Breakdown of Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός, αλλά η γραμματέας είναι πάντα ευγενική με όλους.
Questions & Answers about Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός, αλλά η γραμματέας είναι πάντα ευγενική με όλους.
In Greek every noun has a grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and the article must agree with that gender.
- διευθυντής is grammatically masculine, so it takes the masculine article ο → ο διευθυντής (the director / manager).
- γραμματέας is a so‑called common‑gender noun: it can refer to either a man or a woman. The article shows the natural gender:
- ο γραμματέας = the (male) secretary
- η γραμματέας = the (female) secretary
You generally have to learn the gender of each noun together with its article, because it’s not always obvious from the ending.
διευθυντής covers several English words; which one you choose depends on context:
- In a school: ο διευθυντής = the principal / headmaster
- In a company or department: ο διευθυντής = the manager / director
- In an organization: ο διευθυντής = the director / head
So διευθυντής basically means “the person in charge of a department, organization, or institution,” and you pick the best English equivalent from context.
είναι is the present tense form of είμαι (to be) that corresponds to he is / she is / it is and also they are. Greek uses the same form for all 3rd‑person subjects, singular and plural.
A mini‑paradigm:
- εγώ είμαι – I am
- εσύ είσαι – you are (singular)
- αυτός / αυτή / αυτό είναι – he / she / it is
- εμείς είμαστε – we are
- εσείς είστε – you are (plural / formal)
- αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά είναι – they are
In your sentence, both subjects (ο διευθυντής, η γραμματέας) are 3rd‑person singular, so είναι = “is” in both cases.
Adjectives in Greek change form to match the noun’s:
- gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
- number (singular / plural)
- case (nominative, accusative, etc.)
A very common pattern is:
- masculine: -ός (e.g. αυστηρός, ευγενικός)
- feminine: -ή or -α (e.g. αυστηρή, ευγενική)
- neuter: -ό (e.g. αυστηρό, ευγενικό)
In your sentence:
- ο διευθυντής is masculine → αυστηρός (masculine form)
- η γραμματέας is feminine here → ευγενική (feminine form)
So adjectives must “agree” with the noun they describe.
Yes, you can omit the second είναι, and Greeks do this quite often in similar structures:
- Ο πατέρας είναι ψηλός και η μητέρα κοντή.
(literally “The father is tall and the mother short.”)
So Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός, αλλά η γραμματέας πάντα ευγενική με όλους is grammatically fine and understandable.
However, in everyday speech many people will naturally repeat είναι, as in the original sentence. Keeping είναι in both parts sounds a bit clearer and more neutral, especially for learners.
αλλά is the basic conjunction meaning but, introducing a contrast between two statements:
- Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός, αλλά η γραμματέας…
= The director is strict, but the secretary…
You could also see:
- όμως = however / though
- Typically: Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός. Όμως, η γραμματέας είναι…
- μα = but (more colloquial / emotional)
- Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός, μα η γραμματέας είναι…
In this exact sentence, αλλά is the most standard and neutral choice. μα would sound more informal or expressive; όμως is usually in a separate clause or in a different position.
The most natural place for πάντα (always) here is right after the verb είναι:
- η γραμματέας είναι πάντα ευγενική με όλους ✔ (very natural)
Other possibilities:
- η γραμματέας πάντα είναι ευγενική με όλους – possible, but with a bit more emphasis on πάντα.
- πάντα η γραμματέας είναι ευγενική με όλους – possible in spoken Greek for emphasis, but marked.
η γραμματέας είναι ευγενική πάντα με όλους is understandable, but sounds less natural; Greeks strongly prefer είναι πάντα ευγενική rather than putting πάντα after the adjective in this kind of sentence.
With adjectives that describe how you behave towards someone, Greek usually uses με (with):
- είμαι ευγενικός με όλους – I am polite with everyone
- είμαι καλός με τα παιδιά – I am good/kind with children
Here με expresses your attitude or manner in relation to other people.
σε is more often used with verbs of giving / saying / sending:
- λέω γεια σε όλους – I say hi to everyone
- δίνω δώρα σε όλους – I give gifts to everyone
You can sometimes hear ευγενικός σε όλους, but ευγενικός με όλους is the standard, most idiomatic choice.
όλοι / όλους are different cases of the same word:
- όλοι = nominative plural (subject form) → “all / everyone” as subject
- όλους = accusative plural (object form)
Prepositions in Greek, including με, normally take the accusative case. Since με is followed by “everyone,” we must use the accusative:
- με όλους (with everyone) ✔
- με όλοι ✖ (ungrammatical)
If όλοι were the subject, you would use nominative, e.g.:
- Όλοι είναι ευγενικοί. – Everyone is polite.
ευγενική most directly means polite / courteous / well‑mannered:
- She speaks nicely, respects others, behaves with good manners.
It can overlap with “kind” in English, but the emphasis is more on politeness and good behavior than on deep kindness. For “kind” in the sense of warm‑hearted, Greek might also use καλή, καλοσυνάτη, φιλική, etc., depending on context.
Yes. γραμματέας can refer to either a man or a woman; it’s a common‑gender job title. The article shows the person’s gender:
- ο γραμματέας – the (male) secretary
- η γραμματέας – the (female) secretary
The noun itself (γραμματέας) does not change; only the article (and any adjectives or pronouns referring to the person) mark the gender.
When αλλά joins two full clauses (each with its own subject and verb), Greek normally uses a comma before it, just like English:
- Ο διευθυντής είναι αυστηρός, αλλά η γραμματέας είναι…
If αλλά joins shorter phrases without a separate subject and verb, the comma may be omitted:
- είναι αυστηρός αλλά δίκαιος – he is strict but fair (no comma needed)
In your sentence, both parts are full clauses, so the comma before αλλά is standard and correct.