Την αγαπάω πολύ.

I love her very much.

Breakdown of Την αγαπάω πολύ.

• αγαπάω: to love
• πολύ: very much
• την: it

Questions & Answers about Την αγαπάω πολύ.

What is την here? Is it the word her?

Yes. Την is the unstressed object pronoun her (or it, for a feminine noun).

• It is feminine, singular, accusative case.
• It stands for the direct object of the verb: την = her.
• It’s “clitic”, meaning it is short and leans on the verb, so it usually appears right next to it: Την αγαπάω.

Why does την go before αγαπάω instead of after it?

In normal statements, unstressed object pronouns like τον / την / το almost always go before the verb in Greek:

• Την αγαπάω πολύ. = I love her very much.
• Τον βλέπω. = I see him.
• Το θέλω. = I want it.

Putting την after the verb (αγαπάω την) is generally wrong in everyday Greek, except in very specific cases (e.g. after some imperatives, or in poetry/very marked style). So for standard speech, keep την before the verb.

Why is there no word for I? Could I say Εγώ την αγαπάω πολύ?

Greek verbs show who the subject is, so the subject pronoun is usually dropped:

• (Εγώ) την αγαπάω πολύ.
  The ending -άω on αγαπάω already tells us the subject is I.

You can say Εγώ την αγαπάω πολύ, but εγώ then adds emphasis, like:

• Εγώ την αγαπάω πολύ. = I love her very much (implying: not someone else).

So:

• Neutral: Την αγαπάω πολύ.
• Emphatic: Εγώ την αγαπάω πολύ.

What is the difference between αγαπάω and αγαπώ?

They mean the same thing: I love.

• αγαπάω: more common in everyday spoken Greek.
• αγαπώ: slightly more formal / literary, but also used normally.

Both are correct present-tense forms of the verb αγαπώ / αγαπάω. You can say:

• Την αγαπάω πολύ.
• Την αγαπώ πολύ.

No difference in meaning; just style/feel.

Does this sentence mean “I love her (in general)” or “I’m loving her (right now)”?

The Greek present tense covers both ideas. Την αγαπάω πολύ could be:

• I love her very much. (general, permanent)
• I’m loving her very much. (right now / at this time)

Context decides which one is meant. Greek does not distinguish between present simple and present continuous the way English does.

Can Την αγαπάω πολύ also mean “I love it very much”?

Yes, if “it” refers to a feminine noun.

Greek objects have grammatical gender. For example:

• τη γάτα (the cat, feminine)
  Τη γάτα την αγαπάω πολύ. = I love the cat very much.
  Την αγαπάω πολύ. = I love it very much. (the cat)

So την can mean her or it, depending on the noun it replaces (a feminine one: η ταινία, η πόλη, etc.).

Could I leave out πολύ? What changes?

Yes. Without πολύ, you simply lose the “very much”:

• Την αγαπάω. = I love her.
• Την αγαπάω πολύ. = I love her very much.

πολύ here is an adverb meaning very / a lot.
As an adverb, it does not change form for gender or number in this position.

Can I move πολύ somewhere else, like Πολύ την αγαπάω or Την πολύ αγαπάω?

The most natural order is:

• Την αγαπάω πολύ.

Other orders are possible but more marked:

• Πολύ την αγαπάω.
  This is used for emphasis, a bit more expressive: I love her very much, with emotional stress.
• Την πολύ αγαπάω.
  Sounds unnatural / wrong in modern everyday Greek.

So for learners, stick to Την αγαπάω πολύ, and later you can play with fronting πολύ for emphasis.

How would the sentence change for “I love him / it (neuter) / them very much”?

You change only the object pronoun:

• I love him very much. → Τον αγαπάω πολύ.
• I love it very much. (neuter thing) → Το αγαπάω πολύ.

For them, Greek distinguishes gender and number:

• Τους αγαπάω πολύ. = I love them very much. (masculine plural, or mixed group)
• Τις αγαπάω πολύ. = I love them very much. (feminine plural)
• Τα αγαπάω πολύ. = I love them very much. (neuter plural: things, children, animals as neuter, etc.)

What is the difference between την and της?

Both refer to her, but they have different cases and functions:

• την = her / it as a direct object (accusative)

  • Την αγαπάω. = I love her.
  • Την βλέπω. = I see her.

• της = her in genitive: possession or indirect object

  • Το σπίτι της. = Her house.
  • Της μιλάω. = I’m talking to her. (literally: I talk to her)

In Την αγαπάω πολύ, you’re using την because she is the direct object of αγαπάω.

Why do we use την and not αυτήν?

αυτήν is the stressed pronoun her / this one, used when you want to emphasize or contrast:

• Την αγαπάω πολύ. = I love her very much. (neutral)
• Αυτήν αγαπάω πολύ. = It’s her that I love very much. (not someone else)

So:

• Normal, everyday “I love her very much”: Την αγαπάω πολύ.
• Strong emphasis / contrast: Αυτήν αγαπάω πολύ.

How do you pronounce Την αγαπάω πολύ?

Approximate pronunciation:

• Την αγαπάω πολύ → [tin aɣaˈpao poˈli]

Breakdown with stress (capital letters show stressed syllables):

• tin a-ga-PA-o po-LI

Notes:

• γ before α is like a soft g or voiced kh, similar to the French r in Paris, but further back: [ɣ].
• Both αγαπάω and πολύ have the stress on the last syllable.