Τρεις άνθρωποι είναι εδώ τώρα.

Three people are here now.

Breakdown of Τρεις άνθρωποι είναι εδώ τώρα.

• είμαι: to be
• τώρα: now
• εδώ: here
• ο άνθρωπος: the person
• τρεις: three

Questions & Answers about Τρεις άνθρωποι είναι εδώ τώρα.

Do I need an article here? Should it be Οι τρεις άνθρωποι...?

Greek normally omits any article in an indefinite plural. Τρεις άνθρωποι = “three people” (unspecified). Οι τρεις άνθρωποι = “the three people” (a specific, known group).

Why is it τρεις and not τρία?

Numbers agree with the noun’s grammatical gender. άνθρωποι is masculine plural, so use the masculine/feminine form τρεις. Use τρία with neuter nouns.

• τρεις άντρες / τρεις γυναίκες
• τρία παιδιά / τρία άτομα

What form is άνθρωποι? How does άνθρωπος change?

άνθρωποι is nominative plural (subject form).

• Singular: ο άνθρωπος (nom), τον άνθρωπο (acc)
• Plural: οι άνθρωποι (nom), τους ανθρώπους (acc) The stress stays on the first syllable: άν-θρω-.

Does είναι mean both “is” and “are”?

Yes. Present of είμαι (to be):

• είμαι, είσαι, είναι, είμαστε, είστε, είναι Context shows whether είναι is singular or plural.

Can I also say “There are three people here now” in Greek?

Yes:

• Είναι τρεις άνθρωποι εδώ τώρα. (colloquial “there are”)
• Υπάρχουν τρεις άνθρωποι εδώ τώρα. (more neutral/formal) Your original sentence treats the people as the subject; these two introduce their existence.

Is the word order fixed?

Greek word order is flexible. All of these work, with slight shifts in focus:

• Τρεις άνθρωποι είναι εδώ τώρα. (neutral)
• Είναι τρεις άνθρωποι εδώ τώρα. (existential)
• Εδώ είναι τρεις άνθρωποι τώρα. / Τώρα είναι τρεις άνθρωποι εδώ. (focus on place/time)

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate IPA: [tris ˈanθropi ˈine eˈðo ˈtora]

• τρεις = [tris]
• άνθρωποι = [ˈanθropi] (θ = English “th” in “think”)
• είναι = [ˈine] (ει = [i], αι = [e])
• εδώ = [eˈðo] (δ = “th” in “this”)
• τώρα = [ˈtora] (ω = [o]) The accent mark shows the stressed syllable.

Why doesn’t Τρεις have an accent mark?

Monosyllabic words normally have no accent. τρεις is one syllable. A few monosyllables get an accent only for disambiguation (e.g., ή = or, πού = where?, πώς = how?).

Could I say τρία άτομα instead of τρεις άνθρωποι?

Often, yes. άτομα (individuals) is neuter and common for counting (reservations, tickets): τρία άτομα. άνθρωποι (people, humans) is more human-focused. Both are natural in many contexts.

Does άνθρωποι refer only to men?

No. It’s grammatically masculine but refers to people of any gender. Grammatical gender ≠ real-world gender.

Why άνθρωποι and not ανθρώπους?

Because it’s the subject, so nominative plural (άνθρωποι). Use accusative plural (ανθρώπους) for direct objects:

• Βλέπω τρεις ανθρώπους. = I see three people.

Can I omit είναι like in headlines?

In normal sentences, keep the verb: Τρεις άνθρωποι είναι εδώ τώρα. In headlines/notes, you might see Τρεις άνθρωποι εδώ τώρα, but that’s elliptical.

What’s the difference between εδώ, εκεί, and εδώ πέρα?

• εδώ = here (near the speaker)
• εκεί = there (farther away)
• εδώ πέρα = right here/around here (colloquial emphasis)

Is τώρα the same as σήμερα?

No.

• τώρα = now (this moment/period)
• σήμερα = today (the day) You usually use one or the other.

Does ω (omega) in τώρα sound different from ο (omicron)?

In Modern Greek, both ω and ο are pronounced [o]. The difference is historical; the accent mark shows stress, not a different sound.

Are numbers declined in Greek? What are the forms of “three”?

Yes.

• Masculine/Feminine: τρεις
• Neuter: τρία
• Genitive (all genders): τριών Examples: με τρεις φίλους, τρία παιδιά, των τριών ανθρώπων.