Learn Hardcore Greek: Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας. - My parents live in the capital of the country.

Οι γονείς = the parents
In Greek, you normally use the definite article with nouns much more often than in English.
So you say Οι γονείς μου (literally: the parents my), not just Γονείς μου in a neutral sentence.

Is γονείς masculine or feminine, and what is the singular form?

γονείς is masculine plural, even though it refers to both parents (mother and father together).

Singular options:

Everyday speech: ο γονιός = the parent (masc. singular)
More formal: ο γονέας = the parent (masc. singular)

Plural:

οι γονείς = the parents

So in this sentence, Οι γονείς μου = My parents.

Why is μου placed after γονείς instead of before, like in English “my parents”?

In Greek, the weak form of the possessive pronoun (my, your, his, etc.) usually comes after the noun it belongs to:

οι γονείς μου = my parents
το σπίτι σου = your house
το βιβλίο της = her book

μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους are weak (clitic) pronouns and are attached to the noun phrase after the noun, not before it like in English.

There is also a strong form (e.g. δικός μου, δική σου), but that is used for emphasis and is a bit different in structure.

What tense and person is μένουν, and what is the basic form of the verb?

μένουν is:

3rd person plural (they)
Present tense
Indicative mood
From the verb μένω = to live, to stay, to remain

So:

μένω = I live
μένεις = you live (sg.)
μένει = he/she/it lives
μένουμε = we live
μένετε = you live (pl./formal)
μένουν (or colloquially μένουνε) = they live

In this sentence, μένουν = (they) live / (they) reside.

Does μένω σε always mean “live in”, and can we use other prepositions?

With places, μένω is normally followed by σε + place, so effectively “live in/at”:

μένω σε διαμέρισμα = I live in an apartment
μένω στην Αθήνα = I live in Athens
μένω στο χωριό = I live in the village

You don’t usually use other prepositions like in, at, on separately; σε covers these meanings in modern Greek, and it’s the standard preposition after μένω for location.

What exactly is στην? Is it one word or two?

στην is actually a combination of:

σε (preposition: in/at/to)
την (definite article, feminine accusative singular: the)

So:

σε + την = στην

Examples:

σε την πόλη → στην πόλη (in the city)
σε την πρωτεύουσα → στην πρωτεύουσα (in the capital)

Similarly:

σε + τον = στον (στον δρόμο = in/on the road)
σε + το = στο (στο σπίτι = at home / in the house)

Spelling-wise, it’s written as one word: στην.

What case is πρωτεύουσα, and why is that case used after στην?

πρωτεύουσα here is in the accusative singular feminine:

Nominative: η πρωτεύουσα (the capital – subject)
Accusative: την πρωτεύουσα (the capital – object / after preposition)

After σε, modern Greek normally uses the accusative case, both for location and motion:

στην πρωτεύουσα = in the capital
στην πόλη = in the city
στο σχολείο = at/in the school

So στην πρωτεύουσα is “in the capital” with πρωτεύουσα in the accusative because of σε.

What does της χώρας literally mean, and what are the cases and genders of της and χώρας?

της χώρας literally means “of the country”.

Grammar:

της = the definite article, genitive singular feminine
χώρας = noun χώρα (country), in genitive singular feminine

So:

η χώρα = the country (nominative)
της χώρας = of the country (genitive)

In the sentence, η πρωτεύουσα της χώρας = the capital of the country.

Could we say Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της Ελλάδας instead? What’s the difference between χώρα and Ελλάδα here?

Yes, you can say:

Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της Ελλάδας. = My parents live in the capital of Greece.

Difference:

χώρα = country (a common noun, can refer to any country)
Ελλάδα = Greece (a proper name of a specific country)

So:

της χώρας = of the country (the country just mentioned or understood from context)
της Ελλάδας = of Greece (explicitly naming the country)

Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on what you want to emphasize or what is already known in the context.

Can the word order change, for example Οι γονείς μου στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας μένουν? Does that sound natural?

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English.

Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας.
(neutral, S–V–Place)
Οι γονείς μου στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας μένουν.
This is also correct but sounds a bit more emphatic on the verb μένουν, something like:
- As for my parents, it’s in the capital of the country that they live (not somewhere else).

So the second version is possible and natural in the right context, especially when you contrast where different people live or correct someone’s assumption.

Can we drop μου or της χώρας and still have a correct sentence?

Grammatically, yes; the meaning changes:

Οι γονείς μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας.
- Correct Greek.
- Means: The parents live in the capital of the country.
- Sounds a bit strange without context because it’s unclear which parents; it’s not personal anymore.
Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα.
- Correct Greek.
- Means: My parents live in the capital.
- We don’t say which country’s capital; that is either obvious from context or not important.

So you can drop μου or της χώρας, but you slightly or strongly change the meaning.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence, and where are the stresses?

The sentence is:

Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας.

Stressed syllables are marked by the written accent:

Οι γονείς μου μένουν στην πρωτεύουσα της χώρας.

Approximate IPA:

/i ɣoˈnis mu ˈmenun stin proˈtevusa tis ˈxoras/

Very rough “English-style” approximation:

ee gho-NEES moo MEH-noon steen pro-TEV-oo-sa tees HHO-ras

Key points:

γ before ο, α, ου (as in γονείς) is a voiced sound like a softer gh in the back of the throat.
χ in χώρας is like a voiceless kh/hh sound (as in German Bach or Scottish loch).