Έσπασε ένα πλευρό.

Έσπασε is the 3rd person singular aorist of σπάζω (to break).

So grammatically it means he/she/it broke or it got broken, depending on context. The aorist is the normal Greek tense for a single completed action in the past.

That έ- is the past augment, a very common feature in Greek past-tense forms.

For many verbs, Greek adds this extra sound at the beginning in past forms:

• σπάζω → present
• έσπασα / έσπασε → past

So the beginning of the word helps signal that the action happened in the past.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already gives the person and number.

With έσπασε, we know the subject is 3rd person singular, so Greek does not need to say αυτός / αυτή / αυτό unless there is emphasis or contrast.

So Greek naturally says:

• Έσπασε ένα πλευρό.

Instead of:

• Αυτός έσπασε ένα πλευρό.

The pronoun would usually sound emphatic: He broke a rib.

Here it means a.

In Greek, ένας / μία / ένα can be:

1. the indefinite article (a / an), or
2. the number one

In this sentence, ένα πλευρό means a rib, not one rib in an especially emphatic sense.

If a speaker wanted to stress the number, the context or intonation would make that clearer.

Because πλευρό is a neuter noun.

The Greek indefinite article must agree with the noun in gender:

• ένας = masculine
• μία / μια = feminine
• ένα = neuter

So:

• ένα πλευρό = correct

Here πλευρό is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of the verb.

However, with many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular look exactly the same. So πλευρό has the same form in both cases.

That is one reason this sentence can look a little ambiguous when seen by itself.

Yes, in isolation, it can be interpreted that way too.

Why?

• έσπασε can be transitive (broke something) or intransitive (broke)
• ένα πλευρό could be read as either:
  • a direct object = broke a rib
  • a subject = a rib broke

Also, Greek often omits subject pronouns, so there is no explicit he/she in the sentence.

In real life, context normally makes the intended meaning obvious.

Greek often does not state possession explicitly when it is obvious, especially with body parts.

So Έσπασε ένα πλευρό is naturally understood as meaning that the person broke one of their own ribs, unless context suggests otherwise.

If Greek wants to be more explicit, it can say something like:

• Έσπασε το πλευρό του. = He broke his rib.
• Έσπασε το πλευρό της. = She broke her rib.

But in many everyday situations, the possessive is simply omitted.

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

Έσπασε ένα πλευρό is a perfectly natural sentence with the verb first. Greek often puts the verb early, especially in straightforward narration.

Other orders are possible, but they may change the emphasis:

• Έσπασε ένα πλευρό. = neutral
• Ένα πλευρό έσπασε. = more marked; stronger focus on a rib
• Ο Γιάννης έσπασε ένα πλευρό. = explicit subject added

So the word order here is normal and natural.

No. Πλευρό can also mean side.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a rib
• a side / flank
• sometimes one side of something

In this sentence, the intended meaning is clearly rib.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Éspase éna plevró

More approximately:

• Έσπασε → EH-spa-se
• ένα → EH-na
• πλευρό → plev-RO

The stress falls on:

• Έσπασε
• ένα
• πλευρό