Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα.

For her birthday I write a card with a small message.

Breakdown of Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα.

• με: with
• για: for
• το μήνυμα: the message
• μικρός: small
• γράφω: to write
• της: her
• μία: one
• τα γενέθλια: the birthday
• η κάρτα: the card

Questions & Answers about Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα.

Why is γενέθλιά in the plural (τα γενέθλια) when in English we say birthday in the singular?

In Greek, τα γενέθλια is a neuter plural noun and is almost always used in the plural form, even though in English birthday is singular.

• τα γενέθλια = the birthday (literally: the birthdays)
• Example: Πότε είναι τα γενέθλιά σου; – When is your birthday?

You don’t normally say a singular form like το γενέθλιο in everyday Greek for birthday; τα γενέθλια is the standard word. The plural here is just a peculiarity of Greek usage, not a difference in meaning.

Why is there a pair of dots (¨) on ϊ in γενέθλιά?

Those dots are called διαλυτικά (diaeresis). They show that the two vowels ι and ά are pronounced in separate syllables, not as a diphthong.

• γενέθλιά is pronounced: γε-νέ-θλι-α (ye-NE-thli-a), four syllables.
• Without the diaeresis (γενέθλια), the sequence ια after the stressed έ could be misread as one combined sound, so the ¨ forces you to read ι
  • α separately: -θλι-ά.

So γενέθλιά = γενέθλια + stress marking and diaeresis to clarify pronunciation.

What case is τα γενέθλιά της in, and why?

Τα γενέθλιά της is in the accusative case.

The preposition για (for) in Greek is followed by the accusative:

• για + τα γενέθλια → για τα γενέθλιά της
  (for her birthday)

So:

• τα γενέθλια → nominative or accusative plural (same form in neuter plural)
• της → genitive singular of αυτή (she), meaning her.

Functionally, the whole phrase για τα γενέθλιά της answers “for what purpose/occasion?” → for her birthday.

What exactly does της mean in τα γενέθλιά της? Is it like possessive her?

Yes. Της here is the genitive of the pronoun αυτή (she), and it works like English possessive her.

• τα γενέθλιά της = her birthday
• Literally: the birthday of her

Other examples:

• το βιβλίο της – her book
• το σπίτι της – her house

So της shows possession/association, just like my, your, his, her in English, but grammatically it’s the genitive case of a pronoun.

Why is it για τα γενέθλιά της and not στα γενέθλιά της?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

• για τα γενέθλιά της – emphasizes purpose:
  for her birthday (i.e. in honor of her birthday)
• στα γενέθλιά της – emphasizes location/time:
  literally at her birthday (party/celebration).

In your sentence:

• Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα…
  = I’m writing a card *for her birthday* (the reason/purpose).

If you said:

• Στα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα…

it would more likely be understood as At her birthday (party), I am writing a card…, which is odd in context. So για is the natural preposition for for (as a present / for the occasion).

Could I change the word order and say: Γράφω μια κάρτα για τα γενέθλιά της με μικρό μήνυμα?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible. These are all grammatical:

• Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα.
• Γράφω μια κάρτα για τα γενέθλιά της με μικρό μήνυμα.
• Γράφω μια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα για τα γενέθλιά της.

They have the same basic meaning. Slight changes in emphasis:

• Starting with Για τα γενέθλιά της puts more focus on the occasion.
• Putting για τα γενέθλιά της later, after μια κάρτα, feels a bit more neutral and “English-like” in word order.

All are acceptable in everyday speech.

The verb γράφω is in the present. Does it mean I write (habitually) or I am writing / I’m going to write (right now / near future)?

Greek present tense (γράφω) can cover several English meanings, depending on context:

1. Right now / current action

   • Τώρα γράφω μια κάρτα. – I am writing a card now.

2. General or repeated action

   • Κάθε χρόνο γράφω μια κάρτα για τα γενέθλιά της.
     – Every year I write a card for her birthday.

3. Planned near-future action (less explicit but possible, often with a time expression)

   • Αύριο γράφω μια κάρτα για τα γενέθλιά της.
     – Tomorrow I’m writing a card for her birthday. (planned)

If you clearly want the future in Greek, you usually use θα γράψω (simple future, one-time event) or θα γράφω (continuous future). Here, without extra context, γράφω can be understood as present or general habit.

Why do we say μια κάρτα but not ένα μικρό μήνυμα? Could we say με ένα μικρό μήνυμα?

Yes, you can say με ένα μικρό μήνυμα; it’s perfectly correct:

• …γράφω μια κάρτα με ένα μικρό μήνυμα.

In the original sentence, ένα is simply omitted, which is very common in Greek, especially after a preposition like με:

• με μικρό μήνυμα
• με κόκκινο στυλό (with a red pen) – you can say με έναν κόκκινο στυλό, but έναν is often dropped.

For μια κάρτα, the μια is more likely to be kept, because it directly introduces the main object of the verb (γράφω μια κάρτα – I write a card). Dropping it (γράφω κάρτα) is possible but sounds more telegraphic or stylized.

So:

• μια κάρτα – natural to keep the article.
• (ένα) μικρό μήνυμα – ένα is optional; dropping it is very normal.

What does με mean in με μικρό μήνυμα? Is it like English with?

Yes. Με is the common preposition meaning with, by means of, using, or accompanied by, depending on context.

In γράφω μια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα, it means with in the sense of containing / accompanied by:

• I write a card *with a short message in it.*

Other examples:

• Πίνω καφέ με γάλα. – I drink coffee with milk.
• Γράφω με μολύβι. – I write with a pencil. (using a pencil)

Why is it μικρό μήνυμα and not μικρή μήνυμα? How does gender agreement work here?

In Greek, adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.

• μήνυμα is neuter singular, nominative/accusative.
• The adjective μικρός (small) has three basic gender forms:
  • μικρός – masculine
  • μικρή – feminine
  • μικρό – neuter

Since μήνυμα is neuter, the adjective must also be neuter:

• μικρό μήνυμα – small/short message (correct)
• μικρή μήνυμα – incorrect, because μικρή is feminine.

Similarly:

• μικρή κάρτα – small card (feminine, because κάρτα is feminine)
• μικρός σκύλος – small dog (masculine, because σκύλος is masculine)

Is μικρό μήνυμα more like small or short message in English? Could I say σύντομο μήνυμα instead?

Μικρό μήνυμα literally means small message, but in this context it’s usually understood as short message.

• For length (short vs long), σύντομο μήνυμα is very natural:
  • γράφω μια κάρτα με σύντομο μήνυμα.
    – I write a card with a short (brief) message.

Subtle nuance:

• μικρό μήνυμα – more vague; can suggest short or just “not much content / not big”.
• σύντομο μήνυμα – clearly emphasizes brevity (brief, not long-winded).

Both are correct; σύντομο μήνυμα is slightly more precise if you mean brief.

Can I omit the article and say Για γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα…?

No, that sounds unnatural. In Greek, γενέθλια almost always appear with the article when you mean someone’s birthday:

• τα γενέθλιά της – her birthday
• Τα γενέθλιά μου είναι τον Μάιο. – My birthday is in May.

Omitting the article (για γενέθλιά της) is not how native speakers would normally say it. Keep τα:

• Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια κάρτα… – natural.

Is there a more specific word for birthday card in Greek than just κάρτα?

You can be more specific by using ευχετήρια κάρτα (greeting card), and you can specify the occasion:

• ευχετήρια κάρτα γενεθλίων – birthday greeting card
  (literally: greeting card of birthday(s))

So you could say:

• Για τα γενέθλιά της γράφω μια ευχετήρια κάρτα με μικρό μήνυμα.
  – For her birthday I’m writing a greeting card with a short message.

In everyday speech, though, μια κάρτα για τα γενέθλιά της is usually clear enough from context.