The core meaning of από is movement or connection away from a source. That source can be a place, a person, a material, a cause, or a larger set from which one member is selected. English spreads these relationships across from, by, of, through, and than; Greek keeps the source logic visible. All uses below are neutral unless marked otherwise.
The map of meanings
| Use | Greek example | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| origin / source | από τη Θεσσαλονίκη | from Thessaloniki |
| passive agent | γραμμένο από τη Μαρία | written by Maria |
| comparison | πιο ψηλός από μένα | taller than me |
| partitive | ένας από τους φίλους μου | one of my friends |
| cause | τρέμω από το κρύο | shake from the cold |
| material | φτιαγμένο από ξύλο | made of wood |
| path | περνάω από το κέντρο | go through the centre |
| separation | μακριά από τη θάλασσα | far from the sea |
In all these everyday uses, από takes an accusative noun phrase. The basic page on από covers its form and optional elision; this page follows the meanings that grow from “source.”
Physical origin and information source
With motion verbs, από marks the starting point. With communication and knowledge, it marks the person or place from which information comes.
Γύρισα από τη Θεσσαλονίκη χθες το βράδυ.
yírisa apó ti Thesaloníki chthes to vrádhi
I got back from Thessaloniki last night.
Το έμαθα από τη Μαρία, αλλά μην της πεις τίποτα.
to ématha apó ti María, alá min tis pis típota
I heard it from Maria, but don't tell her anything.
This is the clean opposite of goal-marking σε: πάω στην Κρήτη points toward Crete, while έρχομαι από την Κρήτη points away from it. The same noun can therefore follow either preposition; the direction changes.
Cause: the state something comes from
Greek uses από when a physical reaction or condition arises directly from cold, hunger, fear, exhaustion, or a similar stimulus. English often also says from, but sometimes prefers with or because of.
Έτρεμε από το κρύο και του έδωσα το μπουφάν μου.
étreme apó to krío ke tu édhosa to bufán mu
He was shivering from the cold, so I gave him my jacket.
Δεν μπορούσα να κοιμηθώ από την αγωνία.
dhen borúsa na kimithó apó tin ayonía
I couldn't sleep because of the anxiety.
Partitives: taking one from a set
In ένας από τους..., the larger group is imagined as a set and one member is selected from it. English uses of, but Modern Greek does not use a bare genitive here: it uses από + accusative, normally with a definite plural article.
Η Άννα είναι μία από τις καλύτερες φίλες μου.
i Ána íne mía apó tis kalíteres fíles mu
Anna is one of my best friends.
The same construction works after κανένας, κάποιος, πολλοί and numbers. Quantity expressions that do and do not use από are compared on the partitive and quantity page.
Agent, material, and instrument
In a passive clause, από introduces the agent responsible for the action. This is neutral in formal and written contexts; conversation often prefers an active clause.
Η ανακοίνωση γράφτηκε από τη γραμματέα χθες το πρωί.
i anakínosi ghráftike apó ti ghramatéa chthes to proí
The announcement was written by the secretary yesterday morning.
Material can also be understood as a source from which an object is made.
Το τραπέζι είναι φτιαγμένο από ξύλο ελιάς.
to trapézi íne ftiaghméno apó ksílo eliás
The table is made from olive wood.
Path and separation
After περνάω, από identifies an intermediate point on a route: you approach it and then move away from it. It also completes spatial expressions such as μακριά από, έξω από, πίσω από.
Πέρασα από το φαρμακείο και πήρα τα φάρμακά σου.
pérasa apó to farmakío ke píra ta fármaká su
I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up your medicine.
Βρήκαμε σπίτι μακριά από την κίνηση, αλλά κοντά στο μετρό.
vríkame spíti makriá apó tin kínisi, alá kondá sto metró
We found a home away from the traffic but close to the metro.
Comparison and fixed time-place phrases
After a comparative, από corresponds to English than: πιο ακριβό από, καλύτερος από. The choice between από and other comparison structures belongs to από in comparisons.
Two everyday chunks are especially useful. Από εδώ can mean “from here,” but as a direction given to someone it means “this way.” Από τότε means “since then” and establishes a starting point in time.
Από εδώ, παρακαλώ· το γραφείο του γιατρού είναι στο βάθος.
apó edhó, parakaló; to ghrafío tu yatrú íne sto váthos
This way, please; the doctor's office is at the back.
Δεν τον έχω δει από τότε.
dhen ton écho dhi apó tóte
I haven't seen him since then.
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving the following article in the nominative. Everyday από governs the accusative.
❌ Έρχομαι από η Κρήτη.
Incorrect — use the accusative article: από την Κρήτη.
✅ Έρχομαι από την Κρήτη.
érchome apó tin Kríti
I come from Crete.
2. Copying English “one of” with a nominative plural article. The από-phrase is accusative.
❌ Είναι ένας από οι καλύτεροι μαθητές.
Incorrect — after από, οι must become τους.
✅ Είναι ένας από τους καλύτερους μαθητές.
íne énas apó tus kalíterus mathités
He's one of the best students.
3. Omitting από after μακριά. English far from and Greek μακριά από both require the link.
❌ Μένουμε μακριά το κέντρο.
Incorrect — μακριά requires από before the reference point.
✅ Μένουμε μακριά από το κέντρο.
ménume makriá apó to kéndro
We live far from the centre.
Key Takeaways
- από connects an event or object to its source: origin, information, cause, agent, material, path, or larger set.
- σε points toward a goal; από points away from an origin.
- Causal από is especially natural for bodily states and emotions: από το κρύο, από την πείνα, από τον φόβο.
- Partitives use από + accusative: ένας από τους φίλους μου, not a bare genitive.
- Learn περνάω από, μακριά από, από εδώ and από τότε as high-frequency constructions.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- από: from, of, by, thanA1 — How από marks sources, passive agents, comparison standards, members of a group, and routes through a place.
- από in ComparisonsA2 — Understand how source-marking από introduces a comparison baseline in everyday Greek, especially with manner, time, amounts, thresholds, and από ποτέ.
- Genitive of Quantity and PartitiveB1 — How Greek says 'a glass of wine' and 'one of my friends' — with juxtaposition (ένα ποτήρι κρασί) and από + accusative (ένας από τους φίλους μου) doing nearly all the work, the genitive surviving in group nouns and set phrases, and the neat trap that το ποτήρι του κρασιού means a wine glass, not a glass of wine.