Στο σπίτι οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα.

At home my parents often eat hot soup in the winter.

Breakdown of Στο σπίτι οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα.

• τρώω: to eat
• το σπίτι: the home
• μου: my
• σε: at
• ζεστός: hot
• συχνά: often
• ο γονιός: the parent
• η σούπα: the soup
• τον χειμώνα: in the winter

Questions & Answers about Στο σπίτι οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα.

What exactly does «Στο» mean here, and why not just «σε το σπίτι»?

«Στο» is a contraction of «σε» + «το».

• σε = in / at / to
• το = the (neuter singular)

So:

• σε το σπίτι → στο σπίτι = in/at the house, at home

Greek almost always contracts σε + definite article:

• σε + τον → στον
• σε + την → στη(ν)
• σε + το → στο
• σε + τις → στις
• σε + τους → στους
• σε + τα → στα

Writing «σε το σπίτι» is grammatically wrong in modern Greek; you must use the contracted «στο σπίτι».

Why is «σπίτι» in this form? What case is it, and why doesn’t it look different?

«σπίτι» is neuter singular and here it’s in the accusative case, governed by the preposition «σε».

For many neuter nouns, nominative and accusative look the same:

• το σπίτι (Nom.) – the house
• το σπίτι (Acc.) – (to/in/at) the house

So even though the form «σπίτι» doesn’t change, its function changes:

• Το σπίτι είναι μεγάλο. – The house is big. (subject, nominative)
• Πηγαίνω στο σπίτι. – I go home / to the house. (object of preposition, accusative)

Here, «στο σπίτι» = at home / in the house.

Why is it «οι γονείς μου» and not something like «τους γονείς μου»?

«οι γονείς μου» is the subject of the verb τρώνε (they eat).

• οι = the (masculine plural, nominative)
• γονείς = parents
• μου = my (unstressed possessive pronoun, “my” after the noun)

In Greek:

• Nominative is used for subjects: οι γονείς μου τρώνε – my parents eat
• Accusative is used for direct objects: βλέπω τους γονείς μου – I see my parents

So «οι γονείς μου» (nominative) = my parents as the doers of the action.
«τους γονείς μου» would be used when my parents are the object of the verb, not the subject.

What is the word «γονείς» exactly? Is there a singular form?

«γονείς» means parents.

Grammatically:

• Singular: ο γονέας (parent) – a rather formal/rare word in everyday speech
• Plural: οι γονείς (parents) – the normal, everyday term

In real life, speakers almost always use the plural when talking about “my parents”:

• οι γονείς μου – my parents

For “mother” and “father” you use:

• η μητέρα / η μαμά – mother / mum
• ο πατέρας / ο μπαμπάς – father / dad

How is «τρώνε» formed, and what’s the difference from «τρώνε» / «τρών» / «τρώγουν»?

The verb is τρώω = to eat. Present tense:

• εγώ τρώω
• εσύ τρως
• αυτός/αυτή/αυτό τρώει
• εμείς τρώμε
• εσείς τρώτε
• αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά τρώνε (or τρών in speech)

So «τρώνε» = they eat / they are eating.

Variants:

• τρώνε – standard written and spoken form
• τρών – very common colloquial shortened form
• τρώγουν – very formal / old-fashioned; you might see it in literature or very formal writing

In your sentence, «τρώνε» is the normal, correct choice.

Why can «τρώνε» mean both they eat and they are eating?

Modern Greek has one present tense that covers both English simple present and present continuous.

So:

• Οι γονείς μου τρώνε ζεστή σούπα.
  = My parents eat hot soup. (habit)
  or My parents are eating hot soup. (right now)

Context usually tells you whether it is a habitual action or something happening right now.
In your sentence with «συχνά» (often), it clearly describes a habit.

What is «συχνά» grammatically, and why is it before «ζεστή σούπα»?

«συχνά» is an adverb meaning often.

Adverbs in Greek usually go near the verb, but their exact position is flexible. Common options here:

• Οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα.
• Οι γονείς μου συχνά τρώνε ζεστή σούπα.
• Στο σπίτι οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα.

All are correct. The position can slightly affect emphasis, but not the basic meaning. In your sentence, «τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα» emphasises the frequency of the whole action “eating hot soup”.

How does «ζεστή» agree with «σούπα»?

«ζεστή σούπα» = hot soup.

• σούπα is feminine, singular, accusative: τη σούπα
• The adjective ζεστός (hot) has forms:
  • Masculine: ζεστός
  • Feminine: ζεστή
  • Neuter: ζεστό

Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. So:

• η ζεστή σούπα – the hot soup (fem. nom.)
• τη ζεστή σούπα – the hot soup (fem. acc.) ← this is what you have after the verb
• μια ζεστή σούπα – a hot soup

So «ζεστή» is the feminine form to match «σούπα».

Why do we say «τον χειμώνα» and not «το χειμώνα» or just «χειμώνα»?

The noun is ο χειμώνας = winter.

Declension (singular):

• Nominative: ο χειμώνας
• Genitive: του χειμώνα
• Accusative: τον χειμώνα

In your sentence, «τον χειμώνα» is accusative and functions as a time expression:
τον χειμώνα = in winter / during the winter.

Forms you might see:

• τον χειμώνα – standard, with the correct masculine article in the accusative
• χειμώνα – without article; also possible: Τρώνε ζεστή σούπα χειμώνα. (less common style here)
• το χειμώνα – colloquial in speech (article doesn’t match gender correctly; many speakers say it, but «τον χειμώνα» is the grammatically correct form)

For learners, it’s best to stick with «τον χειμώνα».

Why is there an article in Greek («τον χειμώνα») when English just says “in winter”?

Greek tends to use the definite article much more than English, especially with:

• time periods (seasons, days, months) to mean in/during that period

Typical patterns:

• τον χειμώνα – (in) winter
• το καλοκαίρι – (in) summer
• την άνοιξη – (in) spring
• το βράδυ – (in the) evening

English often drops “the”, but Greek keeps the article. So:

• Τρώνε ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα.
  literally: They eat hot soup the winter
  natural English: They eat hot soup in winter.

Why don’t we need a preposition like “in” before «τον χειμώνα»?

Greek often uses the accusative case alone (with or without an article) to express time when / during.

Examples:

• Το βράδυ δουλεύω. – I work in the evening.
• Κάθε Σάββατο πηγαίνω στο γυμναστήριο. – Every Saturday I go to the gym.
• Τον χειμώνα κάνει κρύο. – In winter it is cold.

So «τον χειμώνα» by itself means in the winter / during winter; no extra preposition (like “σε”) is needed.

How does «μου» work in «οι γονείς μου»? Why is “my” after the noun?

In Greek, the usual way to say my X is:

definite article + noun + unstressed possessive pronoun

So:

• οι γονείς μου – my parents
• το σπίτι μου – my house
• η μητέρα μου – my mother

The possessive pronouns:

• μου – my
• σου – your (sing.)
• του / της / του – his / her / its
• μας – our
• σας – your (pl. or formal)
• τους – their

These are clitics: short, unstressed words that usually follow the noun.
You can also say δικοί μου/δική μου/δικό μου etc. for extra emphasis (like “my own”), but the normal, neutral form is noun + μου.

Can the word order change, e.g. «Οι γονείς μου στο σπίτι τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα»? What changes?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible. Your original:

• Στο σπίτι οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα.

Possible variants:

• Οι γονείς μου στο σπίτι τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα.
• Οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα στο σπίτι τον χειμώνα.
• Οι γονείς μου τρώνε συχνά ζεστή σούπα τον χειμώνα στο σπίτι.

They all remain grammatical. What changes is mainly emphasis:

• Starting with «Στο σπίτι» highlights the location (“At home, my parents…”).
• Moving «στο σπίτι» later may make it feel more like additional information.

The basic meaning – My parents often eat hot soup at home in winter – stays the same.