Breakdown of Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια και κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι.
Questions & Answers about Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια και κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι.
In Greek, you often use the accusative case by itself to express time, especially for days and dates.
- Την Παρασκευή = literally “the Friday” in accusative
- Functionally, it means “on Friday”.
You don’t need a separate word like “on”.
This pattern is very common:
- Τη Δευτέρα = on Monday
- Την Τρίτη = on Tuesday
- Το Σάββατο = on Saturday
So Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου… = “On Friday my sister…”.
The definite article is the normal way to talk about specific days in sentences like this.
- Την Παρασκευή = on this Friday / on that Friday (specific)
- Without the article (Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου…) sounds unusual in normal speech; you might see bare day names in lists, timetables, headings, etc.
So in everyday conversation, you almost always include the article:
- Την Παρασκευή πάω στο γιατρό. = On Friday I’m going to the doctor.
(Also note: in modern standard Greek, days of the week are usually written with a lowercase initial: την Παρασκευή. Many people still capitalize them informally.)
In Greek, the weak possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) normally come after the noun, not before it.
- η αδερφή μου = my sister
- το σπίτι σου = your house
- το βιβλίο μας = our book
Putting μου before the noun (η μου αδερφή) is wrong in modern everyday Greek.
Also, μου never changes form:
- η αδερφή μου (feminine singular)
- ο αδερφός μου (masculine singular)
- τα αδέρφια μου (plural)
“μου” stays the same for all of them.
They are the same word: “sister”.
- αδερφή is the common, everyday spelling that reflects modern pronunciation.
- αδελφή is more traditional / conservative (you’ll see it in formal writing, older texts, the church, etc.).
Pronunciation is essentially the same in modern Greek: a-ther-FI.
For everyday use, αδερφή is perfectly fine and very common.
Τα γενέθλια is a plural-only noun in Greek (neuter plural). You almost never use a singular form.
- έχει γενέθλια = “(she) has a birthday”
- Literally “she has birthdays”, but in Greek that’s just how you say “it’s her birthday”.
This is similar to English words like “scissors” or “trousers” which are grammatically plural but refer to a single object.
Alternative expressions:
- Είναι τα γενέθλιά της. = It’s her birthday.
- Έχει τα γενέθλιά της. = She has her birthday.
But έχει γενέθλια is very common and natural.
Greek doesn’t need to say “her” here, because the subject already makes it clear whose birthday it is.
- η αδερφή μου = my sister (she)
- έχει γενέθλια = has a birthday
So the whole thing means:
“My sister has a birthday.” → “It’s my sister’s birthday.”
If you want to say it more like “her birthday”, you can:
- Είναι τα γενέθλιά της. = It’s her birthday.
- Γιορτάζουμε τα γενέθλια της αδερφής μου. = We celebrate my sister’s birthday.
But in the original sentence, the “her” idea is already contained in η αδερφή μου.
Greek, like English, often uses the present tense for scheduled future events, especially with a time expression.
Compare in English:
- “On Friday my sister has her birthday” (present for future).
Greek works the same:
- Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια.
= On Friday my sister has her birthday / It’s my sister’s birthday on Friday.
You could say:
- Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου θα έχει γενέθλια.
but it sounds a bit more formal or emphatic; the simple present is more natural here.
και means “and” and it links two clauses:
- η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια
- (εμείς) κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι
So:
- …έχει γενέθλια και κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι.
= “…it’s her birthday and we’re having a small party.”
Greek doesn’t need to repeat the subject εμείς (“we”), because it’s already clear from the verb κάνουμε.
κάνουμε is the 1st person plural form of κάνω (“to do, to make”):
- εγώ κάνω = I do / make
- εσύ κάνεις = you (sg) do / make
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό κάνει = he/she/it does / makes
- εμείς κάνουμε = we do / make
- εσείς κάνετε = you (pl/polite) do / make
- αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά κάνουν(ε) = they do / make
Greek usually drops the subject pronoun (εμείς = we), because the verb ending tells you who the subject is.
So κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι already means “we are having / we are making a small party” even though εμείς is not written.
Greek often uses κάνω (“do, make”) with event nouns:
- κάνω πάρτι = have/throw a party
- κάνω γάμο = have a wedding
- κάνω διακοπές = go on vacation / take a holiday
So κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι is the most natural way to say:
- “We’re having a small party.”
- “We’re throwing a small party.”
You can say έχουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι, but it sounds less idiomatic in this context. Κάνω πάρτι is the standard collocation.
πάρτι is an indeclinable loanword (from English “party”). Its form doesn’t change:
- το πάρτι (nom./acc. singular)
- του πάρτι (gen. singular)
- τα πάρτι (nom./acc. plural) – many speakers keep it the same in the plural too.
The article and surrounding words show you the case and number:
- ένα μικρό πάρτι = a small party (accusative singular)
- το μικρό πάρτι = the small party (nom./acc. singular)
- τα μικρά πάρτι = the small parties (nom./acc. plural)
In the sentence, ένα μικρό πάρτι is the direct object of κάνουμε.
Yes, you can change the word order. Greek word order is quite flexible.
Both are correct:
Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια και κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι.
– Emphasis more on when (On Friday, my sister has a birthday…).Η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια την Παρασκευή και κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι.
– Starts by highlighting who (My sister has a birthday on Friday…).
The basic meaning is the same; the difference is in nuance and emphasis.
A rough phonetic guide (stressed syllables in CAPITALS):
- Την Παρασκευή η αδερφή μου έχει γενέθλια και κάνουμε ένα μικρό πάρτι.
→ tin para-ske-VI i a-ther-FI mu E-chi ye-NETH-lia ke KA-nu-me E-na mik-RO PAR-ti
Key points:
- η / ι / ει / οι / υ are all pronounced like “ee” in “see”.
- γ before ε, αι, ι, η, υ, ει, οι is like a soft “y”/“gh” sound; in γενέθλια, it’s close to “ye”: ye-NETH-lia.
- Stress is very important in Greek; changing it can change the word.