Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει δικαίωμα να λέει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του.

Every person has the right to express their opinion freely.

Breakdown of Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει δικαίωμα να λέει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του.

• έχω: to have
• να: to
• ο άνθρωπος: the person
• η γνώμη: the opinion
• ελεύθερα: freely
• κάθε: every
• το δικαίωμα: the right
• λέω: to say
• του: his

Questions & Answers about Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει δικαίωμα να λέει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του.

In the phrase Κάθε άνθρωπος, why is άνθρωπος singular even though the meaning is “every person / all people”?

Κάθε in Greek means each / every, and it is always followed by a singular noun:

• κάθε άνθρωπος = each/every person
• κάθε παιδί = each/every child

Even though the idea is general (all people), Greek expresses it through “each individual person”, not a plural form.

You could also say Όλοι οι άνθρωποι έχουν δικαίωμα... = All people have the right…, but that’s a slightly different structure:

• κάθε άνθρωπος = each person (focus on individuals)
• όλοι οι άνθρωποι = all people (focus on the group)

Does άνθρωπος mean specifically “man” (male), or can it mean “person” in general?

Άνθρωπος is grammatically masculine, but its meaning is often gender‑neutral: it means “person, human being” as well as “man”.

In a sentence like:

• Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει δικαίωμα...,
  it clearly means “every person / every human being”, including women and men.

So:

• άνθρωπος (masc. grammatically) = person/human (semantically neutral in many contexts)

What exactly does έχει δικαίωμα mean, and how is it different from just using μπορεί?

Έχω δικαίωμα (να...) literally means “I have a right (to...)”.
It talks about a legal, moral, or social right, not just ability.

Compare:

• Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει δικαίωμα να λέει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του.
  = Every person has the right to express their opinion freely.
• Κάθε άνθρωπος μπορεί να λέει...
  = Every person can / is able to say... (this focuses on possibility/ability, not on rights).

So έχω δικαίωμα να + verb is a set expression for “to have the right to do something”.

What is the role of να in να λέει? Is it like the English “to” in “to say”?

Yes, here να introduces a subjunctive clause and often corresponds to English “to” + verb or “that” + clause.

Structure:

• έχει δικαίωμα να λέει...
  literally: has right that (he) say → idiomatic: has the right to say.

In Modern Greek, να + verb is the normal way to express:

• purpose or intention
• rights, duties, wishes, possibilities, etc.

So after έχω δικαίωμα, you virtually always use να + subjunctive:

• Έχω δικαίωμα να ψηφίζω. = I have the right to vote.
• Έχεις δικαίωμα να ξέρεις. = You have the right to know.

Why is it να λέει and not να πει? What’s the difference between these two forms?

Greek verbs have aspect:

• λέει is the imperfective (present stem) form
• πεί (subjunctive of πω) is perfective.

Very roughly:

• να λέει = to say in general, repeatedly, freely, over time
• να πει = to say once, in one specific act

Here we are talking about a general, ongoing right (to express one’s opinion whenever, in general), so Greek uses the imperfective:

• έχει δικαίωμα να λέει = has the right to say (whenever / in general)

If we used να πει, it would sound like the right to say it once / in a single instance, which doesn’t fit this context.

Why is λέει used here and not μιλάει? Don’t both mean “to speak”?

Both exist, but they are used differently:

• λέω κάτι = to say something

  • it usually takes a direct object:
    • λέω τη γνώμη μου = I say/express my opinion

• μιλάω = to speak / to talk

  • usually used with prepositions or adverbs:
    • μιλάω σε κάποιον = I speak to someone
    • μιλάω για κάτι = I talk about something
    • μιλάω ελληνικά = I speak Greek

In this sentence we have a direct object τη γνώμη του (“his opinion”), so λέω is the appropriate verb:

• να λέει τη γνώμη του = to say/express his opinion

Why is ελεύθερα used and not ελεύθερος? What part of speech is it?

Ελεύθερα is an adverb meaning “freely”. It modifies the verb λέει:

• λέει ελεύθερα = he/she says (it) freely.

Ελεύθερος is an adjective meaning “free”:

• ελεύθερος άνθρωπος = a free person
• είναι ελεύθερος = he is free

In English we use an adverb (“freely”) to describe how someone speaks; Greek does the same:

• να λέει ελεύθερα = to speak freely

Why do we say τη γνώμη του and not just γνώμη του without τη?

Greek uses the definite article (ο, η, το etc.) more often than English, including with abstract nouns and body parts, even when English uses no article.

Here:

• τη γνώμη του literally: “the opinion of him”
  but it is translated idiomatically as “his opinion” (without “the” in English).

In this context, the article:

• makes the phrase sound natural and complete in Greek
• refers to a specific opinion (the one that belongs to him)

Leaving it out (λέει γνώμη του) sounds ungrammatical in standard Modern Greek.

What case is τη γνώμη in, and why? And what about του?

• τη γνώμη is accusative singular, feminine.

  • It is the direct object of the verb λέει:
    • Who says? → (he)
    • Says what? → τη γνώμη (his opinion)

• του is genitive singular, masculine (here acting as a possessive clitic = “his”).

  • It indicates who the opinion belongs to:
    • τη γνώμη του = his opinion (the opinion of him)

So grammatically:

• τη γνώμη (acc.) = direct object
• του (gen.) = possessive of that noun

Why is it του and not της in τη γνώμη του, since γνώμη is feminine?

The possessive clitic (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) agrees with the owner, not with the thing owned.

Here, the owner is κάθε άνθρωπος, which is masculine:

• άνθρωπος → masculine → του = his

So:

• η γνώμη του = his opinion
• η γνώμη της = her opinion
• η γνώμη τους = their opinion

The gender of γνώμη (feminine) is marked by its article (η / τη) and noun ending (-η), not by the clitic.

Could we say το δικαίωμα instead of just δικαίωμα? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can also say:

• Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει το δικαίωμα να λέει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του.

This is very common and sounds slightly more formal/emphatic:

• έχει δικαίωμα = has (a) right
• έχει το δικαίωμα = has the right (more definite, a bit more formal)

Both versions are correct and natural. In legal or formal texts, το δικαίωμα is especially frequent.

Could we replace να λέει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του with να εκφράζει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του? Is εκφράζει more formal?

Yes, absolutely:

• Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει δικαίωμα να εκφράζει ελεύθερα τη γνώμη του.

Εκφράζω = to express (often more formal/neutral and broader than just “say”).
So:

• να λέει τη γνώμη του = to say his opinion (more everyday)
• να εκφράζει τη γνώμη του = to express his opinion (slightly more formal, more typical in rights/institutional language)

The meaning in context is essentially the same; the nuance is mainly register (level of formality).

Why is it written τη γνώμη and not την γνώμη? I thought the feminine accusative singular is την.

Both spellings τη and την are used in Modern Greek. The full form is την, but in everyday writing before a consonant, it is often shortened to τη:

• before a vowel: usually την
  
  • την ώρα
• before a consonant: often τη (especially in modern monotonic spelling)
  
  • τη γνώμη, τη γυναίκα, etc.

So τη γνώμη here is just the shortened form of την γνώμη; grammatically they are the same: accusative feminine singular article.