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Learn Hardcore Greek: Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα. - Society has problems.

Hardcore Greek
/Browsing a flea market with a friend
/Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

Word

Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

Meaning

Society has problems.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Browsing a flea market with a friend

Breakdown of Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

το πρόβλημα

η κοινωνία

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Questions & Answers about Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

How do you pronounce Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα?

A natural pronunciation is:

ee kee-no-NEE-a E-chee pro-VLEE-ma-ta

A slightly more careful breakdown:

Η = ee
κοινωνία = kee-no-NEE-a
έχει = E-chee
προβλήματα = pro-VLEE-ma-ta

A few useful sound notes:

η is pronounced like ee
χ in έχει is not like English h. It is a Greek sound, like a soft, breathy sound. Before ι / ε it is often pronounced something like the h in human for many English speakers, though not exactly.
οι in κοινωνία sounds like ee
The accent marks show which syllable is stressed:
- κοινωνία
- έχει
- προβλήματα

Why is there an article Η before κοινωνία?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

η κοινωνία = society / the society

In Greek, the definite article is used more often than in English. With general or abstract nouns, Greek often prefers the article where English may or may not use it depending on style.

Here, η κοινωνία is the normal way to say society as a general concept.

How do I know that κοινωνία is feminine?

You learn noun gender as part of the word, but the sentence gives you a clue:

η is the feminine singular article
therefore κοινωνία is feminine singular

Also, many nouns ending in -ία are feminine, though you should not rely on endings alone 100% of the time.

So it is best to learn it as a full unit:

η κοινωνία

not just κοινωνία by itself.

What form is έχει?

έχει is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb έχω = to have.

So:

έχω = I have
έχεις = you have
έχει = he/she/it has

Since η κοινωνία is singular, the verb is also singular:

Η κοινωνία έχει ... = Society has ...

Why is προβλήματα plural even though it ends in -α?

Because προβλήματα is a neuter plural noun form.

The singular is:

το πρόβλημα = the problem

The plural is:

τα προβλήματα = the problems

This is very common in Greek: many neuter nouns in -μα form their plural in -ματα.

Examples:

το πρόβλημα → τα προβλήματα
το μάθημα → τα μαθήματα
το γράμμα → τα γράμματα

So even though -α may look singular to an English speaker, here it is part of a neuter plural ending.

What case is προβλήματα here?

It is in the accusative plural, because it is the direct object of έχει.

The structure is:

subject: Η κοινωνία
verb: έχει
object: προβλήματα

A useful detail: for many neuter nouns, the nominative plural and accusative plural look the same.

So:

τα προβλήματα can be nominative plural
τα προβλήματα can also be accusative plural

In this sentence, it is accusative because it is the thing that society has.

Why is there no article before προβλήματα?

Greek can say either:

Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα = society has problems
Η κοινωνία έχει τα προβλήματα = society has the problems

These do not mean exactly the same thing.

Without the article, προβλήματα is more general or indefinite:

has problems

With the article, it becomes more specific:

has the problems
meaning some particular, known problems

So the version without the article is the natural one for a general statement.

Can the word order change?

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, straightforward order is:

Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

But you may also see different orders for emphasis, such as:

Προβλήματα έχει η κοινωνία.
Έχει προβλήματα η κοινωνία.

These usually keep the same basic meaning, but the focus changes.

For a learner, the original order is the safest and most neutral: subject + verb + object

What do the accent marks do in this sentence?

The accent marks show which syllable is stressed.

In this sentence:

κοινωνία → stress on -ί-
έχει → stress on the first syllable
προβλήματα → stress on -βλή-

Stress matters in Greek, both for pronunciation and sometimes for distinguishing forms. So it is important to learn words with their accents, not without them.

Can I leave out Η and just say κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα?

In normal standard Greek, that would usually sound incomplete or unnatural here.

Greek generally expects the article with a noun like κοινωνία in this kind of sentence:

Η κοινωνία έχει προβλήματα.

Dropping the article is much less common and would usually need a special context, a headline style, or a poetic/journalistic effect.

So for ordinary speech and writing, keep the article.

Is κοινωνία the same as community?

Not always. κοινωνία often means society, but depending on context it can also relate to community, social life, or broader social relations.

In this sentence, the most natural meaning is society.

This is a good reminder that Greek words do not always match a single English word perfectly. It is best to learn them in context.

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