Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο νέος συνάδελφος μένει κοντά στο γραφείο.

Ο = the (masculine, singular, nominative case)
It tells you that συνάδελφος (colleague) is masculine and the subject of the sentence.
Greek has different forms of “the” depending on gender, number, and case. For example:
- ο συνάδελφος – the colleague (masculine, subject)
- η συνάδελφος – can also be used for a female colleague (feminine form, subject)
- το γραφείο – the office (neuter, subject or object)

So Ο νέος συνάδελφος means “the new colleague” (a specific one that both speakers know about).

What gender is συνάδελφος, and how do I know?

συνάδελφος (colleague) is grammatically masculine in this sentence, signaled by:

The article Ο (masculine singular nominative).
The adjective νέος also takes the masculine form.
The noun itself ends in -ος, which often (not always) indicates masculine.

In practice:

ο συνάδελφος – male colleague
η συνάδελφος – can be used for a female colleague (same noun, different article and adjective form: η νέα συνάδελφος).

So the sentence, as it stands, is talking about a male colleague.

Why is the adjective νέος before the noun? Does that change the meaning?

In Ο νέος συνάδελφος, the adjective νέος comes before the noun, and that is the usual, natural position when you say “the new colleague”.

With νέος, the position can also affect the nuance:

ο νέος συνάδελφος – typically means “the new colleague” (new in the job/role).
ο συνάδελφος είναι νέος – “the colleague is young” (talking about age).

So:

Attributive position (before the noun): describes a characteristic as part of the noun phrase – “new colleague”.
Predicate position (after the verb είναι): usually describes a state – “the colleague is young”.

In your sentence, it clearly means “the new colleague”.

Why does νέος end in -ος?

νέος is an adjective and it must agree with the noun it describes in:

gender: masculine
number: singular
case: nominative

Since συνάδελφος here is masculine, singular, nominative, the adjective takes the matching form:

Masculine: νέος
Feminine: νέα
Neuter: νέο

So:

ο νέος συνάδελφος – the new (male) colleague
η νέα συνάδελφος – the new (female) colleague
το νέο γραφείο – the new office

What exactly is μένει? Which tense and person is it, and what does it literally mean?

μένει is a verb form of μένω.

Verb: μένω – to stay, to live (somewhere), to remain
μένει = 3rd person singular, present tense
- he stays / she stays / it stays
- he lives / she lives / it lives

In this sentence, it has the meaning “lives”:

Ο νέος συνάδελφος μένει…
= The new colleague lives…

Greek uses the simple present for ongoing, general states, so μένει covers both “lives” and “is living” in English.

What’s the difference between μένει, ζει, and κατοικεί for “lives”?

All three can translate as “lives”, but they have different nuances:

μένει
- Everyday, very common.
- Used for where someone lives or is staying.
- Can be permanent or temporary.
- Μένω στην Αθήνα. – I live in Athens.
- Μένω σε ένα ξενοδοχείο. – I’m staying in a hotel.
ζει (from ζω)
- Literally: “lives” in the sense of being alive.
- Also used for “lives in” but sounds a bit more literary or general.
- Ζει στην Αθήνα. – He/she lives in Athens (more about life in general than address).
κατοικεί (from κατοικώ)
- More formal; often used in written forms, official context.
- Κατοικεί στην οδό… – He/she resides at …

In your sentence, μένει is the most natural everyday choice.

What is κοντά exactly? Is it a preposition like “near”?

κοντά is actually an adverb meaning “near, close (by)”.

To say “near something”, Greek usually uses the pattern:

κοντά σε + [noun in the accusative]

In your sentence, it’s:

κοντά στο γραφείο
= near the office / close to the office

You will also see:

κοντά σε μένα – near me
κοντά στο σπίτι – near the house

So κοντά works together with σε (here inside στο) to give the full meaning “near to”.

What does στο mean, and why not just σε?

στο is a contraction of two words:

σε (preposition: in, at, to, into, on, by, etc.)
το (neuter singular definite article: the)

So:

σε + το = στο

In κοντά στο γραφείο:

σε governs the noun and puts it in the accusative
το is the article for γραφείο (neuter, singular, accusative)

Literally: “near to the office”.

Using only σε γραφείο would mean “in/at/to an office” (without “the” and without “near”). κοντά στο is the complete expression “near the”.

Why is γραφείο in the form το γραφείο / στο γραφείο? Is that nominative or accusative?

γραφείο is a neuter noun. Neuter nouns in -ο look the same in the nominative and accusative; the article shows the case:

το γραφείο – nominative or accusative
στο γραφείο – here it’s accusative because it’s governed by the preposition σε (inside στο).

Pattern for neuter γραφείο (singular):

Nominative: το γραφείο – the office (as subject)
Accusative: το γραφείο – the office (as object or after a preposition)

In your sentence, στο γραφείο = σε + το + γραφείο, and σε requires the accusative.

Why do we say κοντά στο γραφείο and not στο κοντά γραφείο or something else? What’s the usual word order here?

The natural structure is:

κοντά (adverb) + σε (preposition) + το γραφείο (noun phrase)
→ κοντά στο γραφείο – near the office

Adverbs like κοντά do not go in front of the noun; they combine with σε to form a prepositional phrase. So στο κοντά γραφείο is ungrammatical.

Typical word order here:

Ο νέος συνάδελφος (subject)
μένει (verb)
κοντά στο γραφείο (adverbial phrase of place)

Greek word order is flexible, so you might also hear Ο νέος συνάδελφος κοντά στο γραφείο μένει, but the original S–V–[place] is the most neutral.

Could we also say δίπλα στο γραφείο instead of κοντά στο γραφείο? What’s the difference between κοντά and δίπλα?

Yes, you can say:

Ο νέος συνάδελφος μένει δίπλα στο γραφείο.

Differences:

κοντά – near, close by
- Some distance, but relatively close.
δίπλα – next to, right beside
- Very close, often immediately adjacent.

So κοντά στο γραφείο suggests he lives near the office, maybe in the same area.
δίπλα στο γραφείο suggests he lives right next to it, like in the neighboring building or the same block.

Could the sentence use Ένας instead of Ο (i.e. Ένας νέος συνάδελφος μένει κοντά στο γραφείο)?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

Ο νέος συνάδελφος μένει κοντά στο γραφείο.
- “The new colleague lives near the office.”
- Refers to a specific colleague that both speakers have in mind.
Ένας νέος συνάδελφος μένει κοντά στο γραφείο.
- “A new colleague lives near the office.”
- Introduces a new, non-specific person (like “there is a new colleague who lives near the office”).

So Ο = the, Ένας = a / one.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence, and where is the stress in each word?

Syllable breakdown with stressed syllable in caps:

Ο – o (no stress; it’s too short)
νέος – NE-os
συνάδελφος – si-NA-del-fos
μένει – ME-ni
κοντά – kon-TA
στο – sto (no extra stress)
γραφείο – gra-FI-o

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-style notation):

Ο νέος συνάδελφος μένει κοντά στο γραφείο.
→ O NE-os see-NA-del-fos ME-ni kon-TA sto gra-FEE-o.

Remember: in Greek, each word has one main stress, marked by the accent on the vowel in writing.