Learn Hardcore Greek: Το παιδί μιλάει με πολλούς ανθρώπους.

It is present tense and can mean both ongoing action and habitual action. So it can be understood as either “is talking” or “talks,” depending on context.

What’s the difference between μιλάει and μιλά?

Both are correct 3rd person singular forms of the verb “to speak/talk” (μιλάω/μιλώ). Μιλάει is the fuller form and is very common in speech; μιλά is the contracted form and is common in both speech and writing. No difference in meaning.

How do you pronounce μιλάει?

As two syllables: mi-LA-ee (μι-λά-ει). Don’t read it like English “mile.” Here, the -ει sounds like “ee,” so you hear “la-ee.”

Why is the preposition με used here? Could I use σε instead?

με = “with,” and with verbs like “talk,” it usually implies a two-way conversation (“talk with”).
σε = “to,” which emphasizes direction or addressing someone (“speak to”). Both are idiomatic: μιλάει με πολλούς ανθρώπους (talks with) vs μιλάει σε πολλούς ανθρώπους (speaks to).

Which case is πολλούς ανθρώπους, and why?

Accusative plural. The preposition με always takes the accusative, and the adjective (πολλούς) must agree with the noun (ανθρώπους) in gender, number, and case.

Why is it πολλούς and not πολύ?

πολλούς is the masculine accusative plural form of the adjective “many,” agreeing with ανθρώπους.
πολύ is an adverb (“very/much”) or is used with uncountable nouns (e.g., πολύ νερό). With countable plural nouns like “people,” use the plural adjective: πολλοί/πολλές/πολλά (nom.) → πολλούς/πολλές/πολλά (acc.).

What is the form of ανθρώπους and what’s the singular?

ανθρώπους is accusative plural of άνθρωπος (“person, human”). Useful forms:

Singular: ο άνθρωπος (nom), τον άνθρωπο (acc), του ανθρώπου (gen)
Plural: οι άνθρωποι (nom), τους ανθρώπους (acc), των ανθρώπων (gen)

Why is it Το παιδί with a neuter article?

Because παιδί (“child”) is a neuter noun in Greek, regardless of the child’s biological sex. The article must match grammatical gender, so το παιδί. Note: αγόρι (boy) and κορίτσι (girl) are also neuter nouns in Greek.

Can I omit the article, or say Ένα παιδί μιλάει…?

Ένα παιδί μιλάει… = “A child is talking…,” perfectly fine if you mean an unspecified child.
Omitting the article entirely (Παιδί μιλάει…) is generally ungrammatical in standard Greek unless in headlines or special stylistic contexts.

Could I say Το παιδί μιλά με πολλούς ανθρώπους?

Yes. Using the contracted verb form μιλά is fully correct: Το παιδί μιλά με πολλούς ανθρώπους.

What’s the difference between μιλάω/μιλώ and λέω?

μιλάω/μιλώ = “to speak/talk” (the act of conversing).
λέω = “to say/tell” (the content of speech). You can “talk to people” (μιλάω σε/με ανθρώπους), but you “say something” (λέω κάτι) to people: λέει κάτι σε πολλούς ανθρώπους.

Is there a more colloquial alternative to πολλούς ανθρώπους?

Yes, Greek often uses the mass noun κόσμος (“people, crowd”): μιλάει με πολύ κόσμο (“talks with a lot of people”). Note the singular mass-noun pattern: πολύ κόσμο, not “πολλούς κόσμους.”

How flexible is the word order?

Greek allows reordering for emphasis:

Το παιδί μιλάει με πολλούς ανθρώπους. (neutral)
Με πολλούς ανθρώπους μιλάει το παιδί. (emphasizes “with many people”)
Το παιδί με πολλούς ανθρώπους μιλάει. (end-focus on the verb) The core meaning stays the same.

If I want to stress “to many people,” how do I use σε with a definite article?

With a definite group, σε + τους = στους:

Indefinite: σε πολλούς ανθρώπους (“to many people”).
Definite: στους ανθρώπους (“to the people”). You wouldn’t normally say “στους πολλούς ανθρώπους” unless “the many people” is a specific, known group.

What’s the present-tense conjugation of μιλάω/μιλώ?

εγώ: μιλάω / μιλώ
εσύ: μιλάς
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό: μιλάει / μιλά
εμείς: μιλάμε
εσείς: μιλάτε
αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά: μιλάνε / μιλούν(ε)

How do I combine “speaking a language” with “speaking to people”?

Use a bare accusative for languages and σε for the addressee: Το παιδί μιλάει Ελληνικά σε πολλούς ανθρώπους. (“The child speaks Greek to many people.”)

Can με contract to μ’ before a vowel, as in μ’ ανθρώπους?

In fast speech, yes, you may hear μ’ before a vowel. In standard writing, it’s more common to keep με: με ανθρώπους. The contracted form is informal and optional.