Μερικές φορές προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.

Sometimes I prefer the mountain to the sea.

Breakdown of Μερικές φορές προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.

• προτιμάω: to prefer
• από: than
• μερικές φορές: sometimes
• η θάλασσα: the sea
• το βουνό: the mountain

Questions & Answers about Μερικές φορές προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.

Why is it “Μερικές φορές” and not just “Μερικές”? What is “φορές” doing here?

In Greek, “μερικές φορές” literally means “some times” (i.e., on some occasions).

• Μερικές = some (feminine plural)
• Φορές = times (feminine plural of φορά = time/occasion)

Often, in everyday speech, the noun is dropped in English (“sometimes”), but in Greek it normally stays:

• Μερικές φορές = some times → sometimes

You wouldn’t normally say just “μερικές” here; it would sound incomplete, like saying “some” with no noun. The feminine plural agreement (μερικές + φορές) is grammatical: adjective + noun in the same gender, number, and case.

Why is “προτιμώ” used here, and what form is it? How is it related to “προτιμάω”?

Προτιμώ is:

• Present tense
• Active voice
• 1st person singular
• From the verb προτιμώ / προτιμάω = I prefer

Greek has a group of verbs ending in -άω / -ώ, where both forms exist:

• προτιμάω → more “full” form
• προτιμώ → shorter, very common in speech and writing

They are interchangeable in meaning here:

• Προτιμώ το βουνό…
• Προτιμάω το βουνό…

Both mean “I prefer the mountain…”

Why is it “το βουνό” and not just “βουνό” like in English “I prefer mountain”? Why the definite article?

Greek uses the definite article much more than English, even for general things:

• English: I prefer mountain to sea (no articles)
• Greek: Προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα

Here:

• το βουνό = the mountain (mountain environment/vacation in general)
• τη θάλασσα = the sea (sea-side environment/vacation in general)

When talking about general categories (the city, the countryside, the sea, the mountain, coffee, wine, etc.), Greek very often uses the definite article where English does not.

Why is it “το βουνό” (neuter) but “τη θάλασσα” (feminine)? How do their forms work here?

Both βουνό and θάλασσα are in the accusative singular, because they are direct objects of the verb προτιμώ.

• το βουνό

  • Gender: neuter
  • Nominative: το βουνό
  • Accusative: το βουνό (same form as nominative)

• η θάλασσα

  • Gender: feminine
  • Nominative: η θάλασσα
  • Accusative: τη θάλασσα

In this sentence:

• προτιμώ τι; → το βουνό (what do I prefer? the mountain)
• από τι; → τη θάλασσα (rather than what? the sea)

So we get neuter article το with βουνό, and feminine accusative article τη with θάλασσα.

Why is “από” used here for “than”? I thought “από” meant “from”. Could we use “παρά” instead?

In Greek, “από” is used in several ways, including:

• from (origin): έρχομαι από την Ελλάδα = I come from Greece
• than (comparison): είμαι πιο ψηλός από σένα = I’m taller than you

With προτιμώ, the common structure is:

• προτιμώ X από Y = I prefer X to Y

So:

• Προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.
  = I prefer the mountain to the sea.

You can sometimes hear:

• Προτιμώ το βουνό παρά τη θάλασσα.

Using παρά is also correct and has a similar meaning, but “προτιμώ X από Y” is more neutral and more common in everyday speech.

Could we say “προτιμώ το βουνό αντί για τη θάλασσα”? Is that the same?

Yes, you can say:

• Προτιμώ το βουνό αντί για τη θάλασσα.

This literally means “I prefer the mountain instead of the sea.”

Nuance:

• από: the “default” and most neutral way with προτιμώ
• αντί (για): emphasizes substitution/choice instead of something

In many casual contexts, they will be understood the same way; από is just simpler and more common here.

Can I change the word order? For example, is “Προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα μερικές φορές” okay?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are possible and natural:

• Μερικές φορές προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.
• Προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα μερικές φορές.
• Προτιμώ, μερικές φορές, το βουνό από τη θάλασσα. (with commas, more written style)

Placing “μερικές φορές” at the beginning is very common and sounds smooth, but putting it at the end is also fine. The meaning stays the same: the adverbial phrase “μερικές φορές” modifies the whole sentence (“sometimes I prefer…”).

What is the difference between “μερικές φορές”, “κάποιες φορές”, and “καμιά φορά”?

All can translate to “sometimes”, but there are small nuances:

• Μερικές φορές

  • Very common, neutral “sometimes”
  • Works in spoken and written language

• Κάποιες φορές

  • Also “sometimes,” maybe a bit more vague: “on some occasions”
  • Often interchangeable with μερικές φορές

• Καμιά φορά

  • Also means “sometimes,” but can feel a bit more colloquial
  • Literally “some time / at some time,” but as an idiom = sometimes

In your sentence, μερικές φορές is the most standard and natural choice.

How would I say “I preferred the mountain to the sea” in the past tense?

Use the aorist of προτιμώ, which is προτίμησα (1st person singular):

• Μερικές φορές προτίμησα το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.
  = Sometimes I preferred the mountain to the sea.

More naturally, for a general past habit, Greeks might say:

• Τις περισσότερες φορές προτιμούσα το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.
  = Most of the time I used to prefer the mountain to the sea.

Here:

• προτίμησα = single/complete actions (aorist)
• προτιμούσα = repeated/ongoing preference in the past (imperfect)

Could I leave out the articles and say “Προτιμώ βουνό από θάλασσα”?

You might hear something like that in very informal speech, but:

• The fully correct and natural form is with articles:
  Προτιμώ το βουνό από τη θάλασσα.

Without articles, it can sound:

• More telegraphic or slangy
• Less standard, especially in writing

So for correct, natural Greek—especially as a learner—keep the articles: το βουνό, τη θάλασσα.

Are there any pronunciation points in this sentence that are tricky for English speakers?

Yes, a few:

• Μερικές:

  • ε pronounced like “e” in “get”, not like English “ee”.
  • Stress on the last syllable: me-ri-KÉS.

• προτιμώ:

  • Stress on -μώ: pro-ti-MÓ.
  • ο and ω both sound like “o” in “not” (not long vs short).

• βουνό:

  • ου = “oo” as in “food”: voo-NÓ.

• θάλασσα:

  • θ = a voiceless “th”, like in thin, not like this.
  • Double σ: -σσα is one continuous “s” sound, not “s + sh”.

• θά-λασ-σα: stress on ΘΆ: THA-la-ssa.