Learn Hardcore Greek: Η γυναίκα πήγε με τον άντρα στο μετρό. - The woman went with the man to the metro.

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?

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”?

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”?