili. First and second persons form reflexive objects with their ordinary accusative forms, while third-person subjects use sin.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Personal Pronouns: OverviewA1 — Learn Esperanto personal pronouns as a system of person, number, accusative marking, possession, and reflexive reference.
- Pronouns after PrepositionsB2 — Use basic, reflexive, and directional pronoun forms accurately after Esperanto prepositions.
- The Reflexive Pronoun SiA1 — Use si and sin when a third-person subject refers back to itself, and distinguish reflexive reference from ordinary third-person pronouns.
- The Accusative -N: OverviewA1 — Understand how Esperanto uses final -n to mark direct objects, direction, time, and measurement without relying on word order.
- Direct ObjectsA1 — Learn which Esperanto verb complements are direct objects, how -n marks them, and how object marking remains stable when word order changes.
- Word Order with PronounsC1 — Place Esperanto pronouns by grammatical role and information structure rather than treating them as fixed English-style subjects or unstressed clitics.