они

See also: Appendix:Variations of "oni"

Macedonian

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Slavic *onъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɔni]
• Hyphenation: о‧ни

Pronoun

о́ни • (óni)

1. (dialectal) they

   Synonym: (standard) ти́е (tíe)

References

• “они” in Дигитален речник на македонскиот јазик (Digitalen rečnik na makedonskiot jazik) [Digital dictionary of the Macedonian language] − drmj.eu

Nanai

Etymology

From Proto-Tungusic *uńe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oɲi/
• Hyphenation: о‧ни

Noun

они (oni)

1. mountain river

Derived terms

• (diminutive) оника̄н (onikān)

References

• S. N. Onenko (1980) “они”, in V. A. Avrorina, editor, Нанайско-русский словарь [Nanai-Russian dictionary], Русский язык

Russian

Alternative forms

• онѣ́ (oně́) — Pre-reform orthography (1918), feminine only

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic они (oni), from Proto-Slavic *onъ.

The prefixation of /n/ after prepositions comes from Proto-Slavic forms such as *sъ(n) (sŭ(n), "with", cf. Greek σύν (sún), Latin cum), that originally ended in -n and governed oblique cases. Since the prepositions and the pronouns occurred together so often, it was easy to lose track of which word the final -n belonged to, and the n was reinterpreted as part of the pronouns (Old English an, in the same way, lost its -n except before vowels, and sometimes gave it to the following word, as in English adder from Old English nædre), so that Proto-Slavic *sъ(n) *jьmi became modern Russian с ни́ми (s ními), and this new rule was extended to all prepositions governing any third-person pronoun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɐˈnʲi]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i

Pronoun

они́ • (oní)

1. (the third-person plural) they
2. (the third-person singular, usually humorous or colloquial or dated) they
3. (the third-person singular, gender-neutral, proscribed) they

Usage notes

• An н is prefixed to any third-person pronoun in an oblique case whenever a preposition that directly governs it is immediately in front of it: от неё (ot nejó) (from her), на нём (na njom) (on him), у них (u nix) (they have), к нему́ (k nemú) (to him), с не́ю (s néju) (with her).
• When the preposition does not directly govern его́, её, их (jevó, jejó, ix) (i.e., when they are possessive pronouns), then no н- is inserted: у его́ бра́та (u jevó bráta) (at his brother’s), о её ма́тери (o jejó máteri) (about her mother), в их ко́мнате (v ix kómnate) (in their room).
• While Russian does not have an official pronoun for non-binary individuals, some have claimed the usage of они (oni) as an equivalent to the singular they in English.

Declension

Declension of Russian personal pronouns

	singular						plural				reflexive
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person				1st person	2nd person	3rd person
			m	n	f
nominative	я (ja)	ты (ty)	он (on)	оно́ (onó)	она́ (oná)		мы (my)	вы (vy)	они́ 1 (oní)
genitive	меня́ (menjá)	тебя́ (tebjá)	его́ 2, него́ 2 3 (jevó, nevó)		её 4, неё 3 4 (jejó, nejó)		нас (nas)	вас (vas)	их, них 3 (ix, nix)		себя́ (sebjá)
dative	мне (mne)	тебе́ (tebé)	ему́, нему́ 3 (jemú, nemú)		ей, ней 3 (jej, nej)		нам (nam)	вам (vam)	им, ним 3 (im, nim)		себе́ (sebé)
accusative	меня́ (menjá)	тебя́ (tebjá)	его́ 2, него́ 2 3 (jevó, nevó)		её, неё 3 (jejó, nejó)		нас (nas)	вас (vas)	их, них 3 (ix, nix)		себя́ (sebjá)
instrumental	мной, мно́ю 5 (mnoj, mnóju)	тобо́й, тобо́ю 5 (tobój, tobóju)	им, ним 3 (im, nim)		ей, ней 3, е́ю 5, не́ю 3 5 (jej, nej, jéju, néju)		на́ми (námi)	ва́ми (vámi)	и́ми, ни́ми 3 (ími, ními)		собо́й, собо́ю 5 (sobój, sobóju)
prepositional 6	мне (mne)	тебе́ (tebé)	нём 3 (njom)		ней 3 (nej)		нас (nas)	вас (vas)	них 3 (nix)		себе́ (sebé)
Archaic feminine form: оне́ (oné). The letter г (g) in the genitive/accusative case ending is pronounced as /v/. The alternative forms starting with н- (n-) are used after a preposition. Archaic forms: ея́ (jejá), нея́ (nejá). Instrumental forms ending in -ю (-ju) are either dated, poetic, or dialectal. The prepositional case is never used without a preposition.

Pre-1918 declension of Russian personal pronouns

	singular						plural					reflexive
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person				1st person	2nd person	3rd person
			m	n	f				m or n	f
nominative	я (ja)	ты (ty)	онъ (on)	оно́ (onó)	она́ (oná)		мы (my)	вы (vy)	они́ (oní)	онѣ́ (oně́)
genitive	меня́ (menjá)	тебя́ (tebjá)	его́ 1, него́ 1 2 (jevó, nevó)		ея́ 3, нея́ 2 3 (jejá, nejá)		насъ (nas)	васъ (vas)	ихъ, нихъ 2 (ix, nix)			себя́ (sebjá)
dative	мнѣ (mně)	тебѣ́ (tebě́)	ему́, нему́ 2 (jemú, nemú)		ей, ней 2 (jej, nej)		намъ (nam)	вамъ (vam)	имъ, нимъ 2 (im, nim)			себѣ́ (sebě́)
accusative	меня́ (menjá)	тебя́ (tebjá)	его́ 1, него́ 1 2 (jevó, nevó)		её, неё 2 (jejó, nejó)		насъ (nas)	васъ (vas)	ихъ, нихъ 2 (ix, nix)			себя́ (sebjá)
instrumental	мной, мно́ю 4 (mnoj, mnóju)	тобо́й, тобо́ю 4 (tobój, tobóju)	имъ, нимъ 2 (im, nim)		ей, ней 2, е́ю 4, не́ю 2 4 (jej, nej, jéju, néju)		на́ми (námi)	ва́ми (vámi)	и́ми, ни́ми 2 (ími, ními)			собо́й, собо́ю 4 (sobój, sobóju)
prepositional5	мнѣ (mně)	тебѣ́ (tebě́)	нёмъ 2 (njom)		ней 2 (nej)		насъ (nas)	васъ (vas)	нихъ 2 (nix)			себѣ́ (sebě́)
Letter г (g) in the genitive/accusative case ending is pronounced as /v/. The alternative forms starting with н- (n-) are used after a preposition. Archaic forms: ея́ (jejá), нея́ (nejá). Instrumental forms ending in -ю (-ju) are either dated, poetic, or dialectal. The prepositional case is never used without a preposition.

Related terms

• свой (svoj)

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ǒni/
• Hyphenation: о‧ни

Pronoun

о̀ни (Latin spelling òni)

1. they (nominative plural of о̑н (“he”))

Declension

    Inflection of 3rd-person pronouns

	Singular			Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
nominative	о̑н	о̀на	о̀но	о̀ни	о̀не	о̀на
genitive	ње̏га, га	ње̑, је	ње̏га, га	њи̑х, их	њи̑х, их	њи̑х, их
dative	ње̏му, му	њо̑ј, јој	ње̏му, му	њи̏ма, им	њи̏ма, им	њи̏ма, им
accusative	ње̏га, га, њ	њу̑, ју, је, њу	ње̏га, га, њ	њи̑х, их	њи̑х, их	њи̑х, их
vocative	—	—	—	—	—	—
locative	ње̏м, ње̏му	њо̑ј	ње̏м, ње̏му	њи̏ма	њи̏ма	њи̏ма
instrumental	њи̑м, њи́ме	њо̑м, њо́ме	њи̑м, њи́ме	њи̏ма	њи̏ма	њи̏ма