Despite a common learner assumption, ci is not Esperanto's respectful “you.” It is an extremely rare singular second-person pronoun (archaic) whose social nuance never became stable. Modern neutral Esperanto uses vi for one person or several, for friends or strangers, and for people of every rank.
Ci appears in the Universala Vortaro and in one exercise of the Fundamento, so it is not an invented reform. Yet PMEG stresses that it was never a normal earlier stage of Esperanto that later “died out.” It has always been marginal: experimental, occasional in translations, and unfamiliar to many speakers.
Vi is the complete modern system
Vi is neutral for number, gender, intimacy, and social status. Politeness comes from titles, greetings, modal phrasing, and tone—not from choosing a separate respectful pronoun.
Sinjorino Alvarez, ĉu vi deziras sidiĝi?
Ms. Alvarez, would you like to sit down?
Kara Amira, vi povas rakonti al mi ĉion.
Dear Amira, you can tell me everything.
Vi ambaŭ ricevos retmesaĝon morgaŭ.
Both of you will receive an email tomorrow.
The same vi addresses a respected stranger, an intimate friend, and two people. Add sinjorino, kara, ambaŭ, or ĉiuj when those meanings matter.
The forms of ci
As a personal pronoun, ci would form accusative cin and possessive cia regularly. The possessive agrees with the possessed noun: cia libro, ciaj libroj, cian libron, ciajn librojn. All these forms are (archaic) in the practical sense that learners should recognize them only in rare historical, translated, or experimental texts.
| Role | Rare form | Modern neutral form |
|---|---|---|
| singular addressee as subject | ci | vi |
| singular addressee as object | cin | vin |
| singular addressee as possessor | cia | via |
The only ci sentence in the Fundamenta Ekzercaro is:
Ci skribas.
You write. (archaic; the exercise itself notes that vi is ordinarily used instead)
Constructed form contrasts illustrate the paradigm but should not be treated as conversational recommendations:
Mi vidis cin hieraŭ.
I saw you yesterday. (archaic; experimental use)
Cia letero alvenis hodiaŭ.
Your letter arrived today. (archaic; experimental use)
The modern versions are Mi vidis vin hieraŭ and Via letero alvenis hodiaŭ.
Ci is singular, not familiar or respectful by rule
Speakers of languages with a T/V distinction often try to map familiar “thou/tu/du” to ci and polite “you/vous/Sie” to vi. Esperanto did not establish that opposition. Because practical use of ci is too sparse, it can be interpreted as intimate, insulting, theatrical, or simply puzzling.
En la malnova traduko la reĝo subite diras ‘ci’ al la junulo.
In the old translation, the king suddenly says ci to the young man.
Such a choice may imitate a source language's familiar pronoun (literary), but it does not prove that everyday Esperanto shares that source language's social rules.
— Ĉu ni uzu ci en la dialogo? — Ne; vi estos pli klara por la nuna publiko.
— Should we use ci in the dialogue? — No; vi will be clearer for a modern audience.
For ordinary courtesy strategies, see Politeness without T/V Pronouns.
Reflexive reference with ci
Grammatically, ci is second person. Like mi, ni, and vi, it repeats its own pronoun base for same-person objects and possessions. It would not use third-person sin/sia.
Ci vidas cin en la spegulo.
You see yourself in the mirror. (archaic; experimental use)
Ci prenis cian mantelon.
You took your own coat. (archaic; experimental use)
This mirrors neutral Vi vidas vin and Vi prenis vian mantelon. Sin/sia is reserved for third-person subjects. The structure is regular even though the ci forms themselves are practically unused.
The verb does not mark person: mi skribas, vi skribas, ci skribas, ili skribas. There is no special “ci conjugation.”
Ci is not ĉi
Full Esperanto orthography distinguishes ci from ĉi. Rare pronoun ci has plain c. Particle ĉi, with a circumflex, marks proximity in expressions such as tiu ĉi “this one” and ĉi tie “here.” They are unrelated words.
Ĉi tiu libro estas via.
This book is yours.
The first word is proximity particle ĉi, not a personal pronoun. Confusing them changes both pronunciation and grammar.
Historical evidence and pedagogical recommendation
The accurate status has three parts:
- Foundational status: ci/cin/cia are legitimate forms found in the foundational lexicon and exercise tradition.
- Attested usage: rare literary translations and small experimental circles have used them (literary).
- Modern recommendation: use vi/vin/via in normal speech and writing, including respectful and intimate interaction.
Calling ci “historical” must not imply it was once the everyday norm. It was not. Calling it “respectful” is still more misleading: its scarce attestations do not establish one reliable politeness value.
Common Mistakes
1. Using ci as a respectful form
❌ Direktoro, ĉu ci povas subskribi ĉi tion?
Wrong choice for respectful modern address: ci has no established honorific value.
✅ Direktoro, ĉu vi povas subskribi ĉi tion?
Director, can you sign this?
2. Treating vi as plural only
❌ Mi parolas al unu gasto, do mi ne povas uzi la pronomon vi.
Incorrect: vi is standard for one addressee as well as several.
✅ Mi parolas al unu gasto, kaj mi uzas la pronomon vi.
I am speaking to one guest, and I use the pronoun vi.
3. Inventing a plural personal form cij
❌ Cij ĉiuj venu ĉi tien.
Incorrect: personal ci has no plural -j form, and modern plural address uses vi.
✅ Vi ĉiuj venu ĉi tien.
All of you, come here.
4. Using third-person sin with ci
❌ Ci lavis sin antaŭ la vespermanĝo.
Structurally incorrect: a second-person subject repeats its own pronoun base.
✅ Ci lavis cin antaŭ la vespermanĝo.
You washed yourself before dinner. (archaic form shown for grammatical contrast)
5. Confusing ci with proximity particle ĉi
❌ Ĉi skribas leteron.
Incorrect for ‘you write’: ĉi with a circumflex is a proximity particle.
✅ Vi skribas leteron.
You are writing a letter.
Key Takeaways
Ci is a legitimate but extremely rare singular second-person pronoun (archaic), not a modern respectful form and not evidence of a normal historical T/V system. Its theoretical forms are ci, cin, cia, with second-person reflexive cin/cian, but active modern Esperanto uses vi, vin, via for every addressee. Keep plain ci distinct from proximity particle ĉi.
Related Topics
- Personal Pronouns: OverviewA1 — Learn Esperanto personal pronouns as a system of person, number, accusative marking, possession, and reflexive reference.
- Vi for Singular and PluralA1 — Use vi for one or several addressees, clarify number through context and agreement, and form vin and via regularly.
- Accusative Personal PronounsA1 — Add -n to a personal pronoun when it is a direct object, while leaving pronouns after ordinary prepositions unmarked.
- Possessive Forms in -AA1 — Form Esperanto possessives by adding -a to personal pronouns and use them as determiner-like words before nouns.
- Ĉi as a Proximity ParticleA2 — Use the separate invariant particle ĉi with demonstratives to mark physical or discourse proximity, with correct spacing and agreement.
- Politeness without T-V PronounsA2 — Use neutral vi with every addressee and express respect through wording, titles, mitigation, reasons, and conversational sequencing.