Breakdown of Το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα φεύγει από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο.
Questions & Answers about Το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα φεύγει από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο.
In this sentence we are talking about the destination of the plane: it is the plane for / to Greece.
για often means for or to (as a destination/purpose).
- το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα = the plane to Greece / the plane for Greece
σε(ν) → στη(ν) Ελλάδα means in / to / into Greece, but is usually used with verbs of motion (go, travel, arrive) or location:
- Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα. = I’m going to Greece.
- Είμαι στην Ελλάδα. = I am in Greece.
So:
- το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα
= the plane that has Greece as its destination
If you rewrote the sentence with a different verb, you could say:
- Το αεροπλάνο πηγαίνει στην Ελλάδα.
The plane goes to Greece.
But in the original sentence, για is more natural because we describe the plane by its destination, not describing its motion.
Because after the preposition για, the noun goes into the accusative case.
- η Ελλάδα → nominative (dictionary form, used for the subject)
- την Ελλάδα → accusative (used for the object of many prepositions, including για)
Structure:
- για + accusative
- για την Ελλάδα
- για τον Γιάννη (for/to John)
- για το παιδί (for/to the child)
So την Ελλάδα is just the required form after για.
In Greek, most country names normally take the definite article, especially in everyday speech.
- η Ελλάδα – Greece
- η Ιταλία – Italy
- η Γαλλία – France
- η Γερμανία – Germany
So you usually say:
- Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα. – I’m going to Greece.
- Μένω στην Ελλάδα. – I live in Greece.
There are some contexts where Greek drops the article (headlines, very formal style, fixed expressions), but with normal, full sentences the article is standard. That’s why you have για την Ελλάδα, not just για Ελλάδα.
Sentence: Το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα φεύγει από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο.
Το αεροπλάνο
- Article + noun: neuter nominative singular
- It is the subject (the thing that leaves).
την Ελλάδα
- Article + noun: feminine accusative singular
- Object of the preposition για (destination).
αυτό το αεροδρόμιο
- αυτό: demonstrative adjective, neuter accusative singular
- το αεροδρόμιο: article + noun, neuter accusative singular
- Together, they are the object of the preposition από (from this airport).
So:
- Subject (nominative): το αεροπλάνο
- Object of “για” (accusative): την Ελλάδα
- Object of “από” (accusative): αυτό το αεροδρόμιο
In Greek, it is very common (and usually required) to use the definite article with nouns, even when you also have a demonstrative like αυτό (this).
- αυτό το αεροδρόμιο literally: this the airport
but functionally: this airport
The pattern is:
- αυτό το + noun – this + noun (neuter)
- αυτή η + noun – this + noun (feminine)
- αυτός ο + noun – this + noun (masculine)
So you normally say:
- αυτό το σπίτι – this house
- αυτή η πόλη – this city
- αυτός ο δρόμος – this road
Leaving out the article (αυτό αεροδρόμιο) sounds ungrammatical in standard modern Greek.
Yes, in modern Greek:
- το αεροπλάνο – the airplane (neuter)
- το αεροδρόμιο – the airport (neuter)
The article το marks neuter singular (nominative or accusative, depending on position).
Some patterns:
- Neuter nouns often end in -ο, -ι, or -μα:
- το βιβλίο – the book
- το παιδί – the child
- το γράμμα – the letter
Grammatical gender in Greek is mostly arbitrary; objects like planes and airports just happen to be neuter. You have to learn each noun’s gender along with its form:
- το αεροπλάνο
- το αεροδρόμιο
φεύγει is present tense, 3rd person singular of φεύγω (to leave).
- φεύγει → he/she/it leaves or is leaving
In Greek (as in English), the present tense can be used for scheduled future events, especially transport:
- Το αεροπλάνο φεύγει στις πέντε.
The plane leaves at five.
So in this sentence, φεύγει is present in form but refers to a planned or scheduled departure, just like English leaves in “The plane to Greece leaves from this airport.”
Yes.
- φεύγει – everyday, neutral, very common: leaves / is leaving
- αναχωρεί – more formal or “official”: departs
You might see αναχωρεί on timetables, airport screens, or announcements:
- Το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα αναχωρεί από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο.
Both are correct; φεύγει is more casual and common in speech, αναχωρεί sounds more formal.
Yes, Greek word order is flexible. All of the following are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:
Το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα φεύγει από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο.
Neutral order; focus on which plane and then where it leaves from.Από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο φεύγει το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα.
Fronts από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο → emphasis on from this airport (as opposed to another).Φεύγει από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο το αεροπλάνο για την Ελλάδα.
Emphasis on the verb φεύγει (the action of leaving).
The basic grammatical relationships don’t change; only the focus and style do. For a learner, version (1) is the safest, most neutral form.
Both are correct. απ’ is just a spoken and written contraction of από when the next word starts with a vowel.
- από αυτό το αεροδρόμιο
- απ’ αυτό το αεροδρόμιο
They mean the same thing: from this airport. Native speakers very often use the contracted form in everyday speech. You can write either, though από is slightly more formal/orthographic.
Yes, αε in αεροπλάνο is pronounced as two separate vowels: [a-e].
Phonetic approximation (in IPA): [a.e.roˈpla.no]
Syllables:
- α – ε – ρο – πλά – νο
→ α-ε-ρο-ΠΛΑ-νο
Stress is on πλά (the second-to-last syllable), so you say:
- a-eh-ro-PLA-no
Rough English approximation: ah-eh-ro-PLAH-no (without a strong English r).
Both are compound words built from roots you’ll see in other Greek words:
- αερο- → air (from αέρας = air)
- πλάνο / πλάνομαι (here from older πλάνος / πλανάμαι) has the idea of wandering, roaming → in modern usage it just means plane.
- δρόμος → road, way
→ αερο-δρόμιο = air-road / airfield → airport
So:
- αεροπλάνο → literally “air-wanderer / air-traveller” → airplane
- αεροδρόμιο → literally “air-road place” → airport
Recognizing αερο- will help you with other words too, like αεροπορία (aviation), αεροσκάφος (aircraft), etc.