Είδαμε μια αρκούδα κοντά στο ποτάμι.

Είδαμε means we saw.

It comes from the verb βλέπω (to see), but the past simple form is irregular. Greek does not use a form like βλέψαμε here. Instead, the verb changes stem:

• βλέπω = I see
• είδα = I saw
• είδαμε = we saw

So this is a very common irregular past-tense pattern you just have to learn.

Because the ending of the verb already tells you the subject.

In Είδαμε, the ending -με shows we. So Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

• Είδαμε = we saw
• Εμείς είδαμε = we saw too, but with extra emphasis on we

Greek does this a lot, unlike English, which usually needs the subject pronoun.

μια is the feminine singular form of the indefinite article, meaning a / an.

Since αρκούδα (bear) is a feminine noun, it takes μια:

• μια αρκούδα = a bear

Compare:

• ένας for masculine nouns
• μια / μία for feminine nouns
• ένα for neuter nouns

So the article agrees with the noun in gender and number.

Yes, in this kind of sentence they mean the same thing.

Both can mean a or one, depending on context. In everyday writing, μια is very common. The spelling μία is a bit more formal or can help show stress clearly.

So here:

• μια αρκούδα
• μία αρκούδα

both mean a bear.

Because for this noun, the nominative singular and accusative singular are the same.

The noun αρκούδα is feminine. In this sentence it is the direct object of Είδαμε, so grammatically it is in the accusative. But many feminine nouns in -α look the same in nominative and accusative singular:

• nominative: η αρκούδα = the bear
• accusative: την αρκούδα = the bear (as object)

So even though the case changes, the noun itself does not visibly change here.

Because στο is the normal contraction of σε + το.

• σε = in / at / to
• το = the
• στο = in the / at the / to the

So:

• κοντά στο ποτάμι = near the river

This contraction is extremely common in Greek:

• στο = σε + το
• στη = σε + τη(ν)
• στην = σε + την
• στον = σε + τον
• στους, στις, στα, etc.

You will usually see the contracted form, not the full two-word version.

Here κοντά means near or close.

In this sentence:

• κοντά στο ποτάμι = near the river

Very often κοντά is used with σε + noun phrase:

• κοντά σε ένα σπίτι = near a house
• κοντά στο ποτάμι = near the river

It can also appear on its own in other contexts meaning nearby:

• Μένω κοντά. = I live nearby.

Yes. After σε (here inside στο), the noun is normally in the accusative.

So ποτάμι is functioning as the object of the preposition-like phrase:

• στο ποτάμι = at/to/in the river
• after κοντά: κοντά στο ποτάμι = near the river

In this case, ποτάμι is a neuter noun, and many neuter nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative singular, so you do not see a visible change.

• nominative: το ποτάμι
• accusative: το ποτάμι

Same form, different grammatical role.

It is neuter.

You can tell from the article:

• το ποτάμι = the river

That is why the contracted form is στο:

• σε + το = στο

If it were masculine or feminine, the article would be different.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

EE-tha-me mia ar-KOU-tha kon-TA sto po-TA-mi

A few helpful points:

• Είδαμε: the δ sounds like the th in this
• μια is usually pronounced something like mya or mee-a, depending on speech style
• αρκούδα has the stress on κού
• κοντά has the stress on the last syllable
• ποτάμι has the stress on τά

So the stress pattern is:

Είδαμε μια αρκούδα κοντά στο ποτάμι

Yes, they matter because they show which syllable is stressed.

In this sentence:

• Είδαμε
• αρκούδα
• κοντά
• ποτάμι

The accent tells you where to place the stress when speaking. Stress is important in Greek, and saying the stress incorrectly can sound unnatural or sometimes cause confusion.

The little mark does not mean the vowel is longer; it mainly marks stress.

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

The neutral order here is:

• Είδαμε μια αρκούδα κοντά στο ποτάμι.

But Greek could move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Κοντά στο ποτάμι είδαμε μια αρκούδα.
  = Near the river, we saw a bear.

• Μια αρκούδα είδαμε κοντά στο ποτάμι.
  = It was a bear that we saw near the river.

The original sentence is the most straightforward, neutral version.

It can naturally suggest either, depending on context, though most people would understand the overall scene without worrying about the distinction too much.

The phrase κοντά στο ποτάμι can be taken as:

• the location of the seeing event: we saw [a bear] near the river
• or the location of the bear: we saw a bear [that was] near the river

In ordinary conversation, this kind of ambiguity is normal and usually not a problem.

Because Είδαμε is the simple past (aorist), used for a completed event:

• We saw a bear.

Greek also has an imperfect past for repeated or ongoing actions. For example, a learner might compare:

• είδαμε = we saw (one completed event)
• βλέπαμε = we were seeing / we used to see

So in your sentence, the speaker is talking about one completed event: they saw a bear near the river.

Often yes, but not always.

In this sentence, μια αρκούδα is the natural way to say a bear. Greek does have an indefinite article, unlike some languages.

But Greek can sometimes omit the indefinite article in certain styles or expressions where English would use a. Still, for a basic sentence like this, μια αρκούδα is exactly what a learner should expect.

Grammatically, yes, but context decides the best interpretation.

• μια αρκούδα usually means a bear
• In a different context, μία αρκούδα could emphasize one bear

For example, if someone asked How many bears did you see?, then μία αρκούδα could mean one bear.

In your sentence by itself, the most natural reading is just a bear.

The dictionary forms are:

• η αρκούδα = bear
• το ποτάμι = river

Greek nouns are usually learned together with their article, because the article helps you remember the noun’s gender:

• η tells you αρκούδα is feminine
• το tells you ποτάμι is neuter

That is a very useful habit for learners.

Yes, several useful things:

1. Είδαμε is an irregular past form of βλέπω.
2. μια agrees with the feminine noun αρκούδα.
3. στο is a contraction of σε + το.
4. κοντά στο ... is a very common way to say near the ...
5. Greek often drops subject pronouns, because the verb ending already shows the subject.

So this short sentence is actually a great example of several very common Greek patterns.