Latin Pronouns — Reflexive (se/suus) and Demonstratives
Latin pronouns are short, but they decide the meaning: whether someone takes their own horse or someone else’s hangs on a single word. This article tackles the two spots that trip students up most — the reflexive pronoun (se/suus vs. eius) and the demonstratives (is, hic, ille, iste). It belongs to the Learn-Latin section of Lapicida; a close relative is the relative clause.
- Reflexive pronoun: when se/suus, when eius?
- The demonstratives is, hic, ille, iste — nearness, distance and tone
- se or eum? Reference back in the ACI
- The most common mistakes — and the memory hooks against them
What is a pronoun in Latin?
A pronoun replaces or accompanies a noun. In Latin two groups matter most: the reflexive pronoun (se, possessive suus) for reference back to the subject, and the demonstratives (is, hic, ille, iste), which point to people and things. The rest — personal, relative, interrogative and indefinite pronouns — is usually easier.
Rex se defendit. = “The king defends himself.” — Rex eum defendit. = “The king defends him (someone else).”
Reflexive pronoun: se/suus or eius?
In the third person (he/she/it) you must keep two cases strictly apart. If the pronoun refers to the subject of its own clause, it is reflexive (se or suus). If it means someone else, use the forms of is, ea, id — as a personal pronoun eum/eam/id, as a “possessive” the genitive eius (sg.) or eorum/earum (pl.).
| reflexive — refers to the subject | non-reflexive — another person | |
|---|---|---|
| Personal pronoun | se (himself), dat. sibi, secum | eum, eam, id (him, her, it) |
| Possessive pronoun | suus, sua, suum (his/her own) | eius (his/her), eorum/earum (their) |
| Example | Femina filium suum laudat. | Femina filium eius laudat. |
| Translation | The woman praises her own son. | The woman praises his son (someone else’s). |
Memory hook: suus = one’s own (belongs to the subject) — eius = someone else’s. English “his/her” blurs the two, so look closely.
How case roles are distributed in a sentence is covered in the guide to Latin cases. A concise reference is the Dickinson College Commentaries grammar.
Demonstratives: is, hic, ille, iste
Demonstratives point — and in doing so express nearness, distance or a tone. They agree with their noun in case, number and gender. Note: the genitive singular of all of them ends in -ius (eius, huius, illius, istius), the dative singular in -i.
| Pronoun | Meaning / use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| is, ea, id | this / he, she, it — picks up something already named; often introduces a relative clause (is, qui) | Epistulam scripsit. Eam misit. — He wrote a letter. He sent it. |
| hic, haec, hoc | this (here) — near in space or time | Hic liber novus est. — This book (here) is new. |
| ille, illa, illud | that (there) — far; also “that famous” | Ille mons altus est. — That mountain (over there) is high. |
| iste, ista, istud | that (of yours) — often disparaging | Quid iste vult? — What does that fellow want? |
Memory hook: hic = near, ille = far, iste = (often) disparaging. Miss it and you lose signals in the text — “this consul” and “that consul” are not the same.
Understand Latin instead of cramming — try it right now.
se or eum? Reference back in the ACI
In the ACI and in inwardly dependent subordinate clauses, one simple question decides it: is the subject of the dependent clause the same person as the subject of the main clause? Then use the reflexive se (or suus). Is it another person? Then use eum, eam or id.
| Reference | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| same subject | se | Puella dicit se fessam esse. — The girl says that she is tired. |
| another person | eam | Puella dicit eam fessam esse. — The girl says that she (another) is tired. |
Memory hook: same subject = se, different = eum. And note: in an English that-clause, se becomes he/she/it, not “-self”.
The most common mistakes:
- Mixing up suus/eius: English “his/her” covers both. Check whether the possessor is the subject (suus) or someone else (eius).
- Mistranslating se in the ACI: as the subject accusative, se becomes he/she/it, not “-self”.
- se/sibi in the plural: singular and plural forms are identical — if the higher subject is plural, se means “them”.
- The genitive in -ius: eius, huius, illius, istius are genitive singulars — don’t mistake them for an a-/o-declension nominative.
More on reference back in the overview on Wikipedia and in the Latin grammar article.
FAQ — Latin pronouns
When do I use suus, when eius?
suus (reflexive) is used when the possession refers to the subject of the clause: Femina filium suum laudat = The woman praises her own son. eius (non-reflexive) is used when the possessor is another person: Femina filium eius laudat = The woman praises his son. Remember: suus = one’s own, eius = someone else’s.
How do I translate se in the ACI?
As the subject accusative of an ACI, se refers to the subject of the higher clause and is rendered in an English that-clause by a personal pronoun — he, she, it (plural: they), not by a -self form. Example: Puella dicit se fessam esse = The girl says that she is tired.
What is the difference between hic, ille and iste?
hic (this, here) points to something near, ille (that, there) to something far; ille can also mean that famous. iste (that of yours) refers to something near the person addressed and often carries a disparaging tone. Remember: hic = near, ille = far, iste = disparaging.
Understand Latin instead of cramming — try it right now.
