Questions & Answers about Μένω με τον φίλο μου.
Does μένω mean “I live” or “I stay”?
Both. Μένω can mean “I live/reside” (long-term) or “I stay” (temporary), and context decides. With a person, μένω με… usually means cohabiting, but it can also mean staying for a while.
Why is it τον φίλο and not ο φίλος?
Because of the preposition με. In Greek, με (“with”) takes the accusative case. So:
- Nominative (subject): ο φίλος
- Accusative (after με): τον φίλο
Why is there an article at all? English doesn’t say “with the my friend.”
Greek normally uses the definite article with possessives. So τον φίλο μου is the natural way to say “my friend.” If you drop the article and say με φίλο μου, it means “with a friend of mine” (one of my friends, non-specific).
What does μου do here, and why does it come after the noun?
Μου is the unstressed (clitic) possessive “my.” In standard Greek it follows the noun: ο/τον φίλο μου, not “ο/τον μου φίλος.” For emphasis you can use a possessive adjective: ο δικός μου φίλος (“my own friend”).
Could τον φίλο μου also mean “my boyfriend”?