Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.

The (male) teacher asks the students’ opinion in the meeting.

Breakdown of Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.

• σε: at
• η συνάντηση: the meeting
• ρωτάω: to ask
• η γνώμη: the opinion
• ο δάσκαλος: the male teacher
• ο μαθητής: the student

Questions & Answers about Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.

What is the grammatical role and case of τη γνώμη in this sentence?

Τη γνώμη is the direct object of the verb ρωτάει (“asks”).

Grammatically:

• γνώμη = “opinion” (feminine noun)
• τη = feminine accusative singular definite article (“the”)

So τη γνώμη is in the accusative case, because it is what the teacher is asking (he is asking the opinion).

Why is it τη γνώμη and not την γνώμη?

The full feminine accusative article is την, but in modern Greek the final -ν is often dropped before many consonants.

The usual rule: την → τη before most consonants (including γ), and it usually keeps the ν only:

• before vowels
• and before some consonants like κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ

Since γνώμη starts with γν, the ν is usually dropped, so you get τη γνώμη.

You can sometimes see την γνώμη in writing, but τη γνώμη is the standard modern form.

What does των μαθητών mean exactly, and what case is it?

Των μαθητών means “of the students”.

Grammatically:

• μαθητών = genitive plural of ο μαθητής (“student”)
• των = genitive plural definite article (“of the”)

So τη γνώμη των μαθητών literally = “the opinion of the students”.
Here, the genitive shows possession or association: it tells us whose opinion it is.

Why do we use the article with γνώμη and μαθητών? Could we say it without τη or των?

In Greek, definite articles are used more frequently than in English.

• τη γνώμη = “the opinion” (often translated just as their opinion in English)
• των μαθητών = “of the students”

In this sentence we’re talking about specific students (the ones in the class) and their specific opinion in that meeting, so the definite article is natural and sounds right in Greek.

You could say just γνώμη μαθητών, but it would sound incomplete or unusual here; Greek normally uses the articles in this kind of structure.

What is the tense and aspect of ρωτάει? Is it like “asks” or “is asking”?

Ρωτάει is the present tense (3rd person singular) of the verb ρωτάω / ρωτώ (“to ask”).

In Greek, the simple present usually covers both:

• English “asks” (simple present)
• and “is asking” (present continuous)

So Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση can mean:

• “The teacher asks the students’ opinion at the meeting” or
• “The teacher is asking the students’ opinion at the meeting”

The exact English translation depends on context, but the Greek form is the same.

What is the difference between ρωτάει and ρωτά?

Both ρωτάει and ρωτά are correct 3rd person singular present forms of the same verb (ρωτάω / ρωτώ = to ask).

• ρωτάει: slightly more colloquial, very common in spoken Greek
• ρωτά: a bit more formal or “compact”, but also common and fully standard

In this sentence, you can say either:

• Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.
• Ο δάσκαλος ρωτά τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.

Both are correct and natural.

Could we also say ζητάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών? What’s the difference between ρωτάω and ζητάω here?

Yes, you can say:

• Ο δάσκαλος ζητάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.

The nuance:

• ρωτάω = “to ask (a question)” → here: ask their opinion by posing a question
• ζητάω = “to ask for / to request” → here: request their opinion

In ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών, the focus is slightly more on the question.
In ζητάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών, the focus is more on the request itself.

In everyday Greek, both are very natural and often interchangeable in this context.

What exactly does στη συνάντηση mean, and how is στη formed?

Στη συνάντηση literally means “in/at the meeting”.

It comes from:

• σε = “in / at / to”
• την = “the” (feminine accusative singular) → σε + την = στη(ν) (contracted form)

So:

• σε την συνάντηση → στη συνάντηση

You may also see στην συνάντηση (with ν) in some styles, and it’s also correct. The version στη συνάντηση (without ν) is very common in modern usage.

Why is it στη συνάντηση and not just σε συνάντηση?

Σε συνάντηση would mean “at a meeting” or more vaguely “in meeting”, without specifying which meeting.

By saying στη συνάντηση (“at the meeting”), Greek:

• marks this meeting as a specific, known event (e.g. the staff meeting they all know about)
• matches the usual preference in Greek for using the definite article when we speak about concrete, specific events.

So:

• στη συνάντηση = at the (particular) meeting
• σε συνάντηση = at a meeting (more general, less typical in this exact context)

Can the word order change? For example, is Στη συνάντηση ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών correct?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, as long as the relationships between words (shown by cases and prepositions) remain clear.

All of these are correct:

• Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.
• Στη συνάντηση ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών.
• Ο δάσκαλος, στη συνάντηση, ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών.

Changing the order usually changes the emphasis:

• Starting with Στη συνάντηση emphasizes when/where this happens.
• Keeping Ο δάσκαλος first emphasizes who is doing the action.

How could I replace τη γνώμη των μαθητών with a pronoun?

You have a few options, depending on what you want to keep:

1. Replace just των μαθητών with a pronoun:

   • Ο δάσκαλος ρωτάει τη γνώμη τους στη συνάντηση.
     → “The teacher asks their opinion at the meeting.”

2. Replace the whole phrase τη γνώμη των μαθητών with an object pronoun referring to “them” (the students) in a more general “ask them” sense:

   • Ο δάσκαλος τους ρωτάει στη συνάντηση.
     → “The teacher asks them at the meeting.”
     (This no longer explicitly says “opinion”, just “asks them”.)

3. You can also reorder pronouns as is common in Greek:

   • Ο δάσκαλος στη συνάντηση τους ρωτάει.

The most literal replacement while keeping “opinion” is τη γνώμη τους.

How do you say “female teacher” here? Is Ο δάσκαλος always masculine?

Ο δάσκαλος is grammatically masculine and typically refers to a male teacher.

For a female teacher, you usually say:

• Η δασκάλα = “(female) teacher”

So you could also have:

• Η δασκάλα ρωτάει τη γνώμη των μαθητών στη συνάντηση.

The rest of the sentence stays the same; only the article and the noun for “teacher” change:

• ο δάσκαλος → η δασκάλα

How do you pronounce ρωτάει and συνάντηση?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-like phonetics):

• ρωτάει → ro-TAE

  • ρω- like “ro” in “Robotics”
  • -τά- stressed, like “TA” in “TAko”
  • -ει here sounds like “ee” (same as ι)
    → [ro-TA-ee], often sounding like two syllables ro-TÁE or very close to ro-TÁ-ee

• συνάντηση → see-NAHN-dee-see

  • σι- like “see”
  • -νάν- stressed, “NAHN” (a as in “father”)
  • -τη- like “tee”
  • -ση like “see”
    → [see-NAHN-dee-see], with the main stress on -νάν-.