Word Order and Sentence Building

Greek sentence structure is highly flexible compared to English.

While the standard order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), just like in English, Greeks often change this order to emphasize specific information.

Word order can change to emphasize different parts of the sentence.

However, for a beginner, sticking to the standard SVO structure is the safest and clearest way to communicate.

In a standard Greek sentence, you state who is doing the action, then the action itself, and finally what is being acted upon.

Unlike English, the subject pronoun (like "I" or "You") is frequently omitted because the verb ending already tells you who is speaking.

This makes sentences shorter and more direct.

Examples of Sentence Structure:

• Ο Νίκος διαβάζει το βιβλίο. (O Nikos diavazi to vivlio) — Nikos reads the book. (Standard SVO).

• Διαβάζει ο Νίκος το βιβλίο. (Diavazi o Nikos to vivlio) — Nikos reads the book. (Emphasis on the action "reading").

• Το βιβλίο διαβάζει ο Νίκος. (To vivlio diavazi o Nikos) — It is the book that Nikos is reading. (Emphasis on the object).

• Εγώ θέλω καφέ. (Ego thelo kafe) — I want coffee. (Subject included for emphasis).

• Θέλω καφέ. (Thelo kafe) — I want coffee. (Subject "I" omitted, very common).

• Η Μαρία τρώει ψωμί. (I Maria troi psomi) — Maria eats bread.

• Αυτός μένει εδώ. (Aftos meni edo) — He lives here.

• Εμείς έχουμε αυτοκίνητο. (Emis echoume aftokinito) — We have a car.

• Κάνω ελληνικά. (Kano ellinika) — I do (study) Greek.

• Ο άντρας πίνει νερό. (O antras pini nero) — The man drinks water.

Making Positive Statements

Forming affirmative sentences in Greek is straightforward.

Once you know the verb and the noun, you simply place them together.

Be mindful that nouns change their form (cases) depending on their role in the sentence, but for now, we will focus on the basic subject and object forms.

Agreement is key.

If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular.

If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

Adjectives also differ based on the gender of the noun they describe, which we will cover in detail later, but it is important to notice these patterns early.

Examples of Positive Statements:

• Είμαι καλά. (Ime kala) — I am well.

• Μένω στην Αθήνα. (Meno stin Athina) — I live in Athens.

• Έχω μία αδελφή. (Eho mia adelfi) — I have one sister.

• Αγαπώ την Ελλάδα. (Agapo tin Ellada) — I love Greece.

• Είναι όμορφα εδώ. (Ine omorfa edo) — It is beautiful here.

• Ο καιρός είναι καλός. (O keros ine kalos) — The weather is good.

• Θέλω λίγο νερό. (Thelo ligo nero) — I want some water.

• Καταλαβαίνω ελληνικά. (Katalaveno ellinika) — I understand Greek.

Forming Negatives and Questions

To make a sentence negative in Greek, you simply add the particle "δεν" (den) before the verb.

It is almost exactly like using "don't" or "doesn't" in English, but easier because it doesn't change based on the person.

Note that in some contexts you may see the shorter form "δε", but beginners should consistently use "δεν".

Questions are formed either by intonation or by using question words.

In writing, the semicolon (;) is used as the question mark.

For Yes/No questions, you often just raise your voice at the end of a regular sentence without changing the word order.

Examples of Negatives:

• Δεν θέλω. (Den thelo) — I don't want.

• Δεν καταλαβαίνω. (Den katalaveno) — I don't understand.

• Δεν ξέρω. (Den xero) — I don't know.

• Η Μαρία δεν τρώει κρέας. (I Maria den troi kreas) — Maria doesn't eat meat.

• Δεν είμαι έτοιμος. (Den ime etimos) — I am not ready.

• Αυτοί δεν μένουν εδώ. (Aftoi den menoun edo) — They don't live here.

Examples of Questions:

• Θέλεις καφέ; (Thelis kafe?) — Do you want coffee?

• Είσαι καλά; (Ise kala?) — Are you okay?

• Τι κάνεις; (Ti kanis?) — What are you doing / How are you?

• Πού είναι το μπάνιο; (Pou ine to banio?) — Where is the bathroom?

• Πόσο κάνει; (Poso kani?) — How much does it cost?

• Γιατί όχι; (Giati ochi?) — Why not?

• Πότε έρχεσαι; (Pote erhese?) — When are you coming?

• Ποιος είναι αυτός; (Pios ine aftos?) — Who is he?

• Έχεις χρόνο; (Ehis chrono?) — Do you have time?

Nouns: Gender and Number

Every noun in Greek has a gender: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter.

This is not just for biological gender (like man/woman) but applies to objects, concepts, and places.

You can usually identify the gender by the ending of the word in its basic (nominative) form.

Masculine nouns usually end in -ος (os), -ας (as), or -ης (is).

Feminine nouns usually end in -α (a) or -η (i).

Neuter nouns usually end in -ο (o), -ι (i), or -μα (ma).

Plurals follow specific patterns based on these endings.

For example, masculine nouns ending in -os typically form the plural in -οι.

Feminine nouns in -a change to -es.

Neuter nouns in -o change to -a.

Examples of Gender and Plurals:

• Ο φίλος (O filos) — The friend (Masculine) -> Οι φίλοι (I fili) — The friends.

• Ο πατέρας (O pateras) — The father (Masculine) -> Οι πατέρες (I pateres) — The fathers.

• Η φίλη (I fili) — The friend (Feminine) -> Οι φίλες (I files) — The friends.

• Η γάτα (I gata) — The cat (Feminine) -> Οι γάτες (I gates) — The cats.

• Το βιβλίο (To vivlio) — The book (Neuter) -> Τα βιβλία (Ta vivlia) — The books.

• Το παιδί (To pedi) — The child (Neuter) -> Τα παιδιά (Ta pedia) — The children.

• Το σπίτι (To spiti) — The house (Neuter) -> Τα σπίτια (Ta spitia) — The houses.

• Ο χάρτης (O hartis) — The map (Masculine) -> Οι χάρτες (I hartes) — The maps.

• Το μάθημα (To mathima) — The lesson (Neuter) -> Τα μαθήματα (Ta mathimata) — The lessons.

• Η πόλη (I poli) — The city (Feminine) -> Οι πόλεις (I polis) — The cities.

Articles and Determiners

Articles are small words that define a noun, like "the" or "a" in English.

In Greek, articles must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

They are almost always used, even with proper names (e.g., "The Nikos" instead of just "Nikos").

Definite Articles (The):

• Ο (O) — for Masculine nouns.

• Η (I) — for Feminine nouns.

• Το (To) — for Neuter nouns.

Indefinite Articles (A/An):

• Ένας (Enas) — for Masculine nouns.

• Μία (Mia) — for Feminine nouns.

• Ένα (Ena) — for Neuter nouns.

Examples of Articles:

• Ο Νίκος (O Nikos) — Nikos (Proper names take the article).

• Η Άννα (I Anna) — Anna.

• Το νερό (To nero) — The water.

• Ένας καφές (Enas kafes) — A coffee (Masculine).

• Μία μπύρα (Mia bira) — A beer (Feminine).

• Ένα τραπέζι (Ena trapezi) — A table (Neuter).

• Οι άνθρωποι (I anthropi) — The people (Plural Masculine Article: Οι).

• Τα αυτοκίνητα (Ta aftokinita) — The cars (Plural Neuter Article: Τα).

Practice Section

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in each blank with the correct word, letter, or form based on what you learned.

1- To say "I don't want," you add the negative particle: ___________ θέλω.

2- The plural of "Το βιβλίο" (The book) is "Τα _____".

True/False

Read each statement carefully and decide if it is True or False.

1- In Greek, the subject pronoun (like "Ego" for "I") is always required in every sentence.

2- Masculine nouns typically end in -os, -as, or -is.

Translation

Translate each English phrase or sentence into Greek (transliteration is acceptable if you can't type Greek).

1- I want water.

2- The weather is good.

3- Where is the bathroom?