Η γραμματέας μιλάει με τον διευθυντή για τα προβλήματα των πελατών.

The secretary is talking with the manager about the customers’ problems.

Breakdown of Η γραμματέας μιλάει με τον διευθυντή για τα προβλήματα των πελατών.

• με: with
• μιλάω: to talk
• το πρόβλημα: the problem
• για: about
• η γραμματέας: the secretary
• ο διευθυντής: the manager
• ο πελάτης: the customer

Questions & Answers about Η γραμματέας μιλάει με τον διευθυντή για τα προβλήματα των πελατών.

What are the main parts of the sentence and their basic meanings?

The sentence Η γραμματέας μιλάει με τον διευθυντή για τα προβλήματα των πελατών can be broken down as:

• Η = the (feminine singular, nominative)
• γραμματέας = secretary
• μιλάει = (she) speaks / is speaking
• με = with
• τον = the (masculine singular, accusative)
• διευθυντή = director / manager (object of με)
• για = for / about
• τα = the (neuter plural, accusative)
• προβλήματα = problems
• των = of the (genitive plural)
• πελατών = clients / customers (genitive plural)

Literally: The secretary speaks with the director about the problems of the clients.

Why does the sentence start with Η γραμματέας and not just Γραμματέας?

In Greek, the definite article (here Η) is used much more often than in English.

• Η marks that γραμματέας is feminine, singular, and the subject (nominative case).
• Greek normally uses the article with job titles and roles when referring to a specific person, e.g.:
  • Η γιατρός = the (female) doctor
  • Ο δάσκαλος = the (male) teacher

Leaving out the article (Γραμματέας μιλάει…) can sound incomplete or more like a headline, not a normal sentence.

Is γραμματέας masculine or feminine? It ends in -ας, which looks masculine.

γραμματέας is one of those Greek nouns that can be both masculine and feminine, depending on who it refers to:

• Η γραμματέας = the secretary (female)
• Ο γραμματέας = the secretary (male)

The ending -ας is often masculine, but some professions and roles use the same form for both genders. Here, the article Η tells you it’s feminine.

What verb is μιλάει from, and what form is it?

μιλάει is the 3rd person singular of the verb μιλάω (or μιλώ) = to speak, to talk.

Present tense (informal spoken pattern):

• (εγώ) μιλάω / μιλώ = I speak
• (εσύ) μιλάς = you speak
• (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) μιλάει / μιλά = he/she/it speaks
• (εμείς) μιλάμε = we speak
• (εσείς) μιλάτε = you (pl./formal) speak
• (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) μιλάνε / μιλούν(ε) = they speak

So μιλάει = she speaks / she is speaking.

Can I say μιλά instead of μιλάει? Are both correct?

Yes, both μιλάει and μιλά are correct for he/she/it speaks.

• μιλάει is very common in everyday spoken Greek.
• μιλά is a bit more compact and can sound slightly more formal or written, but you will also hear it in speech.

In this sentence you could say:

• Η γραμματέας μιλάει με τον διευθυντή…
• Η γραμματέας μιλά με τον διευθυντή…

Both are fine and natural.

Why is it με τον διευθυντή? What does με do, and why τον and not ο?

με is a preposition meaning with.

In Greek, most prepositions are followed by the accusative case. So:

• Base form (nominative): ο διευθυντής = the director (subject)
• After με (accusative): με τον διευθυντή = with the director

τον is the masculine singular accusative form of the, matching διευθυντή:

• ο διευθυντής (subject)
• τον διευθυντή (object, after a preposition like με)

What is the difference between διευθυντής and διευθυντή?

They are two different cases of the same noun:

• διευθυντής = nominative singular (used for the subject)
  
  • Ο διευθυντής μιλάει. = The director is speaking.
• διευθυντή = accusative singular (used for the object / after prepositions)
  
  • Μιλάω με τον διευθυντή. = I speak with the director.

So in the sentence, διευθυντή is used because it is the object of the preposition με.

Does για always mean for? Here it seems to mean about.

για can mean both for and about, depending on the context:

• για σένα = for you
• μιλάω για κάτι = I talk about something
• αγοράζω κάτι για σένα = I buy something for you

In this sentence:

• μιλάει … για τα προβλήματα = she speaks about the problems.

So γιa here is best translated as about.

Why do we say τα προβλήματα (plural with article) and not just προβλήματα?

Greek uses the definite article (ο, η, το / οι, οι, τα) more often than English, especially with general or specific known things.

• τα προβλήματα = the problems (here: specific, known problems of the clients)
• Just προβλήματα (without article) is possible but feels more vague or generic.

In English you might say about client problems or about the clients’ problems; in Greek the article τα makes it clear we are talking about those particular problems that both speakers know about.

What case is των πελατών, and how is it formed?

των πελατών is genitive plural:

• Base (nominative singular): ο πελάτης = the client
• Genitive plural: των πελατών = of the clients

The pattern is:

• ο πελάτης (nom. sg.)
• του πελάτη (gen. sg.)
• τον πελάτη (acc. sg.)
• οι πελάτες (nom. pl.)
• των πελατών (gen. pl.)
• τους πελάτες (acc. pl.)

In this sentence, των πελατών expresses possession or relationship:
τα προβλήματα των πελατών = the problems of the clients / the clients’ problems.

Could I say προβλήματα πελατών instead of τα προβλήματα των πελατών?

You can see phrases like προβλήματα πελατών in headlines or very concise styles (like notes, labels, or technical descriptions), but:

• τα προβλήματα των πελατών is the normal, complete, neutral way to say the clients’ problems.
• προβλήματα πελατών sounds more telegraphic, like a category name or a bullet point: “client problems” as a general type of issue.

So for a full sentence like this, τα προβλήματα των πελατών is more natural.

Is the word order fixed, or can the parts of the sentence move around?

Greek word order is more flexible than English. The basic neutral order here is:

• Η γραμματέας (subject)
• μιλάει (verb)
• με τον διευθυντή (with whom)
• για τα προβλήματα των πελατών (about what)

You could move some parts for emphasis, for example:

• Η γραμματέας μιλάει για τα προβλήματα των πελατών με τον διευθυντή.
• Με τον διευθυντή μιλάει η γραμματέας για τα προβλήματα των πελατών.

They are all grammatically correct. The meaning stays the same, but the emphasis can shift slightly depending on what comes first or last.