Learn Hardcore Greek: Η γιαγιά μου δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα γιατί είναι κουρασμένη. - My grandmother doesn’t use the stairs because she is tired.

Leaving out the article (γιαγιά μου) is possible in some special, more emotional or poetic uses, but the normal, neutral way is to include the article: η γιαγιά μου.

Why does μου come after γιαγιά, instead of before like in English (“my grandmother”)?

Greek possessive pronouns usually follow the noun:

η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
ο φίλος σου = your friend
το βιβλίο του = his book

The order noun + possessive is the default.
If you put the pronoun before (e.g. μου η γιαγιά), it sounds unusual or highly marked and isn’t used in normal speech.

Why is the negative word δεν and not μην?

Greek has two common negative particles in the present:

δεν: used with indicative verbs (normal statements and questions)
μην: used with subjunctive or imperative (after να, ας, in commands, wishes, etc.)

In the sentence:

Η γιαγιά μου δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα…

this is a simple statement in the indicative, so you must use δεν, and it goes immediately before the verb:

δεν χρησιμοποιεί = does not use

Why is it χρησιμοποιεί and not something like χρησιμοποιάει or χρησιμοποιώ?

The verb is χρησιμοποιώ (to use). In the present tense:

(εγώ) χρησιμοποιώ – I use
(εσύ) χρησιμοποιείς – you use
(αυτός/αυτή) χρησιμοποιεί – he/she uses

Our subject is η γιαγιά μου (3rd person singular, she), so we use the 3rd singular form:

(η γιαγιά μου) χρησιμοποιεί = my grandmother uses

Forms like χρησιμοποιάει exist in some verbs with -άω endings, but χρησιμοποιώ is normally conjugated as -ώ / -είς / -εί.

Why is it τη σκάλα and not την σκάλα?

The full feminine accusative article is την:

την πόρτα, την κόρη, την σκάλα (in very careful speech)

In everyday modern Greek, ν is dropped before words starting with:

κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, γκ, μπ, ντ, τσ, τζ, σ, ζ

So την σκάλα → τη σκάλα in normal conversation and writing.
Both are grammatically correct, but τη σκάλα is what you will actually hear most of the time.

Does σκάλα mean “ladder” or “stairs” here?

σκάλα can mean:

ladder
staircase / stairs (especially a single flight of stairs)

The exact meaning depends on context.
In this sentence (a tired grandmother not using it), both are possible, but “the stairs” is usually the more natural interpretation unless the context clearly points to a ladder.

Why is γιατί used for “because”? I thought γιατί meant “why”.

γιατί has two main uses:

As a question word:
- Γιατί δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα; = Why doesn’t she use the stairs?
As “because” in answers or clauses:
- Δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα γιατί είναι κουρασμένη.
  = She doesn’t use the stairs because she is tired.

So the same word γιατί covers both why and because; you understand which one it is from context and sentence structure.
You could also use επειδή for “because”: …επειδή είναι κουρασμένη.

Who is είναι κουρασμένη describing? The stairs or the grandmother?

It describes η γιαγιά μου.

Greek usually drops subject pronouns when they’re clear:

είναι κουρασμένη = (she) is tired

We know it is she / the grandmother because:

The sentence links logically: She doesn’t use the stairs because she is tired.
κουρασμένη is feminine singular, agreeing with η γιαγιά (feminine singular).
The stairs (η σκάλα) are also feminine, but they can’t realistically be “tired”, so the meaning is clear.

Why does κουρασμένη end in -η? How is it formed?

κουρασμένη is the feminine singular form of the adjective/participle κουρασμένος, -η, -ο (tired).

The pattern is:

masculine: κουρασμένος
feminine: κουρασμένη
neuter: κουρασμένο

It must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes:

η γιαγιά → feminine singular → κουρασμένη
ο παππούς είναι κουρασμένος – Grandpa is tired.
τα παιδιά είναι κουρασμένα – The children are tired.

Could I also say: Η γιαγιά μου είναι κουρασμένη, γι’ αυτό δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα?

Yes. That’s another natural way to express the same idea:

Η γιαγιά μου είναι κουρασμένη, γι’ αυτό δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα.
= My grandmother is tired, that’s why she doesn’t use the stairs.

Differences:

Original: …δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα γιατί είναι κουρασμένη.
– A single sentence with γιατί = because.
Alternative: Two clauses joined by γι’ αυτό = for that reason / that’s why.

Both are perfectly correct and common.

What exactly is μου grammatically here? Is it like a separate word “of me”?

Yes. μου is the unstressed genitive form of εγώ (I).

Function here:

η γιαγιά μου = literally “the grandmother of me” = my grandmother.

A few key points:

It is unstressed and clitic: it “leans” on the noun and has no accent mark.
It comes after the noun: γιαγιά μου, σπίτι μου, not μου γιαγιά.
It’s in the genitive case, which among other things marks possession.

So grammatically, it’s “of me”, but in normal English we simply say my.

Is the word order fixed? Could I move δεν or γιατί somewhere else?

Some parts are flexible, others not:

δεν must stay directly before the verb it negates:
- ✅ Η γιαγιά μου δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα…
- ❌ Η γιαγιά μου χρησιμοποιεί δεν τη σκάλα… (incorrect)
γιατί introduces the reason clause and normally comes at the beginning of that clause:
- ✅ …δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα γιατί είναι κουρασμένη.
- More marked but possible: Γιατί είναι κουρασμένη, η γιαγιά μου δεν χρησιμοποιεί τη σκάλα. (sounds a bit formal/emphatic)

The most natural, neutral order is exactly what you see in the original sentence.