Breakdown of Ο πατέρας μου έχει επιχείρηση.
έχω
to have
μου
my
ο πατέρας
the father
η επιχείρηση
business; enterprise
Questions & Answers about Ο πατέρας μου έχει επιχείρηση.
Why is there an ο before πατέρας?
Ο is the masculine singular definite article in the nominative case. It means the, but in Greek the article is used more often than in English.
So ο πατέρας μου literally looks like the father of me, but it naturally means my father.
In this sentence:
- ο = masculine singular nominative article
- πατέρας = father
- μου = my
So the whole phrase ο πατέρας μου means my father.
Why does μου come after πατέρας instead of before it?
In Greek, short possessive words like μου (my), σου (your), and του/της (his/her) usually come after the noun.
So:
- ο πατέρας μου = my father
- η μητέρα μου = my mother
- το σπίτι μου = my house
This is one of the first word-order differences English speakers notice, because English says my father, while Greek usually says something more like the father my.
What case is πατέρας in here?