Breakdown of Η μαθήτρια πιστεύει ότι η δασκάλα μιλάει καλά.
καλά
well
μιλάω
to speak
ότι
that
η δασκάλα
the female teacher
Questions & Answers about Η μαθήτρια πιστεύει ότι η δασκάλα μιλάει καλά.
Why are there two instances of the article η?
Greek marks definiteness and gender with articles. η is the feminine singular nominative article (the). You need it once for the main-clause subject η μαθήτρια and again for the subject of the subordinate clause η δασκάλα. Both nouns are feminine singular and both are subjects (in their respective clauses), so both take nominative with η.
Why is η δασκάλα also nominative? Isn’t it the object of the verb?
The direct object of πιστεύει is the whole clause introduced by ότι. Inside that subordinate clause, η δασκάλα is its subject, so it is nominative. Greek uses nominative for subjects even inside embedded clauses.
Can I replace ότι with πως?
Yes. ότι and πως both mean that (complementizer). πως is a bit more informal or conversational. Example: Η μαθήτρια πιστεύει πως η δασκάλα μιλάει καλά. Both are correct.
What’s the difference between ότι and ό,τι?
- ότι = that (introduces a content clause). No comma.
- ό,τι = whatever/anything that (indefinite relative). It always has a comma and accent. In this sentence you need ότι (that), not ό,τι.
Do I need a comma before ?