με links participants: people acting together, an action and its instrument, a journey and its vehicle, or a person and a visible feature. English often switches among with, by, in, and per where Greek keeps με. Uses are neutral unless marked.
The map of meanings
| Use | Greek example | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| accompaniment | με τη Σοφία | with Sofia |
| instrument | με ένα κλειδί | with a key |
| transport | με το μετρό | by metro |
| manner | με προσοχή | carefully |
| description | η κοπέλα με τα μπλε μάτια | the girl with blue eyes |
| rate | πληρωμή με την ώρα | payment by the hour |
| along with | μαζί με την απόδειξη | along with the receipt |
Like the other core everyday prepositions, με takes the accusative. It does not contract with the article: με τον, με τη(ν), με το remain two words. Form and strong pronouns are reviewed on the basic με page.
Accompaniment and “along with”
With a person, με normally means that the participants share an activity. Adding μαζί makes “together / along with” explicit, especially when the second item is an addition rather than a companion.
Πήγα για καφέ με τη Σοφία μετά τη δουλειά.
pígha ya kafé me ti Sofía metá ti dhuliá
I went for coffee with Sofia after work.
Στείλε μου την απόδειξη μαζί με τα υπόλοιπα έγγραφα.
stíle mu tin apódhiksi mazí me ta ipólipa éngrafa
Send me the receipt along with the other documents.
With pronouns, use a strong accusative form — με μένα, με σένα, με αυτόν — although μαζί μου, μαζί σου, μαζί του is often more idiomatic for simple companionship.
Instrument and means of transport
An instrument is the object used to perform an action. A vehicle is the means by which a journey happens, so Greek treats the two alike.
Άνοιξε το κουτί με ένα μαχαίρι, γιατί δεν βρήκε ψαλίδι.
ánikse to kutí me éna machéri, yatí dhen vríke psalídhi
He opened the box with a knife because he couldn't find scissors.
Ήρθα με το μετρό για να αποφύγω την κίνηση.
írtha me to metró ya na apofívgho tin kínisi
I came by metro to avoid the traffic.
Transport also appears without an article when the mode is being contrasted: ταξιδεύω με τρένο, όχι με αεροπλάνο. With a vehicle relevant to this journey, the article is common: ήρθα με το αυτοκίνητο. Both patterns are standard.
Manner: a prepositional phrase acting as an adverb
With an abstract noun, με + noun tells us how an action is performed. Such phrases often omit the article and function much like a one-word adverb: με προσοχή ≈ προσεκτικά, με ειλικρίνεια ≈ ειλικρινά, με χαρά ≈ χαρούμενα. The two versions are close, not always perfectly interchangeable: the με-phrase can give the quality more weight.
Διάβασε το συμβόλαιο με προσοχή πριν το υπογράψεις.
dhiávase to simvóleo me prosochí prin to ipoghrápsis
Read the contract carefully before you sign it.
Μου απάντησε με ειλικρίνεια και το εκτίμησα.
mu apándise me ilikrínia ke to ektímisa
She answered me honestly, and I appreciated it.
The article is lexical, not predictable in every expression. Με προσοχή has none, but the fixed phrase με το ζόρι keeps it.
Description: identifying by a feature
A με-phrase inside a noun phrase attributes a feature, possession, or contents to the noun. It helps the listener identify which person or object is meant.
Η κοπέλα με τα μπλε μάτια είναι η καινούρια μας γειτόνισσα.
i kopéla me ta ble mátia íne i kenúria mas yitónisa
The girl with blue eyes is our new neighbour.
The relationship is descriptive, not necessarily permanent: ο άντρας με την κόκκινη ομπρέλα is simply “the man with the red umbrella” in the present scene.
Rates, ranges, and scores
With a time unit, με can organize payment or rental by that unit: με την ώρα “by the hour,” με τον μήνα “by the month.” It also links endpoints in a range and sides in a score: δύο με τέσσερις “two to four,” κέρδισαν με δύο μηδέν “they won two–nil.” These are conventional extensions of linkage, not accompaniment.
Σ' αυτή τη δουλειά πληρώνεσαι με την ώρα.
s' aftí ti dhuliá plirónese me tin óra
In this job you're paid by the hour.
Do not learn μία με μία as “one by one”: the distributive is μία μία, without με. A one–one score is ένα-ένα or ένα προς ένα.
Fixed everyday expressions
Με τα πόδια always keeps the article and means “on foot.” Με το ζόρι can mean “by force” or, very commonly, “with great difficulty / barely”; context decides.
Πάμε με τα πόδια, το μαγαζί είναι πολύ κοντά.
páme me ta pódhia, to maghazí íne polí kondá
Let's walk; the shop is very close.
Άνοιξα την πόρτα με το ζόρι, γιατί είχε κολλήσει.
ániksa tin pórta me to zóri, yatí íche kolísi
I only managed to open the door with great difficulty because it was stuck.
Instrument με versus agent από
In a passive clause, από names who caused the action; με names what was used.
Η φωτογραφία τραβήχτηκε από τη Μαρία με το κινητό μου.
i fotoghrafía travíchtike apó ti María me to kinitó mu
The photo was taken by Maria with my phone.
Common Mistakes
1. Using a subject pronoun after με. A preposition requires a strong accusative pronoun.
❌ Θέλεις να έρθεις με εγώ;
Incorrect — use μένα / εμένα after με.
✅ Θέλεις να έρθεις με μένα;
thélis na érthis me ména;
Do you want to come with me?
2. Leaving the article in the nominative. με governs the accusative but never contracts.
❌ Μίλησα με ο γιατρός.
Incorrect — use the accusative: με τον γιατρό.
✅ Μίλησα με τον γιατρό.
mílisa me ton yatró
I spoke with the doctor.
3. Putting an adverb after με. Choose either με + noun or the adverb alone.
❌ Οδήγησε με προσεκτικά.
Incorrect — προσεκτικά is already an adverb.
✅ Οδήγησε με προσοχή.
odhíyise me prosochí
He drove carefully.
Key Takeaways
- με links an action with company, an instrument, a vehicle, a manner, or a descriptive feature.
- Manner phrases such as με προσοχή act like adverbs, while descriptive με-phrases identify a noun.
- με τα πόδια and με το ζόρι are fixed with their articles.
- In passives, από marks the agent and με the instrument.
- Rates use expressions such as με την ώρα; “one by one” is μία μία, not a fixed με-expression.
Related Topics
- με: with, byA1 — How με links companions, instruments, transport, and manner, always with an accusative complement.
- Manner AdverbsA2 — Use common Greek manner adverbs to say how something happens, place them naturally, and distinguish true adverbs from agreeing μόνος μου.
- από in DepthA2 — How Greek uses από for source, origin, separation, causes, passive agents, partitives, materials, paths, and comparisons.