Ο ατμός μένει στη γάστρα.

In Greek, the definite article is used more often than in English. Ο ατμός literally means the steam.

Even if English might prefer just steam in some contexts, Greek often uses the article with a specific noun that is being talked about in the situation. Here:

• ο = the for a masculine singular noun in the nominative
• ατμός = steam

So Ο ατμός is a normal, natural Greek subject.

Because ατμός is a masculine singular noun, and it is the subject of the sentence.

Greek definite articles change depending on gender, number, and case. Here the relevant forms are:

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

Since ατμός is masculine and is the subject, Greek uses ο.

Μένει is the 3rd person singular form of the verb μένω, which means to stay, to remain, or sometimes to live depending on context.

In this sentence, it means stays/remains:

• μένω = I stay / I remain
• μένεις = you stay
• μένει = he/she/it stays

So Ο ατμός μένει... means The steam stays/remains...

Yes. Μένω can mean:

• stay/remain
• live/reside

You understand the meaning from the context.

For example:

• Μένω στην Αθήνα. = I live in Athens.
• Ο ατμός μένει στη γάστρα. = The steam stays in the roasting pan / pot.

Since the subject is steam, the meaning lives would make no sense here, so stays/remains is the natural interpretation.

Στη is the common contracted form of σε τη.

• σε = in, at, to
• τη = the, feminine singular accusative

So:

• σε τη γάστρα → στη γάστρα

This contraction is very common in everyday Greek.

Similarly:

• σε τον → στον
• σε το → στο

So στη γάστρα means in the roasting pan / pot.

Because γάστρα is a feminine noun, and in this sentence it is singular and follows the preposition σε. The form used here is the accusative singular.

For many feminine nouns ending in -α, the nominative and accusative singular are the same, so you do not see a visible change:

• nominative: η γάστρα
• accusative: τη γάστρα

That is why the noun itself stays γάστρα, while the article changes from η to τη.

In Modern Greek, the preposition σε normally takes the accusative.

So:

• σε + accusative

That is why you get:

• στη γάστρα = σε τη γάστρα

with τη γάστρα in the accusative.

This is very common and worth memorizing early:

• στο σπίτι = in the house / at home
• στην πόλη = in the city
• στον κήπο = in the garden

Yes, Greek often drops subject pronouns, but here the noun ο ατμός can also be omitted only if the context already makes it clear what is staying in the pan.

Greek is a language where the verb ending often gives enough information about the person and number:

• μένει already tells you it is he/she/it stays

So:

• Ο ατμός μένει στη γάστρα. = full sentence, explicitly naming the subject
• Μένει στη γάστρα. = possible if the listener already knows what it refers to

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

The neutral, straightforward order is:

• Ο ατμός μένει στη γάστρα.

But you can also say:

• Στη γάστρα μένει ο ατμός.

This might put more emphasis on where the steam stays.

Even though Greek allows flexibility, not every order sounds equally natural in every context. The original sentence is the most neutral and beginner-friendly pattern:

• subject + verb + prepositional phrase

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Ο = o
• ατμός = atmOS
• μένει = ME-ni
• στη = sti
• γάστρα = GHA-stra

A rough full pronunciation: o at-MOS ME-ni sti GHA-stra

A few notes:

• The stressed syllables are marked by the accent marks: ατμός, μένει, γάστρα
• γ before α is a voiced sound, somewhat like a softer Greek g, not exactly like English g in every accent
• ει in μένει is pronounced like ee

The accent marks show which syllable is stressed.

• ατμός → stress on the last syllable
• μένει → stress on the first syllable
• γάστρα → stress on the first syllable

Stress matters in Greek pronunciation, so the accent marks are important and should be learned as part of the word.

Yes, Greek can use ατμός as a normal singular noun with the definite article: ο ατμός.

English often treats steam as an uncountable substance noun, but it can still take the in English too when it is specific: the steam stayed inside. Greek simply uses the article very naturally here.

So even if it feels slightly more explicit than English, ο ατμός is completely normal Greek.

Γάστρα is a cooking vessel, often something like a roasting pan, covered baking dish, or casserole-style pot, depending on context and region.

For learning purposes, the important grammar point here is that:

• it is feminine
• the basic singular forms are:
  • η γάστρα = nominative
  • τη γάστρα = accusative

So in this sentence, after στη, you get στη γάστρα.