Learn Hardcore Greek: Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει εμένα και την αδερφή μου.

μου after γιαγιά means “my”:
- η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother (literally the grandmother of me).
εμένα is the object pronoun “me” in its emphatic form:
- αγαπάει εμένα = she loves me (with emphasis).

So there is no doubling; one μου shows possession (my grandmother), and εμένα is the person being loved (me).

Could I say Η γιαγιά μου με αγαπάει instead of αγαπάει εμένα? What is the difference between με and εμένα?

Yes, you can say:

Η γιαγιά μου με αγαπάει.
(My grandmother loves me.)

Differences:

με = weak/clitic form of “me”, usually unstressed, the normal everyday object pronoun.
εμένα = strong/emphatic form of “me”, used when you want to stress who is loved.

Compare:

Η γιαγιά μου με αγαπάει.
Neutral: My grandmother loves me.
Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει εμένα.
More like: My grandmother loves *me (as opposed to someone else).*

So με is more common and neutral; εμένα adds emphasis or contrast.

Why is it την αδερφή μου and not just αδερφή μου like in English “my sister”?

In Greek, a possessed noun normally keeps the definite article:

η αδερφή μου – my sister (literally the sister of me)
την αδερφή μου – same words, but now in the object (accusative) form, my sister as the thing being loved.

So:

As subject: Η αδερφή μου κοιμάται. – My sister is sleeping.
As object: Βλέπω την αδερφή μου. – I see my sister.

Unlike English, Greek usually needs both:

the article (η / την / ο / τον / το)
the possessive pronoun (μου, σου, του, etc.).

Why is it την and not η in την αδερφή μου?

Because την is the accusative form of the feminine singular article.

η αδερφή – the sister (subject: nominative)
την αδερφή – the sister (object: accusative)

In this sentence, “my sister” is the object of the verb αγαπάει (“loves”), so we need the accusative:

Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει την αδερφή μου.
My grandmother loves my sister.

Why does μου come after the noun (γιαγιά μου, αδερφή μου) and not before, like in English “my grandmother”?

In Greek, the possessive pronoun:

usually follows the noun and behaves like an enclitic:
- η γιαγιά μου – my grandmother
- η αδερφή σου – your sister

The pattern is generally:

article + noun + possessive pronoun

This is different from English, where the possessive comes before the noun (my sister). Greek can use a “strong” possessive (e.g. η δική μου γιαγιά) for extra emphasis, but the normal, default pattern is noun + μου.

Why is it εμένα and not εγώ for “me”?

Greek, like many languages, has different forms for subject and object pronouns:

εγώ – I (subject form)
εμένα – me (object form, emphatic)
με – me (object form, weak/clitic)

Since in this sentence “me” is the object of αγαπάει (“loves”), you cannot use εγώ:

✅ Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει εμένα. – My grandmother loves me.
❌ Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει εγώ. – ungrammatical.

Is there a difference between αγαπάει, αγαπά, and αγαπώ? Which one should I use?

All three relate to the same verb αγαπώ (to love):

αγαπώ – I love (1st person singular present)
αγαπάει – he/she/it loves (3rd person singular present, full “-ει” ending)
αγαπά – also he/she/it loves (shorter, more “formal/written” or older style for some speakers)

In everyday modern spoken Greek, for he/she loves you’ll mostly hear:

αγαπάει
or, a bit more simply in speech,
αγαπά (depending on the dialect/region).

In this sentence, αγαπάει is perfectly standard and natural.

Can I change the word order, like Η γιαγιά μου εμένα αγαπάει or Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει την αδερφή μου και εμένα?

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English, and changing it often affects emphasis, not basic meaning.

All of these are possible:

Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει εμένα και την αδερφή μου.
Neutral order, slight emphasis on me by using εμένα first.
Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει την αδερφή μου και εμένα.
Lists my sister first, then me; still symmetrical.
Η γιαγιά μου εμένα αγαπάει και την αδερφή μου.
Stronger emphasis on εμένα (as if to contrast: me, she loves).

The main fixed point is: the verb αγαπάει connects the subject η γιαγιά μου with the objects εμένα and την αδερφή μου; the exact order around it is more flexible in Greek than it would be in English.

Why is it αδερφή and not αδελφή? Are these different words?

They are the same word with two common spellings:

αδερφή – more colloquial/phonetic spelling, very common in everyday modern Greek.
αδελφή – more traditional/learned spelling, often seen in formal writing or older texts.

Both are pronounced essentially the same in modern Greek: approximately a-ther-FEE.

In speech, the form [aδerˈfi] is what you’ll hear; writing it αδερφή reflects that pronunciation.

Could I just say Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει and leave out εμένα και την αδερφή μου?

Grammatically, yes, you can, and it means:

Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει. – My grandmother loves.

However, in normal conversation this sounds incomplete or vague, because we expect “loves whom/what?”. You’d usually:

either mention the object:
- Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει εμένα και την αδερφή μου.
or use a more general expression:
- Η γιαγιά μου είναι πολύ αγαπησιάρα. – My grandmother is very loving/affectionate.

So, while Η γιαγιά μου αγαπάει is not wrong, it’s rarely used on its own without context.