Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο καθηγητής και η καθηγήτρια στο πανεπιστήμιο λένε ότι η γλώσσα σου είναι σε καλό επίπεδο. - The professor male and the professor female at the university say that your language is at a good level.

Subject: Ο καθηγητής και η καθηγήτρια = the (male) professor and the (female) professor → 2 people → plural.
Verb: λένε is the 3rd person plural of λέω (to say).
- εγώ λέω – I say
- εσύ λες – you say (sing.)
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό λέει – he/she/it says
- εμείς λέμε – we say
- εσείς λέτε – you say (pl.)
- αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά λένε – they say

So καθηγητής + καθηγήτρια = they, so Greek uses λένε (“they say”).

What is the difference between ο καθηγητής and η καθηγήτρια?

They are the same profession, but with different grammatical (and natural) genders:

ο καθηγητής – male professor/teacher (masculine noun)
η καθηγήτρια – female professor/teacher (feminine noun)

The article also changes:

ο for masculine singular (ο καθηγητής)
η for feminine singular (η καθηγήτρια)

In everyday speech, καθηγητής/καθηγήτρια is typically used for high-school or university-level teachers, not for primary school teachers (who are usually δάσκαλος / δασκάλα).

Why do we say στο πανεπιστήμιο instead of just πανεπιστήμιο?

στο is a contraction of the preposition σε + the article το:

σε = in, at, to
το = the (neuter, singular)

So:

σε + το πανεπιστήμιο → στο πανεπιστήμιο = at the university / in the university

Greek usually keeps the article (the “the”) in many places where English doesn’t. English often says “at university”, but Greek almost always says στο πανεπιστήμιο (“at the university”).

Why is it η γλώσσα σου and not σου η γλώσσα, and why does σου come after the noun?

In Greek, possessive pronouns like “my/your/his…” usually come after the noun:

η γλώσσα σου – your language
το σπίτι μου – my house
το αυτοκίνητό του – his car

The forms used here (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) are clitic pronouns and almost always follow the noun directly.

You can say η δική σου γλώσσα (“your language” with emphasis on your), but η γλώσσα σου is the normal, neutral order.
σου η γλώσσα is not the standard order and sounds wrong in modern Greek.

What does σε καλό επίπεδο literally mean, and why not just είναι καλή?

είναι σε καλό επίπεδο literally: “is at a good level”
- σε = at / in
- καλό = good (neuter form)
- επίπεδο = level (neuter noun)

This is a very common expression when talking about skills, like language ability, studies, or performance:

Τα ελληνικά σου είναι σε καλό επίπεδο. – Your Greek is at a good level.

If you said η γλώσσα σου είναι καλή, it means “your language is good”, which is grammatical but sounds more general and less idiomatic for ability. The phrase with επίπεδο feels more like an assessment scale (A1, B2, etc.), which matches how teachers normally talk.

Why is καλό neuter here and not masculine or feminine?

Adjectives in Greek agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Noun: το επίπεδο – level (neuter, singular, nominative)
Adjective: καλός, καλή, καλό (good)

So we must choose the neuter singular form:

Masculine: καλός
Feminine: καλή
Neuter: καλό → matches το επίπεδο

Hence: σε καλό επίπεδο.

What is the function of ότι in this sentence, and can I replace it with πως or που?

ότι here is a conjunction meaning “that”, introducing reported speech or an indirect statement:

λένε ότι η γλώσσα σου είναι σε καλό επίπεδο
they say that your language is at a good level

You can often replace ότι with πως in everyday modern Greek without changing the meaning:

λένε πως η γλώσσα σου είναι σε καλό επίπεδο

που does not work here in standard modern Greek; που is used as:

a relative pronoun (“who/that/which”), or
in some dialectal / informal structures, but not as a direct equivalent of “that” in this sentence.

So for this structure, use ότι (more neutral) or πως (also common).

Why do we use the present tense λένε and είναι instead of a past tense?

Greek present tense here matches English present:

λένε – they say / they are saying
είναι – is

This implies they currently say (or regularly say) that your language is at a good level.

If you wanted to say they said it in the past, you’d use:

είπαν ότι η γλώσσα σου ήταν σε καλό επίπεδο.
They said that your language was at a good level.

So the tense choice depends on when the speaking and the evaluation happen.

Why do we use the definite articles ο, η, το with professions and nouns here, when English often doesn’t?

Greek uses definite articles much more than English:

Ο καθηγητής και η καθηγήτρια – (the) professor (m.) and (the) professor (f.)
στο πανεπιστήμιο – at the university
η γλώσσα σου – your language

In English, we often say:

“Professor Smith says…” (no “the”)
“At university…”
“Your language…”

In Greek, professions and concrete nouns usually take the article unless there is a specific reason not to. Leaving the article out often sounds incomplete or ungrammatical to native speakers in this kind of sentence.

What case are ο καθηγητής, η καθηγήτρια, η γλώσσα, and το επίπεδο in?

All these nouns in the sentence are in the nominative singular, because they are subjects or part of the predicate:

Ο καθηγητής – nominative singular masculine (subject)
η καθηγήτρια – nominative singular feminine (subject, joined with “και”)
η γλώσσα – nominative singular feminine (subject of είναι inside the ότι clause)
(το) επίπεδο – nominative singular neuter (predicate noun after είναι; the article is omitted here but implied: (είναι σε ένα) καλό επίπεδο)

Prepositions like σε usually take the accusative, but here the full phrase could be thought of as σε ένα καλό επίπεδο; we just don’t see the article ένα written out. The form of επίπεδο is the same in nominative and accusative neuter singular anyway.

How do you pronounce γλώσσα and what is special about the sound γλ-?

γλώσσα is pronounced approximately:

/ˈɣlosa/

Details:

γ before λ is a voiced velar fricative /ɣ/ (like a softer version of a French or Spanish “g” in regarde or amigo, but fricative).
λ is a normal “l” sound.
ώ shows the stress on the second syllable: γΛΩ-σσα.
Double σς here is just /s/; it doesn’t double the sound.

So you get something like “GHLÓ-sa”, with a throaty gh at the start and the stress on the -λώ-.

Could I say Οι καθηγητές στο πανεπιστήμιο λένε… instead of listing both ο καθηγητής και η καθηγήτρια?

Yes, that’s grammatical, but the meaning changes slightly:

Ο καθηγητής και η καθηγήτρια στο πανεπιστήμιο λένε…
Clearly refers to one male and one female professor.
Οι καθηγητές στο πανεπιστήμιο λένε…
“The professors at the university say…” – this suggests more than two professors (or at least a group), and it doesn’t specify genders.

Both are correct; the original sentence emphasizes two specific individuals, one man and one woman.

Is there any difference between η γλώσσα σου and τα ελληνικά σου when talking about language ability?

Yes, there is a nuance:

η γλώσσα σου – literally “your language”; in context, it can mean your ability in the language you’re learning, but it sounds a bit more general or abstract.
τα ελληνικά σου – “your Greek” (your Greek language skills).

If teachers are talking specifically about your Greek, they very often say:

Τα ελληνικά σου είναι σε καλό επίπεδο.

In your sentence, η γλώσσα σου is still natural, especially if it’s clear from context which language is being discussed, but τα ελληνικά σου is the more direct phrase for “your Greek (skills)”.