Learn Hardcore Greek: Η διατροφή μου δεν είναι καλή, τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά. - My diet is not good; I eat few fruits and vegetables.

It marks the noun as definite,
It agrees with διατροφή in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (nominative),
It’s the normal structure for possession in Greek: η διατροφή μου = “my diet”.

What is the difference between διατροφή, τροφή, and φαγητό?

All three relate to food, but they’re used differently:

διατροφή = diet / nutritional habits
Refers to your overall way of eating, your nutrition pattern.
- Η διατροφή μου δεν είναι καλή = My diet is not good.
τροφή = food (more formal, general, or biological term)
Often used in contexts like nutrition, food as a substance.
- η παιδική τροφή = baby food
- πηγή τροφής = food source
φαγητό = food / a meal (everyday, colloquial)
- Τρώω φαγητό = I eat food
- Το φαγητό είναι έτοιμο = The food/the meal is ready

In this sentence, διατροφή is correct because we’re talking about the quality of someone’s overall eating habits, not just a specific meal.

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

In Greek, possessive pronouns usually come after the noun and are “clitic” (unstressed):

η διατροφή μου = my diet
το σπίτι σου = your house
το βιβλίο του = his book

So the structure is:

article + noun + possessive pronoun

In English, the possessive goes before the noun (my diet), but in Greek it follows the noun:

Not: μου διατροφή
Correct: η διατροφή μου

Why is the negation δεν before είναι? Can I say είναι δεν καλή?

Negation in Greek normally comes immediately before the verb:

δεν είναι = is not
δεν τρώω = I do not eat
δεν έχω = I do not have

So the correct order is:

Η διατροφή μου δεν είναι καλή
My diet is not good.

You cannot say είναι δεν καλή; that is ungrammatical in modern Greek.

Also note: in writing it’s normally δεν, not δε; in fast speech the final -ν sometimes weakens, but you still write δεν here.

Why is it καλή and not καλός or καλό?

The adjective καλός (good) must agree with the noun in:

Gender
Number
Case

διατροφή is:

feminine
singular
nominative

So we use the feminine nominative singular form καλή:

masculine: καλός (π.χ. ο καλός φίλος – the good friend)
feminine: καλή (η καλή διατροφή – the good diet)
neuter: καλό (το καλό φαγητό – the good food)

Hence: Η διατροφή μου δεν είναι καλή.

What tense and person is τρώω, and what does it come from?

τρώω is:

Present tense
1st person singular
From the verb τρώω / τρώγω (to eat)

So τρώω = I eat / I am eating.

Basic present tense of τρώω:

(εγώ) τρώω – I eat
(εσύ) τρως – you eat
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) τρώει – he/she/it eats
(εμείς) τρώμε – we eat
(εσείς) τρώτε – you (pl./formal) eat
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) τρώνε – they eat

In the sentence: … τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά. → I eat few/not many fruits and vegetables.

What does λίγα mean here, and why not λίγο?

λίγα is the neuter plural form of the adjective/pronoun meaning:

few / not many, or
a little (amount of several items)

We use λίγα because it describes φρούτα and λαχανικά, which are:

neuter
plural
in the accusative (as objects of τρώω)

So:

λίγα φρούτα = few/not many fruits
λίγα λαχανικά = few/not many vegetables

The singular neuter form λίγο would be used for:

a mass noun or something uncountable/singular:
- λίγο νερό = a little water
- λίγο φαγητό = a little food

So λίγα is correct here because φρούτα and λαχανικά are countable, plural neuter nouns.

Why don’t we use an article before φρούτα and λαχανικά, like τα φρούτα or τα λαχανικά?

In Greek, when you talk about some, unspecific items in the plural, you often omit the article:

Τρώω φρούτα. = I eat (some) fruit(s).
Αγοράζω βιβλία. = I buy books.

Using τα φρούτα / τα λαχανικά would make it more definite or generic:

Τρώω τα φρούτα. = I eat the fruits (specific ones already known in context).
Τρώω τα λαχανικά. = I eat the vegetables (these particular vegetables).

In this sentence, the meaning is “I don’t eat many fruits and vegetables in general”, so we leave the article out: τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά.

What case are φρούτα and λαχανικά, and how can I recognize it?

φρούτα and λαχανικά are in the accusative plural neuter.

You can tell because:

They follow the verb τρώω and are direct objects (“I eat what?” → fruits and vegetables).
Neuter nouns often have the same form in nominative and accusative in the plural.

Singular → plural (nominative/accusative):

το φρούτο → τα φρούτα
το λαχανικό → τα λαχανικά

So in τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά, both nouns are objects in the accusative plural.

Does λίγα here mean “a little” or “few”? Is this sentence saying I eat a healthy amount or not enough?

λίγα with a plural countable noun usually means “few” / “not many”, with a negative nuance: not as many as would be good or expected.

So τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά is best understood as:

I eat few / not many fruits and vegetables → I don’t eat enough of them.

Combined with Η διατροφή μου δεν είναι καλή, the sentence clearly says the diet is not good, and one reason is that the speaker doesn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.

What does και do here, and can it also mean “also / too”?

In this sentence, και is the simple conjunction “and”:

φρούτα και λαχανικά = fruits and vegetables

Yes, και can also mean “also / too / even”, depending on position and intonation:

Και εγώ τρώω φρούτα. = I also eat fruit.
Τρώω και φρούτα. = I eat fruit as well (in addition to something else).

But here, between two nouns, it’s just the normal and.

Is the word order τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά fixed, or can it change?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially for emphasis. The neutral, most common order here is:

[Verb] [Quantifier] [Noun]
→ τρώω λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά

You could say, for example:

Λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά τρώω.
This puts more emphasis on λίγα φρούτα και λαχανικά (“It’s few fruits and vegetables that I eat”).

Grammatically, both are correct; the given version is the most natural, neutral word order in everyday speech.