Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν βλέπω τον αδερφό μου πουθενά στο πάρκο. - I don’t see my brother anywhere in the park.

Δεν: negative particle meaning “not” (used with indicative verbs).
βλέπω: “I see” (1st person singular, present).
τον: masculine accusative singular definite article “the.”
αδερφό: “brother” in the accusative (direct object).
μου: enclitic possessive pronoun “my.”
πουθενά: “anywhere/nowhere” (negative-polarity adverb; needs negation in statements).
στο: contraction of σε
- το = “in/at the.”
πάρκο: “park” (neuter; after σε, nouns are in the accusative).

Why do we need τον before αδερφό μου?

Greek typically uses the definite article with nouns, even when a possessive like μου is present. Here the noun is definite and specific (“my brother”), and it’s the direct object of the verb, so we use the masculine accusative article τον: τον αδερφό μου. In English we say “my brother” without “the,” but in Greek the article is normal and expected.

Why is it αδερφό and not αδερφός?

Case. αδερφός is the nominative (subject form). As the direct object of βλέπω, it must be in the accusative: αδερφό. Pattern:

nominative: ο αδερφός
accusative: τον αδερφό

I’ve also seen αδελφό. Which is correct?

Both αδερφός/αδερφό and αδελφός/αδελφό are correct. αδερφός is more colloquial/modern; αδελφός is a bit more formal or traditional. Meaning is identical.

Why δεν and not μην?

Δεν negates indicative verbs (statements/questions): Δεν βλέπω…
Μην negates the subjunctive/imperative and appears with να/ας: να μην δω, Μην βλέπεις. Since βλέπω here is indicative, δεν is the right negator.

Isn’t δεν + πουθενά a double negative?

In Greek, this is normal and required “negative concord.” πουθενά is a negative‑polarity item; with δεν it means “nowhere/anywhere (under negation).” So Δεν βλέπω … πουθενά = “I don’t see … anywhere.”

In questions, πουθενά can mean “anywhere”: Τον βλέπεις πουθενά; = “Do you see him anywhere?”
Without negation in a statement, πουθενά doesn’t work: you’d use οπουδήποτε for neutral “anywhere.”

Can πουθενά move around in the sentence?

Yes. Word order is flexible and affects emphasis:

Δεν βλέπω τον αδερφό μου πουθενά στο πάρκο. (neutral)
Δεν βλέπω πουθενά τον αδερφό μου στο πάρκο. (focus on “nowhere/anywhere”)
Πουθενά δεν βλέπω τον αδερφό μου στο πάρκο. (fronted for strong emphasis: “Nowhere do I see…”) All are grammatical.

Does δεν βλέπω mean “I can’t find”? Should I use βρίσκω?

Δεν βλέπω = “I don’t see / I can’t see” (visual perception).
Δεν βρίσκω = “I can’t find” (searching and failing to locate). Both are possible here, with a nuance difference:
Δεν βλέπω τον αδερφό μου πουθενά στο πάρκο. (I look around and don’t see him.)
Δεν βρίσκω τον αδερφό μου πουθενά στο πάρκο. (I’ve been searching and can’t find him.)

Why is it στο πάρκο and not στον πάρκο?

Because πάρκο is neuter. στο = σε + το (in/at the + neuter).
Use:

στον = σε
- τον (masculine)
στη(ν) = σε
- την (feminine)
στο = σε
- το (neuter)

Do I need to say εγώ for “I”?

No. Greek is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending in βλέπω already encodes “I.” You add εγώ only for emphasis or contrast: Εγώ δεν βλέπω… (“As for me, I don’t see…”).

How do I pronounce the sentence?

A simple guide with stressed syllables in caps:

Δεν = [ðen] (like “th” in “this”)
βλέπω = VLE-po (β = [v])
τον = ton (keep the final -n in speech before vowels; here next word begins with a vowel sound? Actually next is α, but after τον comes α-, so yes, the -n is pronounced)
αδερφό = a-ðer-FO (δ = [ð])
μου = mu (like “moo”)
πουθενά = pu-the-NA (θ = [θ], as in “thin”)
στο = sto
πάρκο = PAR-ko (rolled/flapped r) Altogether: [ðen ˈvlepo ton aðerˈfo mu puθeˈna sto ˈparko].

What’s going on with the accent marks?

Modern Greek uses one stress mark per stressed word (monotonic system):

βλέπω (stress on first syllable)
αδερφό, πουθενά (stress on last)
πάρκο (stress on first) The enclitic μου has no accent. With enclitics, if the host word is stressed on the antepenult, an extra accent appears on the last syllable: e.g., το τηλέφωνό μου. In our sentence, αδερφό is already stressed on the last syllable, so nothing changes.

Could I replace τον αδερφό μου with a pronoun?

Yes, if the referent is already known from context:

Δεν τον βλέπω πουθενά στο πάρκο. (= “I don’t see him anywhere in the park.”) Avoid doubling with both the full noun and the clitic unless you’re doing special topicalization.

When do I keep or drop the final -ν in τον/την and in δεν/μην?

With articles/pronouns (τον/την/έναν/κανέναν): keep -ν before vowels and before certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ and clusters starting with them, plus μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ). Otherwise it’s often dropped in careful writing. Here, τον αδερφό must keep -ν because αδερφό starts with a vowel.
With negatives (δεν/μην): standard writing keeps -ν; in casual speech/writing you’ll also see δε/μη before many consonants. In our sentence, δεν βλέπω is the standard form.

Is σε το acceptable, or must I use στο?

Use the contracted forms in modern Greek:

σε + το = στο, σε + τον = στον, σε + την = στη(ν), σε + τα = στα, etc. Writing σε το πάρκο sounds unnatural today; στο πάρκο is standard.

Does σε/στο mean “in,” “at,” or “to”?

All of those, depending on the verb:

Location: στο πάρκο = “in/at the park” (with είμαι, βλέπω, etc.)
Motion to: Πάω στο πάρκο = “I’m going to the park.” Context and the verb determine the English equivalent.

Why is πάρκο in the accusative after σε?

Most Greek prepositions, including σε, govern the accusative case. Neuter nouns like πάρκο look the same in nominative and accusative, so you don’t see a form change, but grammatically it’s accusative here.