Ways to say it
| Greek | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| εκείνος | ekeínos | /eˈci.nos/ | masculine |
| εκείνο | ekeíno | neuter | |
| εκοίνοι | ekoínoi | plural | |
| τούτος | toútos | /ˈtutos/ |
When you want to refer to 'that thing' in a more general or abstract way, or when referring to something previously mentioned, you might use the pronoun forms αυτός, αυτή or αυτό. Additionally, if you are using 'that' as a conjunction to connect a clause indicating purpose, you should use για να or ώστε.
Which one should you use?
Use εκείνος to indicate something far from both the speaker and the listener. In contrast, τούτος is used to indicate something close to the speaker. While εκείνο specifically points to a distant object, the pronoun αυτό is used more generally to mean 'that' or 'this' when referring to abstract concepts or previously mentioned items.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular is εκείνος, and the neuter singular is εκείνο. The plural form is εκοίνοι. For feminine singular, use εκείνη and for feminine plural, use εκείνες. For neuter plural, use εκείνα.
How do you pronounce it?
ekeíno
Did you know?
- In some contexts, using εκείνος instead of αυτός can signal a psychological distance, making the person or object seem socially or emotionally remote.
- The word εκείνος is built from an ancient 'deictic particle' ḱe, which acted like a linguistic finger pointing toward a specific object.
- Modern Greek uses τούτος to point to something very close to the speaker, but in many Greek dialects, this word is replaced by αυτός in daily speech.
Examples in context
- Θυμάμαι εκείνο το βράδυ.I remember that evening.This sentence is useful for practicing the neuter singular form εκείνο.Tatoeba #5370570 by Zeus, translation #9178319 by Nylez
- Δωσ' μου εκείνο το κουτί.Give me that box.Tatoeba #5523355 by Zeus, translation #5491228 by mailohilohi
- Εκείνο ήταν το κουτί μου.That was my box.Tatoeba #5538271 by Zeus, translation #5333391 by mailohilohi
- Καλημέρα!Good morning!
- Παρακαλώ!You're welcome!
- Μπορείτε να με βοηθήσετε;Can you help me?
- 76 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Nikos are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- Μαρία MariaΘέλω εκείνο το γλυκό.Thélo ekéino to glykó.I want that sweet.
- Νίκος NikosΜοιάζει πολύ νόστιμο.Moiazei polý nóstimo.It looks very tasty.
- Μαρία MariaΝαι, και εκείνο το φλιτζάνι είναι όμορφο.Nai, kai ekéino to flitzáni eínai ómorfo.Yes, and that cup is beautiful.
- Νίκος NikosΈχεις δίκιο, Μαρία.Écheis díkio, María.You are right, Maria.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “that” translations and entries εκείνος, εκείνο, τούτος, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries εκείνος, τούτος, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
