Learn Hardcore Greek: Η οικογένειά μου μένει σε άλλη πόλη.

The basic word is η οικογένεια (family), stressed on γέ: οικογένεια.
When you add an enclitic like μου (my), and the main word is stressed on the antepenultimate syllable (third from the end), Greek spelling rules add a second written accent on the last syllable:
η οικογένειά μου.

This second accent mark is mostly a spelling rule. In normal speech you will mainly hear the stress on γέ; μου stays very weak.

If you want to emphasize the “my”, you would stress μου itself:

η οικογένεια μού (my family, as opposed to someone else’s)
In that case μου gets the accent mark, and there is no extra accent on ά.

Why is the article η used before οικογένειά, and not ο or το?

Because οικογένεια (family) is a feminine noun in Greek.

Nominative singular definite articles are:

ο – masculine (e.g. ο φίλος – the friend, m.)
η – feminine (e.g. η οικογένεια – the family)
το – neuter (e.g. το σπίτι – the house)

Since οικογένεια is feminine, the correct form is η οικογένειά μου (“my family” as the subject).

Why is it μένει (3rd person singular) and not μένουν (3rd person plural)? In English we often say “my family live”.

In Greek, η οικογένειά μου is grammatically singular, so the verb must also be singular:

η οικογένειά μου μένει – my family lives / resides

Even though a family consists of many people, the word οικογένεια itself is singular, and Greek verb agreement is strictly grammatical, not “meaning-based” as in some English dialects.

If you want a plural verb, you must use a plural noun:

Οι γονείς μου μένουν σε άλλη πόλη. – My parents live in another city.
Τα αδέρφια μου μένουν σε άλλη πόλη. – My siblings live in another city.

Why is μένει used and not ζει for “lives”?

Greek has two different verbs that English often translates as “live”:

μένω – to stay, to reside, to live (in a place)
- Η οικογένειά μου μένει σε άλλη πόλη.
  My family lives / resides in another city.
ζω – to live (be alive, live one’s life)
- Ζω στην Ελλάδα. – I live in Greece. (possible, but more like “I live my life in Greece”)
- Ζει ακόμα; – Is he/she still alive?

In this sentence the idea is specifically “resides”, so μένει is the most natural choice.
You can say Η οικογένειά μου ζει σε άλλη πόλη, and it’s understandable, but μένει is more idiomatic for “lives (resides) in another city”.

What are the basic present-tense forms of the verb μένω?

Present indicative of μένω (to stay / live / reside):

εγώ μένω – I live / stay
εσύ μένεις – you live / stay (singular)
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό μένει – he / she / it lives / stays
εμείς μένουμε – we live / stay
εσείς μένετε – you live / stay (plural / formal)
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά μένουν(ε) – they live / stay

In the sentence, η οικογένειά μου is 3rd person singular → μένει.

Why is μου (my) placed after the noun (οικογένειά) instead of before it, like in English “my family”?

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

η οικογένειά μου – my family
το σπίτι σου – your house
το αυτοκίνητό του – his car

They behave like clitics, not like separate words:

They do not use their own article.
They are not adjectives in front of the noun like in English.

For stronger emphasis or contrast, Greek can use other structures, e.g.:

η δική μου οικογένεια – my family (as opposed to someone else’s)
η οικογένεια μού μένει… – stressing μού: my family lives…

But the neutral, everyday pattern is:
article + noun (+ extra accent if needed) + unstressed possessive pronoun
→ η οικογένειά μου.

Why isn’t there an article before άλλη πόλη? Why not σε μια άλλη πόλη or στην άλλη πόλη?

All three options exist, but they have slightly different nuances:

σε άλλη πόλη – in another city (unspecified, general)
- No article. Just “another city somewhere”, not identified.
σε μια άλλη πόλη – in another city (also fairly general, but a bit more like English “in a(nother) city”)
- μια is the feminine form of the indefinite article/“one”.
στην άλλη πόλη – in the other city
- στην = σε + την, so there is a definite article.
- Refers to a specific other city that the speakers have in mind or have already mentioned.

In the original sentence, σε άλλη πόλη suggests “my family lives in some other city (not here)”, without specifying which one.

What case are άλλη and πόλη in, and why?

They are in the accusative singular feminine:

πόλη – city (nom./acc. singular feminine; for many feminine nouns in -η, nominative and accusative look the same)
άλλη – “other / another”, feminine singular; here it agrees with πόλη in:
- gender: feminine
- number: singular
- case: accusative

They are accusative because the preposition σε (in / at / to) in modern Greek takes the accusative:

σε άλλη πόλη
σε αυτό το σπίτι
σε μεγάλο χωριό

What exactly does σε mean here? Is it “in”, “at”, or “to”?

The preposition σε is very flexible and often covers several English prepositions. Its exact translation depends on the verb and context.

Common uses:

Place (where) – usually “in” or “at”:
- μένω σε άλλη πόλη – I live in another city.
- είμαι στο σπίτι – I am at home.
Destination (to where) – often “to”:
- πηγαίνω σε άλλη πόλη – I’m going to another city.
Time (less relevant here) and other abstract uses.

So in μένει σε άλλη πόλη, σε is best understood as “in”:
My family lives *in another city.*

What does άλλη mean exactly, and where does it go in relation to the noun πόλη?

Άλλη is the feminine singular form of άλλος and means:

another, other, different

With πόλη (feminine singular), the natural order is:

άλλη πόλη – another city / a different city

When there is a definite article, you typically see:

η άλλη πόλη – the other city

Greek adjectives in this kind of phrase usually stand before the noun in everyday speech:
άλλη πόλη, μεγάλη πόλη, όμορφη πόλη.
(There are also post-nominal “η πόλη η άλλη” type structures, but those are rarer and often sound more emphatic or stylistically marked.)

Could I say στην άλλη πόλη instead of σε άλλη πόλη in this sentence?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

Η οικογένειά μου μένει σε άλλη πόλη.
My family lives in another city (unspecified, just “not here”).
Η οικογένειά μου μένει στην άλλη πόλη.
My family lives in the other city (a specific “other” city, known from context: maybe there are two cities in question).

Grammatically both are correct; the choice depends on how specific you want to be.

Can I change the word order, for example: Η οικογένειά μου σε άλλη πόλη μένει?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, but changes in order usually bring changes in emphasis, not in basic meaning.

Neutral, most common:
Η οικογένειά μου μένει σε άλλη πόλη.
(Subject – Verb – Place)
Η οικογένειά μου σε άλλη πόλη μένει.
This sounds more marked/poetic, with extra emphasis on σε άλλη πόλη (“it is in another city that my family lives”).

For everyday speech, Η οικογένειά μου μένει σε άλλη πόλη is the natural choice.

How do you pronounce οικογένειά and what do the letter combinations οι and ει sound like?

Οικογένειά is pronounced approximately:

ee‑ko‑YÉ‑nya (all vowels are clear and separate)

Breaking it down:

οι at the beginning → pronounced /i/, like English ee in see: οι = ι
γ before ε and ι is a soft sound, like a y with friction: roughly “y” in your, but a bit more fricative → γε ≈ “ye”
ει → also pronounced /i/, again like English ee
νι followed by α tends to sound like “nya” in Greek

So:

οικο → ee‑ko
γέ → YÉ (stressed)
νεια → nya (with the enclitic, there is an extra written accent on ά, but you mainly hear the stress on γέ)

Full phrase: Η οικογένειά μου μένει σε άλλη πόλη.
≈ ee ko‑YÉ‑nya mu MÉ‑ni se Á‑li PÓ‑li.