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Learn Hardcore Greek: Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί. - The decision concerns us.

Hardcore Greek
/Appealing a municipal parking fine
/Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί.

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί.

Word

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί.

Meaning

The decision concerns us.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Appealing a municipal parking fine

Breakdown of Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί.

η απόφαση

απασχολώ

to concern; occupy

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Questions & Answers about Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί.

What does Η do here?

Η is the definite article meaning the.

In this sentence, η απόφαση means the decision.

A few useful details:

η is used with feminine singular nouns in the nominative case
the noun απόφαση is feminine
so η απόφαση is the normal way to say the decision

Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, much more than English the does.

Why is απόφαση feminine?

Because that is simply the grammatical gender of the noun απόφαση.

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender:

masculine
feminine
neuter

This does not mean the thing itself is biologically female. It is just a grammatical category. So απόφαση is a feminine noun, which is why it takes the article η.

What exactly is μάς?

μάς means us here.

More specifically, it is the weak/clitic form of the 1st person plural personal pronoun in the accusative/genitive form. In this sentence, it functions as the direct object of the verb:

Η απόφαση = the subject
μάς = us
απασχολεί = concerns / preoccupies

So the structure is basically:

The decision
- us
  - concerns

In more natural English: The decision concerns us or The decision is on our minds.

Why is μάς placed before the verb?

Because in Greek, weak object pronouns like με, σε, τον, τη(ν), το, μας, σας, τους usually come before a finite verb.

So Greek says:

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί

not usually:

Η απόφαση απασχολεί μάς

That second version sounds wrong in standard Modern Greek.

This is a very common pattern in Greek and is worth getting used to early.

Why does μάς have an accent? I often see μας without one.

Good question. In many cases you will see μας written without an accent. The accented form μάς is often used to make the pronoun stand out more clearly, especially:

to avoid ambiguity
for emphasis
for readability

So in practice:

μας
μάς

can both represent us here.

Also, μας can mean our in other contexts, so some writers use μάς when they want to make it extra clear that it means us as a pronoun.

For example:

Η απόφαση μας απασχολεί = could still be understood as The decision concerns us
Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί = makes that reading clearer

What form of the verb is απασχολεί?

απασχολεί is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb απασχολώ.

So:

απασχολώ = I occupy / concern
απασχολείς = you occupy / concern
απασχολεί = he/she/it occupies / concerns

Here the subject is η απόφαση (the decision), which is singular, so the verb is also singular:

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί

Literally, something like:

The decision occupies us
more naturally: The decision concerns us

Why is the verb singular when the sentence includes us?

Because the verb agrees with the subject, not with the object.

Here:

Η απόφαση = the subject, singular
μάς = the object, plural

So the verb must be 3rd person singular because η απόφαση is singular.

This is the same as in English:

The decision concerns us
not The decision concern us

What does απασχολώ / απασχολεί really mean here?

The core idea of απασχολώ is something like:

occupy
keep busy
preoccupy
concern

Depending on context, Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί can mean:

The decision concerns us
The decision is occupying our thoughts
The decision is on our minds
The decision is worrying us or troubling us in some contexts

So the exact English translation depends on tone and situation, but the basic sense is that the decision is mentally or practically affecting us.

Is this sentence in a normal Greek word order?

Yes, very normal.

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but this sentence is completely natural:

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί

You might also hear:

Μας απασχολεί η απόφαση

That version can sound slightly more natural in some contexts, especially if the speaker is focusing first on what concerns us.

So both are possible, but the object pronoun still normally stays before the verb:

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί
Μας απασχολεί η απόφαση

What case is απόφαση in?

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

So:

η απόφαση = nominative singular
it is the thing doing the action of concerning

Meanwhile, μάς is functioning as the object, so it corresponds to the accusative use of the pronoun.

How would a Greek speaker pronounce this sentence?

Approximately:

ee a-PO-fa-see mas a-pa-scho-LEE

A few pronunciation notes:

Η sounds like ee
απόφαση is stressed on πό
μάς is a short mas
απασχολεί is stressed on the last syllable -λεί

A more detailed breakdown:

Η = ee
απόφαση = a-PO-fa-si
μάς = mas
απασχολεί = a-pa-scho-LEI

The χ in απασχολεί is the Greek sound heard in words like the German Bach or Scottish loch for many learners, though the exact sound depends on the surrounding vowels.

Can I think of this as literally meaning The decision occupies us?

Yes, that is a very helpful way to understand the grammar.

Literal-ish idea:

Η απόφαση = the decision
μάς = us
απασχολεί = occupies / keeps busy / preoccupies

So literally, The decision occupies us.

But in natural English, you will usually translate it more idiomatically as:

The decision concerns us
The decision is on our minds
We are preoccupied with the decision

So the literal meaning helps with grammar, while the natural translation depends on context.

Could μας here mean our instead of us?

Not in the actual structure of this sentence.

If μας meant our, it would normally be attached to a noun, for example:

η απόφασή μας = our decision

But here the sentence is:

Η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί

Since μάς comes before the verb απασχολεί, it is understood as the pronoun us, not the possessive our.

So compare:

η απόφασή μας = our decision
η απόφαση μάς απασχολεί = the decision concerns us

Is there anything especially important to remember from this sentence?

Yes, three very useful patterns:

Greek articles agree with nouns
- η απόφαση = feminine singular nominative
Weak object pronouns usually go before the verb
- μάς απασχολεί
The verb agrees with the subject, not the object
- η απόφαση is singular, so απασχολεί is singular

If you remember those three things, this sentence becomes much easier to understand.

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