Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

Some people break up, but they still remain friends.

Breakdown of Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

• αλλά: but
• ο φίλος: the friend
• ο άνθρωπος: the person
• ακόμα: still
• μερικός: some
• χωρίζω: to break up
• μένω: to remain

Questions & Answers about Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

What does Μερικοί mean exactly, and how is it different from κάποιοι and λίγοι?

Μερικοί means some (an indefinite, neutral amount).

• μερικοί άνθρωποι = some people
• It doesn’t imply few or many; it’s neutral.

Comparison:

• κάποιοι άνθρωποι – also some people, very similar to μερικοί. In many cases they’re interchangeable.
• λίγοι άνθρωποι – few people, suggests a small number, sometimes with a slightly negative nuance (not many).

So in this sentence, Μερικοί άνθρωποι is best understood as Some people in a neutral way.

Why is άνθρωποι in the plural, and what gender is it?

Άνθρωποι is the plural of άνθρωπος (person, human being).

• άνθρωπος – singular, masculine
• άνθρωποι – plural, masculine

Even though it means people (which in English feels gender‑neutral), grammatically in Greek it’s masculine plural. So the phrase μερικοί άνθρωποι uses the masculine plural form μερικοί to agree with άνθρωποι.

What tense and person is χωρίζουν, and what is the basic form of the verb?

Χωρίζουν is:

• Present tense
• Active voice
• 3rd person plural

The basic dictionary form (1st person singular) is χωρίζω = I separate / I break up.

Conjugation (present):

• εγώ χωρίζω – I break up / separate
• εσύ χωρίζεις – you break up
• αυτός/αυτή/αυτό χωρίζει – he/she/it breaks up
• εμείς χωρίζουμε – we break up
• εσείς χωρίζετε – you (pl./formal) break up
• αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά χωρίζουν – they break up

So Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν = Some people break up / separate.

Does χωρίζουν only mean a romantic breakup, or can it mean other kinds of separation?

Χωρίζουν is fairly broad:

• Romantic / marital context:
  
  • Χωρίζουν = they break up / they divorce
• Non-romantic, general separation:
  
  • Τα παιδιά χωρίζουν σε ομάδες. = The children split into groups.
  • Ο δρόμος χωρίζει το χωριό στα δύο. = The road divides the village in two.

In this specific sentence, the context (μένουν ακόμα φίλοι – they stay friends) makes it clearly a romantic or marital breakup.

Why is there a comma before αλλά? Is it necessary?

Yes, in Greek it is normal and stylistically preferred to put a comma before αλλά when it joins two clauses:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

You’ll almost always see a comma before αλλά when it contrasts two statements, similar to:

• Some people break up, but they remain friends.

So, the comma is not random; it reflects the division between the two clauses χωρίζουν and μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

What is the difference between αλλά and όμως? Could we use όμως here?

Both αλλά and όμως express contrast, but they work a bit differently:

• αλλά = but (a coordinating conjunction).

  • It usually needs a comma before it when joining clauses.
  • It begins the second clause: ..., αλλά ...

• όμως = but / however (more like an adverbial connector).

  • It has more flexible position: it can appear after the comma or later in the clause.
  • Example: Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, όμως μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

In this sentence, you can say:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, όμως μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

Both versions are fine. Αλλά is the more neutral, straightforward but; όμως can sometimes sound a bit more emphatic, like however.

What does μένουν mean here, and why not use είναι (are) instead?

The verb μένουν comes from μένω, whose main meaning is to stay / to remain / to live (somewhere).

In this context:

• μένουν ακόμα φίλοι = they remain/stay friends

Nuance:

• είναι ακόμα φίλοι = they are still friends (a static description)
• μένουν ακόμα φίλοι = they remain / continue to be friends (focus on the fact that even after the breakup, they keep being friends)

So μένουν emphasizes continuity after a change (after they break up), which fits the contrast with χωρίζουν.

What does ακόμα mean here? Is it the same as ακόμη, and can it be in another position?

Ακόμα means still (or yet, depending on context). In this sentence:

• μένουν ακόμα φίλοι = they still remain friends / they remain friends (even now)

About ακόμα vs ακόμη:

• In modern spoken Greek, ακόμα and ακόμη are generally interchangeable.
• Some speakers feel ακόμη can sound slightly more formal, but in practice both are very common.

Position:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.
• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά ακόμα μένουν φίλοι. (less common, more marked)
• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν φίλοι ακόμα. (possible, but the original order is more natural)

The most natural and common position here is exactly as in the sentence: μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

Why is there no subject pronoun like αυτοί (they)? How do we know the subject?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• χωρίζουν and μένουν are 3rd person plural forms ⇒ subject is they.
• From the context, we know they refers to Μερικοί άνθρωποι (some people).

You could say:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά αυτοί μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

But adding αυτοί is usually unnecessary and can sound a bit heavy unless you want to emphasize they in contrast to someone else. The natural, neutral version omits the pronoun.

How does agreement work in Μερικοί άνθρωποι and μένουν ακόμα φίλοι?

Agreement in this sentence:

1. Μερικοί άνθρωποι

   • μερικοί – masculine plural (adjective/pronoun)
   • άνθρωποι – masculine plural noun
     ⇒ They agree in gender (masculine) and number (plural).

2. μένουν ακόμα φίλοι

   • μένουν – verb, 3rd person plural
   • φίλοι – masculine plural noun (predicate noun)

The verb is in 3rd person plural to match the plural subject (μερικοί άνθρωποι), and φίλοι is also plural, referring back to the same group. Everything is consistently masculine plural and third-person plural.

Could we change the word order, for example: Μερικοί άνθρωποι, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι, χωρίζουν? How flexible is the word order?

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but it’s not completely free; some orders sound unnatural or confusing.

The original:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

is clear and natural: subject → verb → contrast → verb → complement.

Your alternative:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι, χωρίζουν.

sounds awkward in Greek; the αλλά clause is oddly inserted and breaks the flow.

Other acceptable variations that keep clarity:

• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά παραμένουν ακόμα φίλοι. (using παραμένουν)
• Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, όμως μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.

You can move adverbs a bit, or replace connectors, but the main clause structure [subject] [verb], αλλά [verb] [complement] is the most natural.

How would I negate this sentence in Greek?

To negate, you use δεν before the verb. Some options:

1. Negate the first verb (they don’t break up):

   • Μερικοί άνθρωποι δεν χωρίζουν, αλλά μένουν ακόμα φίλοι.
     Some people don’t break up, but they still remain friends.
     (Logically odd, but grammatically fine.)

2. More natural: negate the second verb (they break up, but don’t stay friends):

   • Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά δεν μένουν φίλοι.
     Some people break up, but they don’t stay friends.

3. Negate the still:

   • Μερικοί άνθρωποι χωρίζουν, αλλά δεν μένουν πια φίλοι.
     Some people break up, but they are no longer friends.
     Here πια = anymore / no longer.

How do you pronounce the words χωρίζουν and μένουν?

Approximate pronunciation (stress is marked with capital letters):

• χωρίζουν → kho-RI-zoun

  • χ like a harsh h (like German ch in Bach)
  • ω / ο both like o in not (short o)
  • ζ like z in zoo
  • ου like oo in food
  • Stress on the -ρί- syllable: χωΡΙζουν

• μένουν → ME-noun

  • ε like e in get
  • ου again like oo in food
  • Final ν is a normal n
  • Stress on the first syllable: ΜΕνουν

So the rhythm of the key verbs is: χωΡΙζουν, ΜΕνουν.