Η τελετή τελείωσε χτες.

Η is the definite article the for a feminine singular noun in the nominative case.

• η = feminine singular the
• ο = masculine singular the
• το = neuter singular the

The noun τελετή is feminine, so it takes η:

• η τελετή = the ceremony

In this sentence, η τελετή is the subject, so the nominative form is used.

Τελετή is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence: the ceremony is the thing that ended.

You can often identify the case by its role in the sentence:

• subject → usually nominative
• direct object → usually accusative

Here:

• Η τελετή = the subject
• τελείωσε = ended
• χτες = yesterday

So τελετή is nominative because it is the thing performing or undergoing the action of ending.

Τελείωσε means ended or finished.

It is the simple past form, specifically the aorist, of the verb τελειώνω.

In this sentence, it means:

• The ceremony ended yesterday.

Greek often uses this verb where English uses end:

• Η ταινία τελείωσε. = The movie ended.
• Το μάθημα τελείωσε. = The lesson ended.

So τελείωσε here is a very natural way to say that something came to an end.

It is an active form, but Greek active verbs can sometimes be used intransitively, just like some English verbs.

So:

• Τελείωσα το βιβλίο. = I finished the book.
  Here the verb is transitive: it has an object.

• Η τελετή τελείωσε. = The ceremony ended.
  Here the verb is intransitive: there is no object.

So even though the form is active, it can mean either:

• finish something or
• come to an end

depending on the context.

Because Greek usually marks the past inside the verb form itself.

In English, we often need extra words or special verb forms:

• ended
• did finish
• was ending

In Greek, τελείωσε already contains the past meaning. You do not need an extra word meaning did.

So:

• τελειώνει = it ends / is ending
• τελείωσε = it ended

The verb form itself tells you the tense.

The accent mark shows which syllable is stressed in pronunciation.

• τελετή → stress on the last syllable
• τελείωσε → stress on the λί syllable

This matters because stress is an important part of Greek pronunciation, and sometimes different stress can distinguish different forms.

Very roughly:

• τελετή sounds like te-le-TEE
• τελείωσε sounds like te-LEE-o-se

So the written accent is not optional in normal writing; it helps show the correct spoken form.

Χτες means yesterday.

Yes, it is essentially the same word as χθες.
Both mean yesterday, but:

• χτες is a very common modern spoken and informal written form
• χθες is the more traditional spelling

So both are correct in Modern Greek, and learners should recognize both.

Examples:

• Ήρθε χτες. = He/She came yesterday.
• Ήρθε χθες. = same meaning

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

The neutral order here is:

• Η τελετή τελείωσε χτες.

But you can also hear:

• Χτες τελείωσε η τελετή.
• Η τελετή χτες τελείωσε.
  though this can sound more marked or emphatic depending on context

Putting χτες at the end is very natural. It simply adds the time information after the main statement.

Greek often changes word order for emphasis, rhythm, or style more freely than English does.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

ee te-le-TEE te-LEE-o-se htes

A few helpful notes:

• Η sounds like ee
• τελετή has stress on the last syllable
• τελείωσε has stress on λί
• χτ in χτες can be tricky; it is not pronounced like English kt exactly, but learners often approximate it at first

A natural rhythm would be:

ee te-le-TEE te-LEE-o-se htes

In some contexts Greek can omit the article, but in this sentence η τελετή is the normal and natural way to say the ceremony.

If you say:

• Η τελετή τελείωσε χτες.
  you mean The ceremony ended yesterday.

If you remove the article:

• Τελετή τελείωσε χτες.

that sounds less neutral and more context-dependent. It might feel incomplete, stylistically marked, or like a headline.

So for ordinary everyday Greek, keep the article here.

Yes. Τελείωσε is the Greek aorist, which is very often the closest equivalent to the English simple past in sentences like this.

It presents the action as a complete event:

• Η τελετή τελείωσε χτες. = The ceremony ended yesterday.

If you are learning tense/aspect, a useful basic contrast is:

• τελείωνε = was ending / used to end
• τελείωσε = ended

So here Greek uses the completed past form, because the ceremony ended at a definite time in the past: yesterday.

Yes, they are related in meaning, because both have to do with the idea of completion or ending, but they are not just two forms of the same word.

• τελετή = ceremony
• τελειώνω / τελείωσε = finish / end

They come from related historical roots, and that is why they look similar. But for a learner, it is best to treat them as separate vocabulary items:

• τελετή = a noun
• τελείωσε = a verb form

So the similarity is real, but you should still learn each word on its own.