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Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει κι αυτή στη γιορτή το βράδυ.

Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει κι αυτή στη γιορτή το βράδυ.
My cousin (female) will also come to the celebration in the evening.
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Questions & Answers about Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει κι αυτή στη γιορτή το βράδυ.

What does Η mean at the beginning of the sentence?

Η is the feminine singular definite article in Greek, meaning “the”.

  • It goes with feminine nouns like ξαδέρφη (cousin).
  • It is capitalized simply because it’s the first word of the sentence. In lowercase it would be η.
What exactly does ξαδέρφη mean, and are there other forms?

ξαδέρφη means “female cousin”.

  • The masculine is ξάδερφος (male cousin).
  • You may also see the spellings ξαδέλφη / ξάδελφος. These are more traditional or formal spellings; ξαδέρφη / ξάδερφος are very common in everyday modern Greek.
  • Stress: ξαΔΕΡφη.
Why is μου after ξαδέρφη instead of before it, like in English “my cousin”?

In Greek, the weak possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun:

  • η ξαδέρφη μου = my cousin (literally “the cousin my”).

So you say:

  • η ξαδέρφη μου ✅
    not
  • μου ξαδέρφη ❌

μου here is an enclitic, a short unstressed form that “leans” on the noun before it and means “my”.

What tense or form is θα έρθει, and how does it translate?

θα έρθει means “she will come” (or “she is going to come”).

  • θα is the particle used to form the future.
  • έρθει is the 3rd person singular of the aorist subjunctive of έρχομαι (to come).
  • Together, θα έρθει is the simple future (“will come” once, at some point).

Compare:

  • θα έρθει – she will come (one event)
  • θα έρχεται – she will be coming / will come regularly (future continuous)
What person and number is θα έρθει, and where is the subject pronoun?

θα έρθει is 3rd person singular: he/she/it will come.

Greek usually doesn’t need a separate subject pronoun because it’s clear from the verb ending. Here, the subject is expressed by the noun phrase:

  • η ξαδέρφη μου = my cousin (she)

So:

  • (Αυτή) θα έρθει. = She will come.
    Normally said just as Θα έρθει. if the subject is already understood.
What is the difference between κι and και in κι αυτή?

κι is just a shortened form of και, used for ease of pronunciation.

  • και means “and” or “also”.
  • Before words beginning with a vowel (like αυτή), και is very often pronounced and written as κι:
    • και αυτή → κι αυτή

Meaning-wise here, κι = and / also.
So κι αυτή = “she too”, “she also”.

What nuance does κι αυτή add? Could we just say Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει στη γιορτή το βράδυ?

Yes, you could say:

  • Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει στη γιορτή το βράδυ.
    = My cousin will come to the party in the evening.

Adding κι αυτή gives the extra idea of “as well / too / in addition”:

  • Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει κι αυτή στη γιορτή το βράδυ.
    = My cousin will also come to the party in the evening.
    (implying that someone else is already known to be going)

So κι αυτή emphasizes that she is one more person who will come.

What does στη stand for in στη γιορτή?

στη is a contraction of:

  • σε (preposition: in, at, to)
  • τη(ν) (feminine accusative singular article: the)

So:

  • σε τη γιορτή → στη γιορτή
    = to the party / at the party

You’ll often see:

  • σε + τη → στη
  • σε + τον → στον
  • σε + το → στο
Why is it στη γιορτή (“to the party”) and not just σε γιορτή (“to party”)?

Greek uses the definite article more often than English, especially with events.

  • στη γιορτή = “to the party” (a specific party that speakers know about)
  • σε γιορτή = “to a party” (some party, not specified)

In this sentence, we’re clearly talking about a particular, already-known celebration, so στη γιορτή is natural.

What exactly does γιορτή mean? Is it always “party”?

γιορτή is a general word for “celebration / feast / festivity”.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

  • a party (especially for a holiday or name day),
  • a religious feast,
  • a festive event.

For a more specifically modern, casual “party”, Greeks also use πάρτι (from English).
Here, γιορτή can be understood as “party” or “celebration”.

How does το βράδυ function in the sentence? Is it necessary?

το βράδυ literally means “the evening / the night (evening time)”, and here it works as a time expression:

  • το βράδυ = in the evening / tonight / this evening (depending on context)

It is not grammatically necessary.
Without it:

  • Η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει κι αυτή στη γιορτή.
    = My cousin will also come to the party.

Adding το βράδυ simply specifies when she will come.

Can the word order of this sentence change, and would that change the meaning?

Greek word order is fairly flexible. You can move elements for emphasis without changing the basic meaning. For example:

  • Το βράδυ η ξαδέρφη μου θα έρθει κι αυτή στη γιορτή.
    (Emphasis on in the evening.)
  • Η ξαδέρφη μου κι αυτή θα έρθει στη γιορτή το βράδυ.
    (Stronger emphasis on she too.)

The core meaning – my cousin will also come to the party in the evening – remains the same; the changes mainly affect which part is highlighted.

How do you pronounce έρθει, especially the ρθ cluster?

έρθει is pronounced approximately as:

  • [ÉR-thi] (IPA: [ˈerθi])

Details:

  • ε = like e in set.
  • ρ = a quick tapped r (like the Spanish single r in pero).
  • θ = the unvoiced th in think.
  • ει here = i as in machine.

The ρθ is pronounced together, with a quick r immediately followed by th: something like “ER-thi”.