Οι μαθητές παρακολούθησαν την επίδειξη.

Word by word:

• Οι = the
• μαθητές = students / pupils
• παρακολούθησαν = watched / attended / observed
• την = the
• επίδειξη = demonstration

So the sentence breaks down as:

• Οι μαθητές = the students
• παρακολούθησαν = watched / attended
• την επίδειξη = the demonstration

Greek articles change form depending on gender, number, and case.

Here:

• οι is the nominative plural article, used for the subject
• την is the accusative singular article, used for the direct object

So:

• Οι μαθητές = the subject, the students
• την επίδειξη = the object, the demonstration

English mostly keeps the unchanged, but Greek does not.

There are two main clues:

1. Article + case
   οι marks a nominative plural noun phrase, which is typically the subject.

2. Verb ending
   παρακολούθησαν is third person plural, so it matches μαθητές (students).

So Greek grammar tells you that the students are the ones doing the action.

παρακολούθησαν is in the aorist tense, which usually expresses a completed action in the past.

So it means something like:

• they watched
• they attended
• they observed

In this sentence, it refers to a finished event: the students watched the demonstration.

The dictionary form is παρακολουθώ = to watch / to attend / to follow.

A very useful pair to know is:

• παρακολουθώ = present / imperfective stem
• παρακολούθησα = aorist, I watched / I attended
• παρακολούθησαν = they watched / they attended

So παρακολούθησαν is the third person plural aorist form of παρακολουθώ.

Because Greek verbs usually already show the subject.

The ending -σαν in παρακολούθησαν tells you the subject is they.

So Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.
A full version with the pronoun would be possible, but usually unnecessary:

• Οι μαθητές παρακολούθησαν την επίδειξη.
• literally: The students watched the demonstration.

You do not need to add αυτοί (they) here.

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

The interesting part is that for many feminine nouns in -η, the nominative singular and accusative singular can look the same:

• nominative: η επίδειξη = the demonstration
• accusative: την επίδειξη = the demonstration

So even though the case changes, the noun επίδειξη stays the same in form. The article changes from η to την, and that helps show the case.

Yes. μαθητές is the masculine plural form.

In Greek, the masculine plural is often used for:

• a group of all males, or
• a mixed group of males and females

If the group were specifically all female, you would say:

• οι μαθήτριες = the female students

So οι μαθητές can mean the students in a general or mixed-group sense.

Greek word order is more flexible than English because case endings and verb forms carry a lot of grammatical information.

The neutral, straightforward order here is:

• Οι μαθητές παρακολούθησαν την επίδειξη.

But other orders can be possible, depending on emphasis, for example:

• Την επίδειξη παρακολούθησαν οι μαθητές.

This might emphasize the demonstration or create a different discourse effect.

So yes, the order can change, but the original sentence is the most neutral and natural in many contexts.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Οι μαθητές παρακολούθησαν την επίδειξη
• roughly: ee ma-theh-TES pa-ra-ko-LOO-thee-san teen e-PEE-theek-see

A few notes:

• οι sounds like ee
• stress falls on:
  • μαθητές
  • παρακολούθησαν
  • επίδειξη

If you want to sound natural, try saying it in three rhythm groups:

• Οι μαθητές / παρακολούθησαν / την επίδειξη

παρακολουθώ is a broad verb, and the best English translation depends on context.

It can mean:

• watch a show, presentation, or event
• attend a lecture, class, or demonstration
• follow a process, argument, or development

So in this sentence, παρακολούθησαν την επίδειξη could be translated as:

• watched the demonstration
• attended the demonstration
• observed the demonstration

If the meaning has already been provided to the learner, the main thing to notice is that Greek uses one verb where English might choose different verbs depending on context.

Greek uses a written accent mark to show which syllable is stressed.

So:

• μαθητές → stress on the last syllable
• επίδειξη → stress on the second syllable
• παρακολούθησαν → stress on λού

This is important because stress is a real part of the word in Greek, not just a pronunciation hint. If you move the stress, the word may sound wrong or even become a different form.

Possibly, depending on context, but watched or attended is more natural in many situations.

Greek παρακολουθώ often overlaps with several English verbs. So if the demonstration was something they observed, then:

• watched
• observed
• attended

are all plausible.

Followed is also possible in some contexts, especially if the sense is kept track of or followed along with, but it is not always the most natural English choice for this sentence by itself.