English has one phrase for mutual action — each other — and uses it everywhere. Greek spreads the job across four devices that sit at different points on the register scale and carry different amounts of precision: the verb ending (αγκαλιάζονται), the everyday μεταξύ τους, the explicit ο ένας τον άλλον, and the learned prefix αλληλο-. This page is the inventory, and it teaches the two phrasal ones in full.
| Device | Register | What it contributes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| the -ομαι ending | everyday | folds the action between the parties, but can also be read as a passive | αγκαλιάζονται |
| μεταξύ τους | everyday, speech and writing | keeps the action inside the group | Μιλάνε μεταξύ τους. |
| ο ένας τον άλλον | everyday, slightly fuller | pairs the parties off, one to the other, in a stated case | Βοηθάνε ο ένας τον άλλον. |
| αλληλο- | (formal), written | welds the mutuality into the verb itself | αλληλοϋποστηρίζονται |
The first of the four belongs to the verb, not to this page: how αγαπιούνται, φιλιούνται, συναντιούνται, τσακώνονται, δεν μιλιούνται work, and the fact that the reciprocal needs two parties rather than a plural subject (so Συναντιέμαι με τη Μαρία is just as reciprocal as Συναντιούνται), are all on the reciprocal middle. The fourth is (formal) and derivational, and has its own page.
μεταξύ τους: the everyday one
μεταξύ is one of the small set of prepositions that take the genitive, which is why it attaches a weak genitive clitic rather than a strong pronoun. Only the plural clitics turn up here — μεταξύ μας, μεταξύ σας, μεταξύ τους — since being "among" takes more than one person.
Τα αδέρφια τα βρήκαν μεταξύ τους και δεν πήγαν σε δικηγόρο.
ta adhérfia ta vríkan metaksí tus ke dhen píghan se dhikighóro
The siblings sorted it out between themselves and never went to a lawyer.
Οι δύο υπουργοί συμφώνησαν μεταξύ τους πριν καν αρχίσει η συνεδρίαση.
i dhío ipuryí simfónisan metaksí tus prin kan archísi i sinedhríasi
The two ministers had agreed between themselves before the session even started.
Two things about it are worth knowing beyond the basic meaning. First, μεταξύ μας on its own is a discourse formula meaning between you and me, off the record (informal).
Μεταξύ μας, δεν του πολυάρεσε το δώρο που του πήραμε.
metaksí mas, dhen tu poliárese to dhóro pu tu pírame
Between ourselves, he wasn't all that keen on the present we got him. (informal)
Second, unlike ο ένας τον άλλον it can take a full noun instead of a clitic — and that noun goes into the genitive, which is where learners come unstuck.
Οι διαφορές μεταξύ των δύο κειμένων είναι ελάχιστες.
i dhiaforés metaksí ton dhío kiménon íne eláchistes
The differences between the two texts are minimal. (formal)
In relaxed speech you will also hear αναμεταξύ μας / αναμεταξύ τους, an expanded variant of the same word with no change of meaning (informal).
Τα λένε αναμεταξύ τους και μετά μας ανακοινώνουν την απόφαση.
ta léne anametaksí tus ke metá mas anakinónun tin apófasi
They talk it over among themselves and then announce the decision to us. (informal)
ο ένας τον άλλον: a phrase made of two slots
This is the precise device, and its shape is the whole lesson. It is not one frozen chunk like English each other; it is two separate slots doing two different jobs.
- Slot 1 — ο ένας. An echo of the subject. Because it stands in apposition to that subject it is nominative, however the rest of the sentence is built. (In the one environment where there is no subject to echo — inside a noun phrase — it takes its own case instead; see below.)
- Slot 2 — τον άλλον. The real argument. It takes whatever case the verb or the preposition demands.
| Role of slot 2 | Masculine / mixed | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| direct object | ο ένας τον άλλον | η μία την άλλη | το ένα το άλλο |
| after σε | ο ένας στον άλλον | η μία στην άλλη | το ένα στο άλλο |
| after με | ο ένας με τον άλλον | η μία με την άλλη | το ένα με το άλλο |
| after από | ο ένας από τον άλλον | η μία από την άλλη | το ένα από το άλλο |
| possessor ("each other's") | ο ένας του άλλου | η μία της άλλης | το ένα του άλλου |
Gender and number come from the subject: two men or a mixed group take the masculine, two women the feminine, and anything grammatically neuter — τα παιδιά, τα σκυλιά, τα δύο χωριά — takes το ένα το άλλο. What the phrase never does is change for person: whether the subject is εμείς, εσείς or αυτοί, it stays ο ένας τον άλλον.
Στη δουλειά καλύπτουν ο ένας τον άλλον όταν κάποιος αργήσει.
sti dhuliá kalíptun o énas ton álon ótan kápios aryísi
At work they cover for each other when somebody's running late.
Οι δύο φίλες τα λένε όλα η μία στην άλλη, δεν κρύβουν τίποτα.
i dhío fíles ta léne óla i mía stin áli, dhen krívun típota
The two friends tell each other everything — they keep nothing back.
Τα δύο σκυλιά γλείφουν το ένα το άλλο μετά το μπάνιο.
ta dhío skiliá ghlífun to éna to álo metá to bánio
The two dogs lick each other after their bath.
Πρέπει να στηρίζουμε ο ένας τον άλλον, αλλιώς δεν βγαίνει τίποτα.
prépi na stirízume o énas ton álon, aliós dhen vyéni típota
We have to support each other, otherwise nothing gets done.
The preposition goes in the middle
English puts the preposition in front of the whole phrase: to each other, with each other, from each other. Greek puts it inside, in front of slot 2 only, and leaves slot 1 untouched in the nominative. Get this backwards and the sentence stops being Greek.
Δίνουν κουράγιο ο ένας στον άλλον στα δύσκολα.
dhínun kuráyo o énas ston álon sta dhískola
They give each other courage when things get hard.
Ζητήσαμε συγγνώμη ο ένας από τον άλλον και το ξεχάσαμε.
zitísame sighnómi o énas apó ton álon ke to ksechásame
We apologised to each other and let it go.
The two halves do not have to stay side by side, either: with a possessive genitive the possessed noun regularly comes between them.
Ξέρουν ο ένας τα μυστικά του άλλου από το δημοτικό.
ksérun o énas ta mistiká tu álu apó to dhimotikó
They've known each other's secrets since primary school.
Inside a noun phrase there is no subject for slot 1 to echo, so it simply takes the case its own position wants — usually a genitive — and the result is decidedly (formal).
Η εμπιστοσύνη του ενός προς τον άλλον χτίζεται με τα χρόνια.
i embistosíni tu enós pros ton álon chtízete me ta chrónia
Trust in one another is built up over years. (formal)
In speech the final -ν of τον άλλον is very often dropped — ο ένας τον άλλο (informal) — and both spellings are accepted in writing.
Sequence, not mutuality: ο ένας μετά τον άλλον
The same two-slot frame with a spatial or temporal preposition stops being reciprocal and becomes a description of an arrangement: one after the other, one next to the other, one on top of the other. Nothing mutual is going on — the parties are simply lined up.
Έφευγαν ο ένας μετά τον άλλον, χωρίς να πει κανείς τίποτα.
éfevghan o énas metá ton álon, chorís na pi kanís típota
They left one after the other, without a word from anybody.
Κάθισαν ο ένας δίπλα στον άλλον χωρίς να κοιταχτούν.
káthisan o énas dhípla ston álon chorís na kitachtún
They sat down next to each other without looking at one another.
The rest of the άλλος family — ο άλλος, οι άλλοι, κάποιος άλλος — is on ο άλλος.
The learned αλλήλων, αλλήλους
Ancient Greek had a real reciprocal pronoun, and it survives in modern Greek as a (formal) fossil you read rather than say. Its most interesting property is a gap: it has no nominative, because a reciprocal pronoun can never be the subject of its own clause. Compare that with ο ένας, which is nominative precisely because it is a subject-echo — the two devices are built on opposite principles.
| Case | Form | Status today |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | — | does not exist, in any period |
| Genitive | αλλήλων | (formal) — legal, academic and ecclesiastical prose |
| Accusative | αλλήλους / αλλήλας / άλληλα | (archaic) — essentially fixed quotations |
| Dative | αλλήλοις | (archaic) — dead with the rest of the dative |
Αγαπάτε αλλήλους, λέει το Ευαγγέλιο.
aghapáte alílus, léi to Evangélio
Love one another, says the Gospel. (archaic — a fixed quotation, not a living form)
The other phrase every Greek recognises is αλλήλων τα βάρη βαστάζετε, "bear one another's burdens", quoted the way English quotes the King James Bible. Beyond such set pieces, the root survives productively only as the prefix αλληλο- — αλληλοκατηγορούνται, αλληλεγγύη — which is the subject of the prefix αλληλο-.
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving the phrase masculine with a feminine subject. It agrees with the subject like any other pair of nouns.
❌ Οι δύο αδερφές κατηγορούν ο ένας τον άλλον για όλα.
Incorrect — a feminine subject takes the feminine forms: η μία την άλλη.
✅ Οι δύο αδερφές κατηγορούν η μία την άλλη για όλα όσα έγιναν.
i dhío adherfés katighorún i mía tin áli ya óla ósa éyinan
The two sisters blame each other for everything that happened.
2. Putting the preposition in front of the whole phrase, or leaving it out. μιλάω never takes a person as a bare object, so the σε has to appear — inside the phrase.
❌ Δεν μιλάνε ο ένας τον άλλον εδώ και έναν μήνα.
Incorrect — μιλάω takes σε with a person, and the preposition goes on the second half: ο ένας στον άλλον.
✅ Δεν μιλάνε ο ένας στον άλλον εδώ και έναν μήνα.
dhen miláne o énas ston álon edhó ke énan mína
They haven't spoken to each other for a month.
3. Following μεταξύ with an accusative. Most Greek prepositions take the accusative; this small learned set does not.
❌ Η συνεργασία μεταξύ τις δύο εταιρείες σταμάτησε πέρσι.
Incorrect — μεταξύ governs the genitive: μεταξύ των δύο εταιρειών.
✅ Η συνεργασία μεταξύ των δύο εταιρειών σταμάτησε πέρσι.
i sinerghasía metaksí ton dhío eterión stamátise pérsi
The cooperation between the two companies stopped last year.
4. Making the verb agree with ο ένας. Slot 1 looks like a singular subject and is not one.
❌ Οι γείτονες βοηθάει ο ένας τον άλλον σε ό,τι χρειαστεί.
Incorrect — the subject is οι γείτονες, so the verb is plural: βοηθάνε.
✅ Οι γείτονες βοηθάνε ο ένας τον άλλον σε ό,τι χρειαστεί.
i yítones voitháne o énas ton álon se óti chriastí
The neighbours help each other with whatever comes up.
5. Two frames that look alike and mean different things. Both are correct; only one of them is reciprocal.
Έστειλαν δώρα ο ένας στον άλλον τα Χριστούγεννα.
éstilan dhóra o énas ston álon ta Christúyena
They sent each other presents at Christmas. (mutual — the action goes both ways)
Μπήκαν στην αίθουσα ο ένας μετά τον άλλον.
bíkan stin éthusa o énas metá ton álon
They came into the room one after the other. (sequence — nothing mutual about it)
Key Takeaways
- Four devices, not one: the -ομαι ending, μεταξύ τους, ο ένας τον άλλον, and the (formal) prefix αλληλο-.
- μεταξύ takes the genitive: a weak clitic (μεταξύ μας/σας/τους) or a full genitive noun (μεταξύ των δύο χωρών). Μεταξύ μας alone means between you and me (informal); αναμεταξύ τους is a colloquial variant of the same word.
- ο ένας τον άλλον is two slots. Slot 1 echoes the subject and stays nominative; slot 2 takes the case the verb or preposition wants — and the preposition goes in the middle: ο ένας *στον άλλον, ο ένας με τον άλλον. Inside a noun phrase, where there is no subject to echo, slot 1 takes its own case instead: του ενός προς τον άλλον* (formal).
- The phrase agrees with the subject in gender (η μία την άλλη, neuter το ένα το άλλο) but never in person — εμείς still gives ο ένας τον άλλον.
- The verb agrees with the real subject, not with ο ένας: οι γείτονες *βοηθάνε* ο ένας τον άλλον.
- The same frame with a spatial or temporal preposition is not reciprocal: ο ένας μετά τον άλλον is a queue, not a mutual action.
- The ancient pronoun αλλήλων / αλλήλους has no nominative and survives only in (formal) and (archaic) set phrases; its living descendant is the prefix αλληλο-.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- The Prefix αλληλο- (mutual action)C1 — The learned reciprocal αλληλο- / αλληλ- is word-formation, not syntax: it is welded into the verb or noun before the sentence starts. Which slot is still productive (mediopassive verbs, coined live in journalism), why the prefix kills the passive reading that the bare middle leaves open, how far the nouns have drifted from 'each other' (αλληλεγγύη, αλληλογραφία, αλληλουχία), where the diaeresis in αλληλοϋποστήριξη comes from, and why αμοιβαίος is usually the better formal choice.
- Reciprocal Use of the Middle VoiceB1 — How the mediopassive says 'each other' — αγαπιούνται, φιλιούνται, συναντιούνται, αγκαλιάζονται, τσακώνονται, δεν μιλιούνται — and why the requirement is two parties, not a plural subject: Συναντιέμαι με τη Μαρία is just as reciprocal. Covers the singular + με construction, the two disambiguators μεταξύ τους and ο ένας τον άλλον (with the neuter το ένα το άλλο and the case forms), the actives that are reciprocal on their own, and the overlap with the plain passive.
- άλλος: 'other/another'A2 — άλλος / άλλη / άλλο is 'other' and 'another', but its most useful job is the one English never predicts — with a mass noun or in an offer it means more: Θέλεις άλλο κρασί; The article decides everything else: άλλος καφές is another coffee, ο άλλος καφές is the other one, and την άλλη βδομάδα is next week.
- καθένας, κανένας, ο ένας τον άλλονB2 — Three words that quantify over the same group and package it three different ways: ο καθένας walks through it one member at a time, όλοι takes it as a single body, κανένας empties it. The page is the opposition itself — minimal pairs where only the quantifier changes, the collective-predicate test that ο καθένας fails, and the scope difference that makes Δεν ήρθαν όλοι and Δεν ήρθε κανένας two entirely different pieces of news.
- The Reflexive ο εαυτός μουB1 — Greek's reflexive is not a pronoun at all — it is the masculine noun εαυτός ('self') with a definite article and a possessive clitic: τον εαυτό μου, στον εαυτό σου, του εαυτού της. Why the noun stays masculine and singular whoever you are talking about, why it can take an adjective (ο παλιός μου εαυτός) and even be a subject (Δεν είναι ο εαυτός του), and how it differs from ο ίδιος and μόνος μου.