Learn Hardcore Greek: Η καρέκλα δίπλα στον τοίχο είναι η πιο άνετη, αλλά κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί. - The chair next to the wall is the most comfortable, but someone is already sitting there.

In Greek, every noun has grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and you must match the article to the noun’s grammatical gender, not to any logical or natural idea.

καρέκλα (chair) is grammatically feminine, so it takes the feminine article η in the nominative singular: η καρέκλα.
If a noun were neuter, it would use το (e.g. το βιβλίο – the book).
There is no logical reason why chair is feminine; it’s just part of the noun’s dictionary form that you have to memorize: η καρέκλα.

What exactly does δίπλα στον τοίχο mean, and why do we say στον?

δίπλα στον τοίχο means “next to the wall / beside the wall.”

δίπλα = next (to), beside
σε = to, at, in (a very common preposition)
τον τοίχο = the wall (masculine accusative singular)

In actual speech and writing, σε + τον almost always contracts to στον. So:

δίπλα σε + τον τοίχο → δίπλα στον τοίχο

After the preposition σε, the noun goes into the accusative case, which is why it’s τον τοίχο, not ο τοίχος.

Is there a difference between δίπλα στον τοίχο and κοντά στον τοίχο?

Both describe physical proximity, but they’re not identical in nuance.

δίπλα στον τοίχο = right next to / beside the wall, usually implying very close, often immediately adjacent.
κοντά στον τοίχο = near the wall, close to it, but not necessarily right up against it.

So δίπλα is typically a bit more specific and “tighter” in distance than κοντά.

Why is it η πιο άνετη and not ο πιο άνετος or το πιο άνετο?

The adjective has to agree with the noun it describes in gender, number, and case.

The noun is η καρέκλα → feminine singular nominative.
So the adjective άνετος (comfortable) also becomes feminine singular nominative: άνετη.
With πιο (“more”), we get η πιο άνετη = “the most comfortable (one)”.

If the noun were masculine (e.g. ο καναπές – the sofa), you’d say ο πιο άνετος; if neuter (e.g. το κάθισμα – the seat), το πιο άνετο.

Does η πιο άνετη mean “more comfortable” or “the most comfortable”?

Literally, πιο άνετη = more comfortable. But when you put the article in front (η πιο άνετη), it usually functions as “the most comfortable (one)” in context.

So:

πιο άνετη = more comfortable
η πιο άνετη (καρέκλα) = the most comfortable chair (of some set being considered)

Greek often uses article + πιο + adjective for what in English is “the most + adjective”.

Why is there a second η in είναι η πιο άνετη? Could we leave it out?

You need that η because it’s the article for the understood noun “chair”.

Full form: είναι η πιο άνετη καρέκλα – “it is the most comfortable chair.”
The noun καρέκλα is already mentioned, so it’s dropped, but the article η stays:
- είναι η πιο άνετη = “it is the most comfortable (one).”

If you remove η (είναι πιο άνετη), it means “it is more comfortable” (comparative) without the “the most” sense.

Why do we use αλλά and not μα or όμως here? Are they different?

All three can introduce contrast, but they differ in tone and position.

αλλά = but; the most neutral and common conjunction. Fits perfectly here:
- …είναι η πιο άνετη, αλλά κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί.
μα = but; often more emotional or colloquial, like “but come on / but still”.
όμως = however / but; behaves more like an adverb and can move in the sentence:
- Όμως κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί.
- Κάποιος όμως κάθεται ήδη εκεί.

In a standard sentence like this, αλλά is the default choice.

What does κάποιος mean exactly, and can it refer to a woman as well?

κάποιος means “someone / somebody” (indefinite person, unspecified).

Masculine form: κάποιος
Feminine form: κάποια
Neuter form (for “something”): κάτι

In κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί, the speaker just means “someone” without specifying gender. Greek often uses the masculine as a generic form. If you know or want to imply the person is female, you could say κάποια κάθεται ήδη εκεί.

What’s going on with κάθεται? Why not a form like κάθεται είναι or a different verb?

κάθεται is the 3rd person singular of the verb κάθομαι, which means “to sit / to be sitting / to sit down.”

κάθομαι is a so‑called middle/passive verb in form, but its meaning is active (“I sit”).
Present tense:
- εγώ κάθομαι – I sit / am sitting
- εσύ κάθεσαι – you sit / are sitting
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό κάθεται – he/she/it sits / is sitting

So κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί literally = “someone sits / is sitting already there.” You don’t need a separate “to be” verb as in English; κάθομαι itself expresses the state of sitting.

Where can ήδη go in the sentence? Is the position κάθεται ήδη εκεί fixed?

ήδη means “already.” Its position is somewhat flexible, but some positions sound more natural.

Possible placements:

κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί (very natural)
κάποιος ήδη κάθεται εκεί (also okay, a bit more emphasis on “already”)

Putting ήδη at the very start or end (ήδη κάποιος κάθεται εκεί, κάθεται εκεί ήδη) is possible but less common in neutral speech. The original κάθεται ήδη εκεί is the most typical choice.

Why do we need εκεί at the end? Doesn’t δίπλα στον τοίχο already show the place?

δίπλα στον τοίχο specifies which chair we’re talking about (“the chair next to the wall”).

εκεί refers to the location in the room / general space from the speaker’s point of view: “over there.” The structure is:

Η καρέκλα δίπλα στον τοίχο → that specific chair
κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί → someone is already sitting there (on that chair / in that spot).

You could omit εκεί in some contexts, but then you lose that explicit pointing sense of “over there.”

Why is there no word for “he / she / they” before κάθεται?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

κάθεται clearly shows 3rd person singular (“he/she/it sits”).
The explicit subject here is κάποιος, so there’s no need for αυτός or αυτή.

So:

κάποιος κάθεται ήδη εκεί = literally “someone sits already there,” with κάποιος as the subject and κάθεται agreeing with it.

Why is it τον τοίχο and not του τοίχου or ο τοίχος after δίπλα σε?

After the preposition σε, the following noun phrase normally goes in the accusative case.

Nominative: ο τοίχος – the wall (subject form)
Genitive: του τοίχου – of the wall
Accusative: τον τοίχο – (to/at/into) the wall

Since we have σε + τον τοίχο → στον τοίχο, τον is the accusative article.
That’s why the phrase is δίπλα στον τοίχο, not δίπλα ο τοίχος or δίπλα του τοίχου.