3 Greek Grammar Mysteries (and how to solve them)
Do you like grammar?
I like how grammar is predictable , logic and how you can use grammar patterns creatively to make many new sentences and start speaking.
Grammar can also be like a mystery game. In fact, it’s fun to see your learning this way so this is what we’re doing today.
But grammar has a dark side, too: you can easily get absorbed in rules and exceptions, then get overwhelmed and doubt yourself and your abilities.
Like a mystery you can’t solve.
Today’s article is about 3 common grammar mistakes Greek learners make.
We will look at them in a playful way - like a mystery game, step by step and try to avoid overwhelm. Are you in?
By the end of this article you’ll be able to solve 3 grammar mysteries and gain a new insight into your grammar learning.
Before you start your “investigation”, here are three things to keep in mind:
Your "clues": You’ll break things down, to analyze the structure and use of the verbs and the nouns
You’ll be the "detective": You’ll observe rather than criticize yourself
You’ll "play": You’ll be encouraged to keep learning, even if your grammar is not perfect
Living abroad for more than 8 years has taught me that perfection in learning doesn’t exist. And even though it’s hard to accept that as a perfectionist, it’s a reminder that this is how learning can actually happen.
So, now that you’re ready, take your magnifying glass and look closer:
Case #1 Masculine nouns & endings. Investigation level: Beginner
Can you guess? What’s the mistake here?
- Είμαι με τον Νίκος.
- Βλέπω τον Κώστας.
- Μένω στον φίλος μου.
YOUR GRAMMAR HINT
A masculine noun drops the ς from the ending after:
A preposition such as με or σε (στον, στην, στο) or
A transitive* verb such as βλέπω
*Transitive is a verb that requires a grammar object.
SOLVE THE MYSTERY
Let’s go back to the 3 examples above. Given the hints, what’s the correct way to structure these sentences? Try it out on your own, before you peek on the right answers below.
In all the examples, you need to drop the -ς: after a preposition or when your sentence has a transitive verb. Like this:
Είμαι με τον Νίκο.
Βλέπω τον Κώστα.
Μένω στον φίλο μου.
Well done. Case #1 is now closed.
Which brings us to the second case. Let’s see again one of the examples above, change it a little and add one more example.
Case #2 Articles. Investigation level: Beginner+
Can you guess? What’s the mistake here?
- Είμαι με ο Νίκος.
- Βλέπω οι φίλοι και οι φίλες μου.
Mistakes around articles can vary; they can be related to:
The grammar gender: masculine - feminine - neuter
The case: nominative - accusative - genitive
The number: singular - plural
EXAMPLE 1:
Okay, now back to your first example:
- Είμαι με ο Νίκος.
YOUR GRAMMAR HINT
With the preposition με you always need the accusative case.
SOLVE THE MYSTERY
With the hint above in mind, let’s change με ο Νίκος (nominative) to με τον Νίκο (accusative). What do you think? Note down your sentence.
The correct structure will be then:
Είμαι με τον Νίκο.
EXAMPLE 2:
The second example about articles has a transitive verb: βλέπω.
- Βλέπω οι φίλοι και οι φίλες μου.
YOUR GRAMMAR HINT
Object words (οι φίλοι, οι φίλες) have to be in accusative.
Wondering what an object is in grammar? Check out again the explanation on transitive verbs. In Greek, you find the object of this sentence by asking the question: Τι + βλέπω;
This means that you use τι = what plus the main verb from any sentence you might have. In this case, it is the verb βλέπω.
In addition, the nouns here are in plural so let’s keep that in mind when you try to switch from nominative to accusative.
SOLVE THE MYSTERY
For this sentence, you need to change the objects to accusative, along with their articles. Take a moment and note down your answer.
The correct sentence is:
Βλέπω τους φίλους και τις φίλες μου.
Well done. Case #2 is now closed.
And since you’re doing so well, let’s up our game with an intermediate level common mistake / mystery.
Case #3 Subjunctive. Investigation Level: Intermediate
What’s the mistake here? Can you guess?
- Σταμάτησε να βρέξει.
- Την είδε να έρθει.
- Του αρέσει να ταξιδέψει σε πολλές χώρες.
YOUR GRAMMAR HINT
Να + present tense is used together with verbs indicating:
A start, continuity and end (such as αρχίζω, σταματάω, παύω, ξεκινάω, συνεχίζω, εξακολουθώ)
Senses (such as ακούω, βλέπω, αισθάνομαι, παρακολουθώ) and
Μου αρέσει, in all persons (σου αρέσει, της αρέσει etc)
This structure represents the subjunctive mood, more specifically the continuous subjunctive, as it’s called in grammar terms.
The list is not exhaustive here and you definitely have more cases where να + present tense is used. However, the verbs above tend to confuse most Greek learners.
SOLVE THE MYSTERY
With all the above in mind, take a few moments to focus on the second verb in each sentence and note your answers down. What do you think?
Here is how you’d structure these sentences:
Σταμάτησε να βρέχει. It stopped raining.
Την είδε να έρχεται. She/He saw her coming.
Του αρέσει να ταξιδεύει σε πολλές χώρες. He likes to travel in many countries.
Congratulations! Case #3 is now closed.
YOUR TURN!
You got the clues and the detective spirit. How about keep playing?
You can start here:
Η Μαρίνα δουλεύει με τον ________ (Γιώργος).
Διαβάζω __________ (η εφημερίδα) και πίνω _________ (ο καφές) μου.
Οι αθλητές κρατάνε _________ (οι μπάλες).
Σας αρέσει να _________ (μαθαίνω) ελληνικά;
Ξεκίνησαν να __________ (ταξιδεύω) το καλοκαίρι και δεν σταμάτησαν να _______ (φωτογραφίζω) τους ανθρώπους που συναντούσαν στα ταξίδια τους.
What do you think? What are the correct answers? Let me know in the comments!
Did you like this article?
Get more of my best learning tips & learning offers just for Greek language enthusiasts (I might send you a bit of sunshine, too!) here:
