Breakdown of Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας από την παραλία.
Questions & Answers about Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας από την παραλία.
Να is a particle that introduces a subjunctive clause in Modern Greek.
In this sentence:
- θέλω = I want
- να βγάλω = (that I) take / for me to take
So θέλω να βγάλω literally feels like “I want that I take…”, but in English we render it as “I want to take…”.
Important points:
After verbs of wish, intention, ability, necessity, etc. (θέλω, μπορώ, πρέπει, λέω, σκέφτομαι), Greek usually uses να + subjunctive:
- Θέλω να πάω. – I want to go.
- Μπορώ να έρθω; – Can I come?
Unlike English, να does not change for person or tense; only the verb that follows changes (here: βγάλω).
So να is similar in function to English to in infinitives, but grammatically it marks a subjunctive mood, not an infinitive form.
Βγάλω is the aorist subjunctive, while βγάζω is the present (imperfective) subjunctive/indicative.
In Greek, aspect is very important:
- να βγάλω (aorist aspect) = one single, complete action
→ “to take (one) photo” - να βγάζω (present aspect) = ongoing or repeated action
→ “to be taking photos / to keep taking photos / to take photos (habitually)”
In this sentence, you want to perform one single act: take one photo. That’s why να βγάλω is used.
Compare:
Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία.
I want to take a (single) photo.Θέλω να βγάζω φωτογραφίες.
I want to (regularly) take photos / I want to be taking photos (e.g. as a hobby or habit).
Literally, βγάζω means “to take out, bring out, remove, produce”.
Some basic uses:
- βγάζω τα σκουπίδια – I take the trash out.
- βγάζω τα παπούτσια μου – I take off my shoes.
- η δουλειά δεν βγάζει λεφτά – the job doesn’t produce money.
For photos, Greek extends this idea of “producing / bringing out” an image:
- βγάζω μια φωτογραφία
literally: “I produce / take out a photo”
idiomatically: “I take a photo.”
Other common verbs for photos:
- τραβάω μια φωτογραφία – also very common, like “shoot a photo / snap a photo”.
- φωτογραφίζω – more formal/literal “to photograph”.
In everyday speech, βγάζω (μια) φωτογραφία and τραβάω (μια) φωτογραφία are both very natural.
Μια is the indefinite article (“a/an”), while τη(ν) is the definite article (“the”).
- μια φωτογραφία = a photo (not previously known or specified)
- τη φωτογραφία = the photo (a particular one, known from context)
In this sentence, you are not talking about a specific, already identified photo. You just want to take one photo, any photo of the sea. Hence the indefinite:
- Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία…
I want to take a photo…
If you said:
- Θέλω να βγάλω τη φωτογραφία της θάλασσας…
it would sound like you mean some particular, already-mentioned sea photo (for example, a specific shot you have planned or talked about before). That’s a much more restricted, less natural reading in this context.
Yes, that is also possible and natural in Greek.
- Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας…
- Θέλω να βγάλω φωτογραφία της θάλασσας…
Both are acceptable. Omitting μια makes the expression a bit more neutral and can sound a little more “general” or “slightly formal”, but in everyday speech both forms are used.
The meaning difference is very small; context usually makes it clear that you mean “(a) photo of the sea” either way.
Της θάλασσας is in the genitive case, showing a relationship like “of the sea”.
- μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας
= a photo of the sea
If you used τη θάλασσα in the accusative, it would look instead like the sea is the direct object of the verb βγάζω, not related to φωτογραφία as its “content”.
- Θέλω να βγάλω τη θάλασσα
literally: I want to take (out) the sea
→ this sounds like you want to remove the sea, which is absurd in this context.
So:
- [βγάλω] μια φωτογραφία [της θάλασσας]
verb – direct object – genitive → “a photo of the sea”
The genitive της θάλασσας is the standard way to say “of the sea” after φωτογραφία.
Της θάλασσας is:
- gender: feminine
- case: genitive
- number: singular
It comes from the noun:
- η θάλασσα – the sea (nominative singular)
- της θάλασσας – of the sea (genitive singular)
So:
- θάλασσα → base form (nominative/accusative)
- add genitive ending -ς (θάλασσας) and
- use the genitive article της (of the)
The genitive is what expresses relationships like “of X”:
- η φωτογραφία της θάλασσας – the photo of the sea
- η φωτογραφία του παιδιού – the photo of the child
- η φωτογραφία της πόλης – the photo of the city
Από and σε express different relations:
από την παραλία = from the beach
→ the photo is taken from that location (the beach is your vantage point)στην παραλία = at/on the beach
→ you are located at the beach, but it doesn’t necessarily say the photo is taken from that standpoint
In this sentence, the idea is specifically:
- “a photo of the sea, taken from the beach (looking out towards the sea)”.
So από (“from”) is the natural choice.
If you said:
- Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας στην παραλία.
it could be understood as “I want to take a photo of the sea while I’m at the beach”, but it’s less precise about the viewpoint. Από makes the viewpoint explicit.
In Modern Greek, most prepositions, including από, are followed by the accusative case.
So we get:
- από την παραλία – from the beach
- από το σπίτι – from the house
- από τον δρόμο – from the road
Historically (in Ancient Greek), some prepositions governed the genitive, but in Modern usage, accusative after prepositions is the norm.
So:
- η παραλία – the beach (nominative)
- την παραλία – the beach (accusative)
- with preposition: από την παραλία – from the beach
Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, and that sentence is grammatically possible, but:
- Θέλω να βγάλω της θάλασσας μια φωτογραφία από την παραλία.
sounds more marked/stylised, with extra emphasis on της θάλασσας (“of the sea”). It might sound like:
- “I want to take, of the sea, a photo from the beach.”
The most neutral and natural order in everyday speech is:
- Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας από την παραλία.
Basic guideline for learners:
keep article + noun + genitive together:
- μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας – a photo of the sea
The meaning is decided by:
What is the direct object of βγάζω?
- Here, the direct object is μια φωτογραφία (a photo).
How that object is further specified
- της θάλασσας (of the sea) tells us what the photo is about.
So structurally:
- [Θέλω να βγάλω] [μια φωτογραφία] [της θάλασσας] [από την παραλία].
= “I want to take [a photo] [of the sea] [from the beach].”
For it to mean “remove the sea from the beach”, we’d need:
- Θέλω να βγάλω τη θάλασσα από την παραλία.
Now the direct object is τη θάλασσα (“the sea”), and από την παραλία explains from where you are removing it. That sentence is grammatically fine but semantically absurd.
In short:
μια φωτογραφία is what you are “taking out/producing”, and της θάλασσας only describes that photo.
Μια is the feminine singular form of the indefinite article “a/an”.
Greek indefinite articles:
- ένας – masculine (e.g. ένας άντρας – a man)
- μία / μια – feminine (e.g. μια γυναίκα – a woman)
- ένα – neuter (e.g. ένα παιδί – a child)
Φωτογραφία is a feminine noun:
- η φωτογραφία – the photo (feminine)
- so with the indefinite article: μια φωτογραφία – a photo
Rule of thumb:
the article must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. Since φωτογραφία is feminine singular accusative, the article is μια (feminine singular accusative).
The difference is in aspect (single act vs ongoing/repeated action):
Θέλω να βγάλω μια φωτογραφία της θάλασσας.
- να βγάλω (aorist) → one single, completed action
- Meaning: I want to take one photo of the sea (now / at some specific occasion).
Θέλω να βγάζω φωτογραφίες της θάλασσας.
- να βγάζω (present) → ongoing / habitual / repeated action
- Meaning: I want to be taking photos of the sea (regularly);
I want to take sea photos as a habit or over a period of time.
So:
- βγάλω → a single shot
- βγάζω → a series of shots, a habit, or a continuous process