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Breakdown of Η γυναίκα πήγε με τον άντρα στο μετρό.
πάω
to go
με
with
σε
to
ο άντρας
the man
η γυναίκα
the woman
το μετρό
the metro
Questions & Answers about Η γυναίκα πήγε με τον άντρα στο μετρό.
What is the grammatical breakdown of each word in the sentence?
- Η: definite article, feminine nominative singular (marks the subject).
- γυναίκα: noun, feminine nominative singular (“woman”).
- πήγε: verb, 3rd person singular aorist (simple past) of πάω/πηγαίνω (“went”).
- με: preposition (“with”), governs the accusative.
- τον: definite article, masculine accusative singular.
- άντρα: noun, masculine accusative singular (“man”; also “husband” in context).
- στο: contraction of σε
- το (“to/at the” for neuter), governs the accusative.
- μετρό: neuter indeclinable noun (“metro/subway”).
Why is it πήγε and not πήγαινε?
- πήγε is the aorist (simple past): a single, completed action (“went” once).
- πήγαινε is the imperfect (past continuous/habitual): “was going/used to go” or, in another context, the 2nd-person singular imperative “Go!”.
- So here πήγε fits a one-time past event.
Is πήγε irregular? How does it relate to πάω/πηγαίνω?
- Present: πάω (colloquial) / πηγαίνω.
- Aorist (simple past): πήγα (1st sg), πήγε (3rd sg), πήγαν(ε) (3rd pl).
- The past stem πήγ- is irregular compared to the present.
Why is it με τον άντρα and not με ο άντρας?
- Prepositions like με take the accusative case.
- ο άντρας is nominative (subject form). After με, you need the accusative: τον άντρα.
Does άντρας mean “man” or “husband”?
- It can mean either, depending on context.
- To make “husband” explicit, add a possessive: ο άντρας της (“her husband”).
- A more formal/neutral word for “spouse/husband” is σύζυγος (e.g., με τον σύζυγό της).
Why do I sometimes see άντρας and other times άνδρας?
- άντρας is the common modern form; άνδρας is more formal/learned.
- Accusative singular: τον άντρα (common) or τον άνδρα (formal).
- Both are correct; choose based on register.
What’s the deal with the final -ν in τον? Can it drop?
- The -ν is “movable.” Keep it before vowels and certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ).
- Here the next word starts with a vowel (άντρα), so you must say τον άντρα.
- In careful writing many people keep τον everywhere.
What exactly is στο?
- στο = σε
- το (“to/at the” for neuter nouns).
- Other contractions: στον (σε + τον, masculine), στη(ν) (σε + τη(ν), feminine), στους/στις/στα (plurals).
Why is it στο μετρό and not στον μετρό?
- μετρό is neuter, so use στο (σε + το).
- στον is used before masculine nouns (e.g., στον σταθμό = “to the station”).
Is μετρό declined? What about plural?
- μετρό is an indeclinable neuter loanword: the form stays μετρό in all cases and numbers.
- The article changes for case/number (e.g., το μετρό, του μετρό, τα μετρό), but the noun itself doesn’t.
Does με ever mean “by (transport)” instead of “with (person)”?
- Yes. με
- vehicle = “by” (means): με το μετρό = “by metro.”
- Your sentence has με τον άντρα (with the man), and στο μετρό (to the metro). To say “by metro,” you’d say: Πήγε στο κέντρο με το μετρό.
Can I say “A woman” instead of “The woman”? Do I need the article?
- “A woman” = Μια γυναίκα (or μία in careful writing).
- Greek generally uses the definite article with specific/known nouns. Bare Γυναίκα πήγε… is ungrammatical; use Η γυναίκα… or Μια γυναίκα….
Could I drop the subject like in other Greek sentences?
- Greek drops subject pronouns, not usually full noun phrases.
- You could say Πήγε στο μετρό με τον άντρα της if context already makes it clear who “she” is.
Is the word order fixed?
- No. Greek word order is flexible because case endings show roles.
- Variants for emphasis are possible, e.g.:
- Με τον άντρα της πήγε η γυναίκα στο μετρό.
- Η γυναίκα στο μετρό πήγε με τον άντρα της.
- Neutral, unmarked order is close to the original.
How do I pronounce the tricky bits?
- γ before ι/ε sounds like the y in “you”: γυναίκα ≈ “yee-NE-ka”, πήγε ≈ “PEE-ye”.
- ντ in άντρα is pronounced
- Stress the syllables with the accent marks: γυναίκα, πήγε, Άντρα, μετρό.
- A rough transliteration: I yi-NE-ka PEE-ye me ton ÁN-dra sto me-TRÓ.
Does η γυναίκα ever mean “the wife”?
- By itself it means “the woman.” With a possessive, it usually means “wife”: η γυναίκα μου = “my wife.”
- Context can sometimes make η γυναίκα = “the wife,” but add a possessive to be clear.
How would I say “She took the metro,” not “went to the metro”?
- “She took the metro” = Πήρε το μετρό.
- “She went to the metro” = Πήγε στο μετρό.
How do I make it negative or a question?
- Negation: place δεν before the verb: Η γυναίκα δεν πήγε…
- Yes/no question: same word order; end with the Greek question mark (;) in writing: Η γυναίκα πήγε με τον άντρα στο μετρό;
Is there a way to emphasize “together” in “with the man”?
- Add μαζί: Πήγε μαζί με τον άντρα της στο μετρό.
- μαζί (με) strengthens the idea of accompaniment.
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