Breakdown of Η αστυνομική αρχή είναι η αρμόδια αρχή.
Questions & Answers about Η αστυνομική αρχή είναι η αρμόδια αρχή.
Why is η used twice in this sentence?
Because Greek uses the definite article with each noun phrase:
- Η αστυνομική αρχή = the police authority
- η αρμόδια αρχή = the competent authority
So η appears once for the subject and once for the predicate noun phrase after είναι (is). This is completely normal in Greek.
Why do αστυνομική and αρμόδια end in -ή and -ια?
They are adjectives, and they must agree with αρχή in:
- gender: feminine
- number: singular
- case: nominative
Here, αρχή is a feminine singular noun, so the adjectives also appear in the feminine singular nominative form:
- αστυνομικός, -ή, -ό = police
- αρμόδιος, -α, -ο = competent / responsible
So:
- αστυνομική αρχή
- αρμόδια αρχή
are both feminine singular noun phrases.
What case is αρχή in here?
Both instances of αρχή are in the nominative singular.
That is because:
- Η αστυνομική αρχή is the subject
- η αρμόδια αρχή is the predicate noun after είναι
In Greek, after the verb to be (είμαι), the noun identifying the subject is normally also in the nominative.
Why is the adjective before the noun?
In Greek, adjectives often come before the noun, especially in neutral, standard phrasing:
- αστυνομική αρχή
- αρμόδια αρχή
That is the most natural order here.
Greek can sometimes place adjectives after the noun, but that usually changes the tone, emphasis, or style. For a learner, it is safest to treat adjective + noun as the default pattern in sentences like this.
Does αστυνομική mean policewoman or something related to the police?
Here it means police-related or police as an adjective.
Compare:
- η αστυνομικός = the police officer / policewoman (noun, depending on context)
- αστυνομική αρχή = police authority (adjective + noun)
So in this sentence, αστυνομική is not a person. It describes the noun αρχή.
What exactly does αρμόδια mean?
Αρμόδια means competent, responsible, or having jurisdiction/authority in this context.
In official or legal language, η αρμόδια αρχή is a very common phrase meaning:
- the competent authority
- the responsible authority
- sometimes the relevant authority, depending on context
So this sentence sounds quite formal and administrative.
Why is αρχή repeated? Could Greek leave it out?
Greek repeats αρχή because each side is a full noun phrase:
- the police authority
- the competent authority
You could sometimes omit repeated words in conversation if the meaning is already obvious, but in formal language Greek usually keeps the full phrase. Here the repetition sounds precise and official.
Is this a formal sentence?
Yes, very much so.
Both αστυνομική αρχή and especially αρμόδια αρχή are expressions you often see in:
- laws
- regulations
- government documents
- official notices
A more casual everyday conversation would usually phrase things differently.
How do I pronounce this sentence?
A rough pronunciation is:
ee a-stee-no-mee-KEE ar-KHEE EE-ne ee ar-MO-thee-a ar-KHEE
A few helpful points:
- η is pronounced ee
- είναι is pronounced roughly EE-ne
- χ in αρχή is like the h/ch sound in German Bach or Scottish loch
- The written accent mark shows the stressed syllable:
- αστυνομική
- αρχή
- είναι
- αρμόδια
What is the dictionary form of the words in this sentence?
The dictionary forms are:
- η = the (feminine singular definite article)
- αστυνομικός = police; police-related
- αρχή = authority, principle, beginning
- είμαι = to be
- αρμόδιος = competent, responsible
So the sentence uses inflected forms of the adjectives, but the noun αρχή is already in its basic singular nominative form.
Does αρχή only mean authority?
No. Αρχή has several meanings depending on context, including:
- authority
- principle
- beginning
For example:
- στην αρχή = at the beginning
- οι αρχές = the authorities
In your sentence, because of the adjectives αστυνομική and αρμόδια, the meaning is clearly authority.
Can the word order change?
Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English, but the original order is the most neutral:
- Η αστυνομική αρχή είναι η αρμόδια αρχή.
If you changed it to:
- Η αρμόδια αρχή είναι η αστυνομική αρχή.
the meaning would still be similar, but the emphasis shifts. Now the sentence starts with the competent authority, and then identifies it as the police authority.
So word order can affect focus, even when the basic meaning stays close.
Why is είναι used here? Can Greek ever leave out is?
In standard Modern Greek, είναι is normally included in a sentence like this.
Greek does allow some omission of words in very informal speech, headlines, labels, or notes, but in a normal full sentence—especially a formal one like this—you should use είναι.
So:
- Η αστυνομική αρχή είναι η αρμόδια αρχή. = correct, complete sentence
Is there anything tricky about translating this into English?
Yes: αρμόδια does not always map neatly to just one English word.
Depending on context, you might translate the sentence as:
- The police authority is the competent authority.
- The police authority is the responsible authority.
- The police authority is the relevant authority.
In legal and bureaucratic contexts, competent authority is often the most exact translation.
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