Learn Hardcore Greek: Η φίλη μου μάλλον δεν έρχεται σήμερα, δυστυχώς. - My friend female probably isn't coming today, unfortunately.

Compare:
- bolded μάλλον θα αργήσω = I’ll probably be late.
- bolded ίσως να αργήσω / bolded ίσως αργήσω = I might be late (more tentative).
With negation, bolded μάλλον δεν… = “probably not,” which is exactly what you have in the sentence.

Why is bolded δεν used for negation and not bolded μην? Where does it go?

bolded δεν negates verbs in the indicative mood: bolded δεν έρχεται = “isn’t coming / won’t come.”
bolded μην is used with the subjunctive (often with bolded να), with negative imperatives, and after certain expressions: bolded να μην έρθει, bolded μην έρθεις!
Placement: bolded δεν goes directly before the verb phrase: bolded μάλλον δεν έρχεται (not ✗ bolded δεν μάλλον έρχεται).
In speech you may hear bolded δε before a consonant, but writing bolded δεν is always safe.

Why is the present tense bolded έρχεται used if we’re talking about later today?

Greek often uses the present to talk about near‑future, scheduled, or expected events, especially with a time word like bolded σήμερα.

Your sentence: “She probably isn’t coming today” (implied plan/change).
A more explicitly future version is also very natural: bolded Μάλλον δεν θα έρθει σήμερα (“She probably won’t come today”).
Nuance: bolded δεν έρχεται σήμερα can imply a plan or decision for today; bolded δεν θα έρθει σήμερα is a neutral future statement of non‑occurrence. In many contexts they overlap.

What does the article bolded Η do here? Can I drop it?

Greek normally uses the definite article with specific or possessed nouns. bolded Η φίλη μου = “my (female) friend.” Dropping the article is not standard in this role.
Without the article you’d usually have either a vocative or a more elliptical register (e.g., bolded Φίλη μου, … “My friend, …”). For “a friend of mine,” say bolded μια φίλη μου.
Don’t confuse the article bolded η/Η (“the,” feminine) with the conjunction bolded ή/Ή (“or”), which carries a stress mark.

Why is bolded μου after the noun instead of before it, like English “my friend”?

bolded μου is an enclitic possessive pronoun (“my”) that follows the noun: bolded η φίλη μου.
To emphasize “my (as opposed to someone else’s),” use the stressed possessive: bolded η δική μου φίλη.
Putting bolded μου before the noun (✗ bolded μου φίλη) is not how Greek forms ordinary possessives (except in vocatives like bolded Φίλη μου! “My friend!”).

What’s the difference between bolded φίλη and bolded φίλος? How do I make the plural?

bolded φίλη = female friend; bolded φίλος = male (or generic) friend.
Plurals:
- All-female group: bolded οι φίλες μου.
- Mixed or all-male group: bolded οι φίλοι μου.

Can I move bolded μάλλον, bolded σήμερα, or bolded δυστυχώς to other positions?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible, and these adverbs can move for emphasis or flow:

bolded Μάλλον η φίλη μου δεν έρχεται σήμερα.
bolded Η φίλη μου σήμερα μάλλον δεν έρχεται.
bolded Δυστυχώς, η φίλη μου μάλλον δεν έρχεται σήμερα. All are acceptable; the differences are subtle and prosodic (what you’re highlighting).

Why is there a comma before bolded δυστυχώς? Is that required?

bolded δυστυχώς is a sentence adverb (“unfortunately”), often treated as a parenthetical. You:

Put it at the start with a comma after it: bolded Δυστυχώς, …
Keep it at the end with a comma before it (as in the sentence).
If it’s in the middle, set it off with commas: bolded …, δυστυχώς, … These commas help mark it as a comment on the whole sentence.

How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

Approximate IPA: [i ˈfili mu ˈmalon ðen ˈerçete ˈsimera, ðistiˈxos]

bolded η, ει, οι sound like [i] (English “ee”).
bolded δ = voiced “th” in “this” [ð].
bolded χ is “ch”: before front vowels (e, i) it’s soft [ç] as in German “ich” (bolded έρχεται), elsewhere it’s like Spanish “j” (bolded δυστυχώς).
Stresses: bolded φίλη, bolded μάλλον, bolded έρχεται, bolded σήμερα, bolded δυστυχώς each carry one stressed syllable as marked.

Why is the verb third person singular (bolded έρχεται)?

Because the subject bolded η φίλη (my friend) is singular. For plural:

bolded Οι φίλες μου μάλλον δεν έρχονται σήμερα. (all female)
bolded Οι φίλοι μου μάλλον δεν έρχονται σήμερα. (mixed/all male)

Is bolded Ίσως δεν έρθει σήμερα correct, or should it be bolded Ίσως να μην έρθει σήμερα?

Both occur, but the safest patterns are:

bolded Ίσως έρθει σήμερα. (perhaps she’ll come)
bolded Ίσως να μην έρθει σήμερα. (perhaps she won’t come) Many speakers avoid bolded ίσως + δεν; using bolded να μην is widely accepted. With bolded μάλλον, though, bolded μάλλον δεν… is perfectly normal.

What case is bolded φίλη in? Why not bolded τη φίλη μου?

bolded η φίλη (nominative) is the subject of the sentence, so the verb agrees with it.
bolded τη φίλη μου (accusative) would be used for a direct object: bolded Βλέπω τη φίλη μου = “I see my friend.”

Is bolded η φίλη μου necessarily romantic, like “my girlfriend”?

No. bolded η φίλη μου means “my (female) friend” and is not inherently romantic. For “girlfriend,” say bolded η κοπέλα μου (informal/common) or bolded η σύντροφός μου (partner, more formal/neutral). Similarly, “boyfriend” is bolded ο φίλος μου in context, or more explicitly bolded ο σύντροφός μου.

Why doesn’t bolded φίλη take an extra accent before bolded μου? Don’t enclitics add accents?

Enclitics like bolded μου can cause the preceding word to take an extra accent if that word is stressed on the antepenultimate (third-from-last) syllable, e.g.:

bolded ο άνθρωπός μου (extra accent on -πός). bolded φίλη is only two syllables and already stressed appropriately, so no extra accent is added: bolded η φίλη μου.

If I drop bolded μάλλον, what changes in meaning?

bolded Η φίλη μου δεν έρχεται σήμερα, δυστυχώς. = “My friend isn’t coming today, unfortunately.” (stated as a fact)
With bolded μάλλον, you express probability rather than certainty: “probably isn’t coming.”