Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.

My new manager is not strict at all, at least with me.

Breakdown of Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.

• είμαι: to be
• δεν: not
• μου: my
• μαζί: together
• μου: me
• νέος: new
• ο διευθυντής: the manager
• αυστηρός: strict
• καθόλου: at all
• τουλάχιστον: at least

Questions & Answers about Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.

Why is μου after διευθυντής? In English we say my new director, not new director my.

In Greek, short possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους usually come after the noun, not before it.

• ο διευθυντής μου = my director
• ο νέος μου διευθυντής = my new director

They are clitics (unstressed little words) that attach to the noun phrase.

Two very common patterns are:

• article + adjective + μου + noun
  
  • ο νέος μου διευθυντής
• article + adjective + noun + μου
  
  • ο νέος διευθυντής μου

Both are correct and very natural. The choice is often stylistic or rhythmic; ο νέος μου διευθυντής maybe focuses a bit more on “my”.

You cannot put μου before the noun like in English; ✗ μου νέος διευθυντής is wrong in standard Greek.

Can I also say ο νέος διευθυντής μου? Is there a difference from ο νέος μου διευθυντής?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

• ο νέος μου διευθυντής
• ο νέος διευθυντής μου

Both mean my new director and are common.

Subtle tendencies (not strict rules):

• ο νέος μου διευθυντής
  Slightly tighter connection between μου and διευθυντής; often used in more careful or written style.

• ο νέος διευθυντής μου
  Feels very natural in everyday speech; the phrase ο διευθυντής μου is treated as a chunk.

In everyday conversation, you’ll hear both and you don’t need to worry about a strong difference in meaning.

Why do we use the article ο here? Why not just νέος μου διευθυντής?

In Greek, when you have a possessive pronoun (μου, σου, του etc.) with a noun, you almost always use the definite article:

• ο διευθυντής μου – my director
• η αδελφή μου – my sister
• το αυτοκίνητό μου – my car

So:

• ο νέος μου διευθυντής = literally “the new my director”, but it just means my new director.

Greek grammar works differently from English here: the article is standard, not optional, with most possessive constructions.

Does νέος mean “new” or “young” in this sentence?

νέος can mean new or young, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• Ο νέος μου διευθυντής
  is understood as my new director (recently appointed).

If you wanted to stress that the director is young in age, you might clarify:

• Ο διευθυντής μου είναι νέος. – My director is young.
• Ο σχετικά νέος διευθυντής μου – my relatively young director.

To avoid ambiguity when you definitely mean “new (not used/old)”, Greek often uses καινούργιος:

• ο καινούργιος μου υπολογιστής – my new computer (not “young”)
• ο καινούργιος μου διευθυντής – clearly “my new (recent) director”.

Here, from context (job, director), speakers read νέος as new in the position.

Why do both νέος and αυστηρός end in -ος? Are they agreeing with διευθυντής?

Yes. Greek adjectives agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here, διευθυντής is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative (subject of the verb)

So the adjectives take the masculine nominative singular form:

• νέος (new)
• αυστηρός (strict)

Hence:

• ο νέος μου διευθυντής
• (δεν) είναι αυστηρός

If the noun were feminine, the forms would change:

• η νέα μου διευθύντρια δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρή.
  (fem. νέα, αυστηρή)

What exactly does δεν do here, and why is it needed with καθόλου?

δεν is the basic negation particle for verbs:

• είναι – he is
• δεν είναι – he is not

καθόλου by itself roughly means “at all”, but in Greek it almost always appears with negation (or in questions) to mean:

• δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός – he is not strict at all
• δεν μιλάει καθόλου – he doesn’t speak at all

So:

• δεν είναι αυστηρός – he is not strict
• δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός – he is not at all strict (stronger)

Without δεν, the sentence would be ungrammatical or sound incomplete:

• ✗ είναι καθόλου αυστηρός – wrong as a statement
• ✔ Είναι καθόλου αυστηρός; – possible as a question: “Is he at all strict?”

Why is it δεν and not δε? When do you drop the final -ν?

The full form is δεν. In everyday speech and writing, the final -ν is often dropped before certain consonants:

• δε(ν)
  • π, τ, κ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ
• e.g. δεν πάω → δε πάω (spoken)

But before vowels, we normally keep the -ν to avoid awkward sound sequences:

• δεν είναι (not δε είναι)

In your sentence:

• The next word is είναι (starts with a vowel),
  so the normal form is δεν είναι, exactly as written.

What does καθόλου add to the meaning? How is δεν είναι αυστηρός different from δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός?

Both are negative, but καθόλου intensifies the negation:

• δεν είναι αυστηρός
  = He is not strict. (neutral statement)

• δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός
  = He is not strict at all, in no way strict.
  Stronger, often with a slightly surprised or emphatic tone.

You’ll hear καθόλου extremely often in spoken Greek for emphasis:

• Δεν κουράστηκα καθόλου. – I didn’t get tired at all.
• Δεν πεινάω καθόλου. – I’m not hungry at all.

What does τουλάχιστον mean here, and why is there a comma before it?

τουλάχιστον means “at least”.

In:

• Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.

the speaker is saying:

• “My new director is not at all strict, at least with me (maybe he is with others).”

The comma before τουλάχιστον marks a slight pause and separates the main statement from a qualification / limitation:

• Main: Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός.
• Qualification: τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.

You can move τουλάχιστον:

• Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, μαζί μου τουλάχιστον.
• Τουλάχιστον μαζί μου, ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός.

All are grammatical; the nuance and rhythm change slightly, but the meaning is basically the same.

What is the difference between μαζί μου and με μένα / με εμένα?

All relate to “with me”, but they’re used a bit differently.

• μαζί μου
  Literally “together with me”.
  Often implies being in someone’s company, in personal interaction:

  • Δεν είναι αυστηρός μαζί μου. – He’s not strict with me.
  • Ήρθε μαζί μου. – He came with me (we came together).

• με μένα / με εμένα
  Literally “with me” (preposition + stressed pronoun).
  Often used:

  • for emphasis: με μένα, not with someone else
  • when there’s no strong sense of “togetherness”, just “in relation to me”:
    • Έχει πρόβλημα με μένα. – He has a problem with me.

In your sentence, μαζί μου sounds more natural, because we’re talking about how he behaves when dealing with me / in my company.

Could I say με μένα instead of μαζί μου in this sentence?

You could say:

• … δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον με μένα.

It’s grammatically fine and understandable.

Nuance:

• μαζί μου – more natural here, highlights interpersonal interaction.
• με μένα – feels a bit more abstract or confrontational, like “in relation to me”.

In everyday speech, μαζί μου is the more idiomatic choice for “strict with me / gentle with me”.

Can the word order of the whole sentence change? For example, is Ο νέος διευθυντής μου δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός also correct?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible. Some common variants:

1. Ο νέος μου διευθυντής δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.
2. Ο νέος διευθυντής μου δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου.
3. Ο διευθυντής μου, ο νέος, δεν είναι καθόλου αυστηρός, τουλάχιστον μαζί μου. (more formal / emphatic)

All are grammatical.

• (1) and (2) are the most natural in everyday speech.
• (3) sounds a bit more emphatic: “My director, the new one, is not at all strict…”

Key points:

• The article and possessive stay near the noun.
• Adjectives like νέος and αυστηρός agree in gender/number/case, no matter where they appear.

What is the nuance of διευθυντής? Is it “director”, “manager”, or “boss”? Are there other options?

διευθυντής is usually:

• director / manager / head of a department, school, company unit, etc.
  It implies a formal position of authority.

Examples:

• ο διευθυντής της εταιρείας – the company director
• ο διευθυντής του σχολείου – the school principal

Other common “boss-like” words:

• αφεντικό – boss (colloquial, can sound informal or even a bit rough)
• προϊστάμενος – supervisor / line manager (more bureaucratic)
• μάνατζερ – a loanword, often used in business / marketing contexts.

In your sentence, διευθυντής is best translated as “my (new) boss” or “my new manager/director” depending on context.

How do you pronounce διευθυντής? The διευθ- cluster looks difficult.

διευθυντής is pronounced roughly:

• /ðiefθiˈndis/

Broken down:

• δι → /ði/ like th in this
  • ee
• ευ → /ev/ or /ef/ depending on the following sound; here before θ (unvoiced), it’s /ef/
• θ → /θ/ like th in think
• η → /i/ like ee
• ντ → /nd/
• ής → /is/ with stress on -τής

So, syllables:
δι‑ευ‑θυν‑τής → [δι‑ευ] is blended to /ðief/ in real speech: διευ‑θυν‑τής → /ðief‑θin‑DIS/.

The main stress is on the last syllable: -τής.