Breakdown of Κάθε πρόταση στην παράγραφο πρέπει να είναι απλή.
Questions & Answers about Κάθε πρόταση στην παράγραφο πρέπει να είναι απλή.
Κάθε means each / every (singular). It looks at the items one by one:
- Κάθε πρόταση = each sentence / every sentence
If you said:
- Όλες οι προτάσεις στην παράγραφο πρέπει να είναι απλές.
= All the sentences in the paragraph must be simple.
The meaning is practically the same in this context, but:
- Κάθε focuses on each individual sentence.
- Όλες οι προτάσεις focuses on the group as a whole (all of them together).
Grammatically:
- Κάθε is invariable (it doesn’t change for gender or number).
- Όλες οι changes: όλοι / όλες / όλα depending on gender and number.
In Greek, κάθε + noun normally appears without a definite article:
- κάθε πρόταση (not η κάθε πρόταση in neutral, normal style)
- κάθε άνθρωπος = every person
- κάθε μέρα = every day
Compare:
- η πρόταση = the sentence
- κάθε πρόταση = every sentence
So the absence of η here is normal and required by κάθε.
In everyday language and in school grammar, η πρόταση most commonly means “sentence” (or “clause”):
- Μία πρόταση = one sentence
In more formal / logical or philosophical contexts, πρόταση can also mean “proposition” (a statement that can be true or false).
In this sentence, with στην παράγραφο, it clearly means sentence.
Στην is a combination of:
- σε (preposition = in, at, to)
- την (feminine singular accusative article = the)
So:
- σε + την = στην
That’s why we get:
- στην παράγραφο = in the paragraph
Similarly:
- σε + τον = στον
- σε + το = στο
Η παράγραφος (the paragraph) is a feminine noun.
- παράγραφος is the nominative singular form (used for the subject):
- Η παράγραφος είναι μικρή. = The paragraph is short.
After σε / στην, Greek uses the accusative case, so:
- στην παράγραφο (accusative) = in the paragraph
That’s why it’s παράγραφο here, not παράγραφος.
Yes, the article is inside στην:
- στην = σε (in) + την (the, feminine accusative)
So:
- στην παράγραφο literally = in the paragraph
You don’t see την written separately, because it merges with σε to form στην.
Πρέπει expresses necessity / obligation and is often translated as:
- must, have to, or sometimes should.
In this sentence:
- πρέπει να είναι = must be / have to be
The tone is fairly strong, close to must:
- Κάθε πρόταση στην παράγραφο πρέπει να είναι απλή.
= Every sentence in the paragraph must be simple.
In softer contexts, πρέπει can be closer to should, but here, with a clear rule, must or has to is a good match.
In Greek, πρέπει almost always takes a να-clause:
- πρέπει να + verb = must / have to + verb
So:
- πρέπει να είναι = must be
You normally do not say:
- ✗ πρέπει είναι
The να introduces a verb in the subjunctive mood, which is the standard pattern after πρέπει.
Formally, after να, είναι is in the present subjunctive.
- Indicative: είναι = is / it is
- Subjunctive (after να): να είναι = (to) be / should be
For the verb είμαι (to be), the present subjunctive looks identical to the present indicative; there is no separate form like in some other verbs.
So you recognize the subjunctive mainly from the να:
- είναι απλή. = It is simple. (indicative)
- να είναι απλή. = (that it) be simple / should be simple. (subjunctive, here after πρέπει)
Two different structures are possible:
Attributive adjective (before or after the noun, inside the noun phrase):
- μια απλή πρόταση = a simple sentence
- η πρόταση είναι απλή = the sentence is simple
Predicate adjective (linked by the verb “to be”):
- Η πρόταση είναι απλή. = The sentence is simple.
Your sentence uses the second pattern:
- Κάθε πρόταση … πρέπει να είναι απλή.
Literally: Every sentence must be simple.
So απλή describes the state of the subject via είναι, not directly as part of the noun phrase κάθε πρόταση.
Adjectives in Greek agree with the noun in:
- gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
- number (singular / plural)
- case
Here:
- πρόταση is feminine, singular, nominative.
- So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative: απλή.
Forms of this adjective:
- Masculine: απλός (ο απλός)
- Feminine: απλή (η απλή)
- Neuter: απλό (το απλό)
Since πρόταση is feminine, απλή is the correct agreeing form.
You can move στην παράγραφο, but it changes the emphasis and can sound a bit odd or ambiguous.
Κάθε πρόταση στην παράγραφο πρέπει να είναι απλή.
Natural and clear: Every sentence *in the paragraph must be simple.*Κάθε πρόταση πρέπει να είναι απλή στην παράγραφο.
This sounds more like: Every sentence must be simple *in the paragraph,
as if “simple” somehow applies specifically only *when it’s in the paragraph, which is not the usual way to say this rule.
The original word order is the most natural and idiomatic: [Κάθε πρόταση στην παράγραφο] [πρέπει να είναι απλή].
Plural version:
- Όλες οι προτάσεις στην παράγραφο πρέπει να είναι απλές.
= All the sentences in the paragraph must be simple.
Changes:
- Κάθε πρόταση → Όλες οι προτάσεις
- είναι απλή → είναι απλές (plural feminine adjective)
Meaning difference is small:
- Κάθε πρόταση… → “Every sentence…” (focus on each one individually)
- Όλες οι προτάσεις… → “All the sentences…” (focus on the group as a whole)
In real usage here, both basically convey the same rule.
Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with CAPITALS):
- Κάθε → KA-the (ΚΆ-θε)
- πρόταση → PRO-ta-see (ΠΡΌ-τα-ση)
- στην → steen (στην)
- παράγραφο → pa-RÁ-gra-fo (πα-ΡΆ-γρα-φο)
- πρέπει → PRE-pi (ΠΡΈ-πι)
- να → na (να)
- είναι → Í-ne (ΕΊ-ναι)
- απλή → a-PLÍ (α-ΠΛΉ)
So the whole sentence:
- ΚΆ-the PRÓ-ta-see steen pa-RÁ-gra-fo PRÉ-pi na Í-ne a-PLÍ.
All vowels are pronounced clearly; there are no silent letters.