Breakdown of Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
Questions & Answers about Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
In Greek, nouns very often need the definite article (ο, η, το) where English leaves it out.
- ο ουρανός = the sky, but it can also just mean sky in a general way.
- In Greek, when you talk about things like the sky, the sun, the sea, you usually use the article.
So Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε is the normal, natural way to say Today (the) sky is blue, even though in English you do not say the sky every time in this kind of sentence.
ουρανός
- Gender: masculine
- Number: singular
- Case: nominative (subject of the verb είναι)
- Full phrase: ο ουρανός = the sky
σύννεφα
- Gender: neuter
- Number: plural
- Case: accusative here (direct object of έχει)
- Singular: το σύννεφο = the cloud
- Plural: τα σύννεφα = the clouds
So in the first part, ο ουρανός is the subject (the thing that is blue), and in δεν έχει σύννεφα, σύννεφα are the things that are not present (no clouds).
Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) are usually omitted when they are clear from context or from the verb form.
In this sentence:
- In the first clause, the subject is clearly ο ουρανός.
- In the second clause, we still understand that we are talking about the sky.
- So Greek does not repeat ο ουρανός or add αυτός again.
Native speakers simply say:
- Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
- Literally: Today the sky is blue and (it) does not have clouds.
Repeating ο ουρανός or using αυτός here would sound heavy and unnatural in this simple sentence.
έχει literally means has, and είναι means is.
But in modern Greek, έχει is often used in an existential sense, meaning there is / there are.
So:
- δεν έχει σύννεφα
Literally: it does not have clouds
Natural meaning: there are no clouds
You could also say more explicitly:
- Δεν υπάρχουν σύννεφα. = There are no clouds.
Both are correct, but δεν έχει σύννεφα is very common in everyday speech, especially about weather and places.
Greek usually does not use a special dummy subject like there in there is / there are.
Instead, Greek either:
- uses έχει: έχει σύννεφα = there are clouds
- or uses a verb like υπάρχουν: υπάρχουν σύννεφα = there are clouds
So:
- English: There are no clouds.
- Greek: Δεν έχει σύννεφα. (literally it doesn’t have clouds)
or: Δεν υπάρχουν σύννεφα. (literally clouds do not exist)
No there is needed in Greek.
σήμερα = today.
In the given sentence it comes at the beginning:
- Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
But Greek word order is quite flexible, so you can also say:
- Ο ουρανός σήμερα είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
- Ο ουρανός είναι σήμερα μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
All of these mean Today the sky is blue and there are no clouds, with only very slight differences in emphasis:
- At the very beginning (Σήμερα...): you emphasize today as the time frame.
- After the subject (Ο ουρανός σήμερα...): you slightly emphasize the sky today as opposed to on other days.
- Before the adjective (είναι σήμερα μπλε): modest emphasis on the fact that it is blue today (maybe it was different before).
All are perfectly correct.
Most Greek adjectives do change for gender, number, and case. For example:
- άσπρος ουρανός (masc.)
- άσπρη θάλασσα (fem.)
- άσπρο σύννεφο (neut.)
However, μπλε is one of several color adjectives that are invariable:
- μπλε for masculine, feminine, and neuter
- μπλε for singular and plural
Examples:
- ο ουρανός είναι μπλε (masc. sing.)
- η θάλασσα είναι μπλε (fem. sing.)
- το αυτοκίνητο είναι μπλε (neut. sing.)
- τα αυτοκίνητα είναι μπλε (neut. pl.)
This happens mainly with some colors of foreign origin (like from French):
μπλε, ροζ, μωβ, γκρι usually do not change form.
ουρανός is pronounced approximately:
- [u.raˈnos] — stress on the last syllable: ου‑ρα‑ΝΟΣ
The digraph ου in Greek is pronounced like the oo in too or the u in rule:
- ου = [u] sound (a long oo)
So:
- ουρανός ≈ oo-ra-NOS
- σύννεφα ≈ SEE-ne-fa (stress on the first syllable)
δεν is the basic negation particle for verbs in Greek, similar to not in English.
Important points:
- δεν is placed directly before the verb it negates.
- In δεν έχει σύννεφα:
- δεν = not
- έχει = has / there is
- Together: does not have / there is not
You cannot move δεν away from the verb, so:
- Correct: δεν έχει σύννεφα
- Incorrect: έχει δεν σύννεφα (wrong)
σύννεφα comes historically from a combination of συν (with, together) + νέφος (cloud).
Over time, the ν at the end of συν and the ν at the start of νέφος merged in pronunciation and in spelling, giving σύννεφο (sg.) and σύννεφα (pl.) with νν.
Practically for you as a learner:
- Singular: το σύννεφο (double νν)
- Plural: τα σύννεφα (double νν)
It is mostly something you just memorize as the correct spelling.
Yes. You would change the negation and slightly adjust the second part:
- Σήμερα ο ουρανός δεν είναι μπλε και έχει σύννεφα.
- δεν είναι μπλε = is not blue
- έχει σύννεφα = has clouds / there are clouds
So:
- Original: Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
Today the sky is blue and there are no clouds. - New: Σήμερα ο ουρανός δεν είναι μπλε και έχει σύννεφα.
Today the sky is not blue and it has clouds.
Greek word order is more flexible than English, because Greek uses endings and articles to show grammatical roles.
From:
- Σήμερα ο ουρανός είναι μπλε και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
You could hear variants like:
- Ο ουρανός είναι μπλε σήμερα και δεν έχει σύννεφα.
- Ο ουρανός σήμερα είναι μπλε και σύννεφα δεν έχει. (the last part sounds more emphatic or poetic)
All still mean essentially Today the sky is blue and there are no clouds.
As a learner, it is safe and natural to keep:
- Time word (σήμερα) near the beginning, and
- Subject–verb–complement in the basic order, as in the original sentence.