Learn Hardcore Greek: Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου ο τοίχος είναι μπλε και πάνω του είναι μια λάμπα. - In the living room of my house the wall is blue and on it there is a lamp.

You could, in theory, say «σε το σαλόνι», but in real Greek this is almost never used; it’s always contracted to «στο σαλόνι».
Other common contractions:

σε + τον → στον
σε + την → στη(ν)
σε + το → στο

Why is it «του σπιτιού μου» and not just «το σπίτι μου» for “my house”?

Both exist, but they do different things:

«το σπίτι μου» = my house (nominative/accusative form, used as a regular subject or object)
«του σπιτιού μου» = of my house (genitive form, showing possession or “of X”)

In the sentence:

Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου…

we literally have:

στο σαλόνι = in the living room
του σπιτιού μου = of my house

So the structure is: “In the living room of my house…”

Greek uses the genitive case (του σπιτιού) to say “of the house”.

Why does «μου» come after «σπιτιού» instead of before it, like in English “my house”?

In Greek, the unstressed possessive pronouns (my, your, his, etc.) normally come after the noun:

το σπίτι μου = my house
η μητέρα σου = your mother
ο φίλος του = his friend

So «του σπιτιού μου» is literally “of the house my”, which in natural English is “of my house”.

If you want to place something like “my” before the noun in Greek, you usually use the stressed “own” form:

το δικό μου σπίτι = my (own) house

But the neutral, everyday pattern is noun + μου, not μου + noun.

What is the role of «του» in «του σπιτιού μου»?

Here «του» is the definite article in the genitive:

το σπίτι (the house) → του σπιτιού (of the house)

So:

σπίτι = house (base word)
το σπίτι = the house
του σπιτιού = of the house
του σπιτιού μου = of my house

So in «του σπιτιού μου», του is not “his/its” here; it’s just “the” in the genitive.

Why do we need the article «ο» before «τοίχος»? Could we just say «τοίχος είναι μπλε»?

In Greek, nouns are very often used with the definite article, more than in English.

ο τοίχος = the wall
τοίχος without an article feels more like “(a) wall” in a very general or abstract sense.

In this sentence we are talking about a specific wall in your living room, so Greek naturally uses:

ο τοίχος είναι μπλε = the wall is blue

Dropping the article («τοίχος είναι μπλε») would sound unusual or incomplete in normal speech.

Why is «μπλε» the same form here? Shouldn’t adjectives change for gender and number?

Most Greek adjectives do change for gender, number, and case, e.g.:

άσπρος τοίχος (white wall – masculine)
άσπρη καρέκλα (white chair – feminine)
άσπρο τραπέζι (white table – neuter)

But «μπλε» is one of several indeclinable (invariable) color adjectives. It stays μπλε for all genders and numbers:

ο μπλε τοίχος (the blue wall – masc.)
η μπλε καρέκλα (the blue chair – fem.)
το μπλε τραπέζι (the blue table – neuter)
οι μπλε τοίχοι (the blue walls – plural)

So «ο τοίχος είναι μπλε» uses μπλε unchanged.

What exactly does «πάνω του» mean, and how is it built?

«πάνω» means “on (top), above”.
«του» here is a weak (clitic) pronoun in the genitive, meaning “of him/it”.

Together, «πάνω του» literally means “on top of him/it”, which we translate as “on it”.

In the sentence:

…και πάνω του είναι μια λάμπα.
…and on it there is a lamp.

«του» refers back to «ο τοίχος» (the wall). So «πάνω του» = “on it (on the wall)”.

Why is it «πάνω του» and not something like «πάνω τον» or «πάνω αυτόν»?

Because «πάνω» in the sense of “on (top of)” takes a genitive complement when you use a pronoun in this short form.

πάνω + genitive pronoun
- πάνω μου = on me
- πάνω σου = on you
- πάνω του = on him/it
- πάνω της = on her/it
- πάνω τους = on them

«τον» and «αυτόν» are accusative forms, used as direct objects, not as “of him/it” complements. Here we need a structure closer to “on top of it”, which is expressed with the genitive pronoun (του), not accusative.

What is the difference between «πάνω του», «πάνω στον τοίχο», and «πάνω από τον τοίχο»?

All three are possible but slightly different:

πάνω του
- Uses a pronoun: “on it”.
- Refers back to something already known: here, the wall.
- Implies on the surface of / attached to it.
πάνω στον τοίχο
- Literally: on the wall.
- Uses στον (σε + τον) with the accusative.
- Also usually means on the surface of the wall.
πάνω από τον τοίχο
- Literally: above the wall.
- Implies above, not necessarily touching the wall.
- E.g. a lamp hanging in the air above the wall.

In your sentence, «πάνω του» nicely avoids repeating «στον τοίχο» and sounds natural.

Why is it «μια λάμπα» and not «ένας λάμπα» or «ένα λάμπα»?

Because «λάμπα» is a feminine noun.

Greek indefinite articles:

ένας → masculine (e.g. ένας τοίχος = a wall)
μια / μία → feminine (e.g. μια λάμπα = a lamp)
ένα → neuter (e.g. ένα σπίτι = a house)

So:

μια λάμπα = a lamp (feminine)
Saying ένας λάμπα or ένα λάμπα would be grammatically wrong.

Do we need the indefinite article «μια» here? Could we just say «είναι λάμπα»?

You can say «είναι λάμπα», but it sounds somewhat different.

«πάνω του είναι μια λάμπα»
– “on it there is a lamp”, introducing a new, unspecified lamp in the scene (most natural here).
«πάνω του είναι λάμπα»
– more like “on it is (a) lamp”, describing what kind of thing it is in a more generic or predicate sense. In this context it sounds a bit incomplete or abrupt.

In most everyday descriptions of a scene, Greek speakers use «μια» to introduce a new, nonspecific object: «υπάρχει μια λάμπα», «είναι μια λάμπα», etc.

Why is «είναι» repeated: «ο τοίχος είναι μπλε και πάνω του είναι μια λάμπα»? Could we omit the second «είναι»?

You can sometimes omit the second «είναι» in casual speech:

ο τοίχος είναι μπλε και πάνω του μια λάμπα

People will still understand. However:

With «είναι» repeated, the sentence is clearer and more standard, especially in writing.
You are effectively joining two clauses:
- ο τοίχος είναι μπλε (the wall is blue)
- πάνω του είναι μια λάμπα (on it there is a lamp)

Repeating «είναι» makes it very clear that the second part is another full statement.

Could we say «Στο σαλόνι μου ο τοίχος είναι μπλε…» instead of «Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου…»? What is the difference?

Yes, both are correct, but they’re not identical in nuance.

«Στο σαλόνι μου…»
– “In my living room…”
– Shorter and more natural in everyday speech.
«Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου…»
– “In the living room of my house…”
– A bit more explicit or “formal”, emphasizing that you’re talking specifically about the living room that belongs to your house (not, for example, someone else’s house where you stay).

In most normal contexts, people would simply say «στο σαλόνι μου».

What gender is «σαλόνι», and how can I tell?

«σαλόνι» is neuter.

You can see this from the article «το» in the phrase:

στο σαλόνι = σε + το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι

Common patterns:

Many neuter nouns end in -ι, -ο, or -μα:
- το σαλόνι (the living room)
- το σπίτι (the house)
- το βιβλίο (the book)
- το γράμμα (the letter)

The article is your best friend for learning gender: ο (masc.), η (fem.), το (neuter). Here it’s το σαλόνι, so neuter.

Is the word order «Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου ο τοίχος είναι μπλε» fixed, or can it be changed?

Greek word order is flexible, but not all orders sound equally natural.

Some possible variants:

Ο τοίχος στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου είναι μπλε.
(The wall in the living room of my house is blue.) – also very natural.
Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου είναι μπλε ο τοίχος.
– understandable, but puts extra emphasis on “the wall” at the end; it can sound marked or stylistic.

The original:

Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου ο τοίχος είναι μπλε…

is a common pattern:

Setting / location first: Στο σαλόνι του σπιτιού μου
Then subject: ο τοίχος
Then verb + complement: είναι μπλε

For a learner, it’s safe to keep to this sort of order until you get used to Greek emphasis patterns.