Breakdown of Σήμερα πήρα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
Questions & Answers about Σήμερα πήρα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
Greek usually omits subject pronouns (like I, you, he) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- πήρα is 1st person singular past tense: I took / I got.
- So εγώ (I) is understood and normally left out unless you want to emphasize it:
- Εγώ σήμερα πήρα καλό βαθμό… = I (as opposed to someone else) got a good grade today…
πήρα is the aorist (simple past) of the verb παίρνω (I take / I get).
- παίρνω = present: I take / I am taking / I get.
- πήρα = aorist past: I took / I got (a single, completed action).
In this sentence, the grade was received at one specific time (the exam result), so Greek uses the aorist πήρα, not the present παίρνω.
No, not with the same meaning.
- πήρα (aorist) = a single completed event: I got (once).
- έπαιρνα (imperfect) = a repeated or ongoing past action: I was getting / I used to get.
Σήμερα έπαιρνα καλό βαθμό… would sound odd, like “Today I was in the process of getting a good grade…”, which doesn’t fit a normal exam-result context. You want πήρα here.
- βαθμός = grade, mark (masculine noun).
- καλός = good (masculine adjective).
The dictionary form is καλός βαθμός (nominative), used for the subject of a sentence.
Here, βαθμό is the direct object of the verb πήρα (I got a good grade), so it must be in the accusative:
- Nominative (subject): ο καλός βαθμός – the good grade (does something)
- Accusative (object): έναν καλό βαθμό / καλό βαθμό – (I get) a good grade
So καλό βαθμό is accusative singular (adjective and noun both in accusative).
Both are grammatically correct:
- πήρα καλό βαθμό
- πήρα έναν καλό βαθμό
The difference is subtle:
- έναν καλό βαθμό = a good grade (neutral indefinite article, a specific instance).
- καλό βαθμό (without article) can slightly emphasize the quality rather than the “one-ness” of the grade, and sounds very natural in this school context.
Both are very common in speech. In this sentence, the version χωρίς άρθρο (without the article) is perfectly natural and idiomatic.
στην is a contraction:
- σε (in, at, on) + την (the, feminine accusative singular)
→ σε την → στην
So:
- στην εξέταση literally = σε την εξέταση = in/at the exam.
This contraction is mandatory in normal speech and writing: people do not say σε την εξέταση, they say στην εξέταση.
Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.
- English: in an exam / in the exam – article optional depending on context.
- Greek: στην εξέταση is the normal way to say in the exam in this kind of context (a specific exam you took).
σε εξέταση without the article is possible but feels either:
- very generic (in examination, as an abstract state), or
- stylistically marked, not what you’d normally say about a school exam you just took.
So στην εξέταση is the idiomatic choice.
εξέταση is accusative singular feminine.
- The preposition σε (in, at, on) normally governs the accusative when it indicates location or event.
- η εξέταση (nominative) → την εξέταση (accusative)
- With contraction: σε + την εξέταση → στην εξέταση
So στην εξέταση is in the exam, with εξέταση in the accusative because of the preposition.
ελληνικών here means “of Greek” (i.e. of the Greek language).
- τα ελληνικά = Greek (the language), literally the Greek [things].
- Genitive plural: των ελληνικών = of (the) Greek (language).
- In compounds like εξέταση ελληνικών, the genitive plural is used to show the subject area of the exam:
- εξέταση ελληνικών = exam of Greek
- εξέταση μαθηματικών = math exam
- εξέταση αγγλικών = English exam
So ελληνικών is genitive plural of ελληνικά, indicating the field/subject of the examination.
You could, but it doesn’t mean exactly the same thing.
- στην εξέταση ελληνικών = in the Greek-(language) exam
– Focus on the subject: the exam of Greek (language). - στην ελληνική εξέταση = literally in the Greek exam
– Could mean an exam that is Greek in some other sense (e.g. organized by a Greek institution, or an exam written in Greek), not necessarily that the subject is the Greek language.
For “I got a good grade in the Greek (language) exam”, the natural and standard expression is στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
In Greek:
- Nationalities and language names are normally written with a lowercase initial letter:
- ελληνικά (Greek), αγγλικά (English), γαλλικά (French)
- Proper nouns like country names and cities are capitalized:
- Ελλάδα (Greece), Αθήνα (Athens)
So ελληνικών is lowercase because it refers to the language/subject, not the country name.
Word order in Greek is flexible, and adverbs like σήμερα (today) can move without changing the basic meaning.
All of these are possible:
- Σήμερα πήρα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
- Πήρα σήμερα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
- Πήρα καλό βαθμό σήμερα στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
Putting σήμερα first is very natural and slightly emphasizes when it happened. The most neutral versions are the first two. Greek tends to put time words like σήμερα at or near the beginning of the sentence.
Yes, but the meaning becomes less specific.
Πήρα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
- I got a good grade in the Greek exam (no time specified).
Σήμερα πήρα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση.
- Today I got a good grade in the exam (subject of the exam not specified).
The full sentence Σήμερα πήρα καλό βαθμό στην εξέταση ελληνικών. tells you both when (today) and in what (Greek language). Removing either word just removes that piece of information.
Approximate pronunciation (in Latin letters, stressed syllables in bold):
- Σήμερα → SÍ-me-ra
- πήρα → PÍ-ra
- καλό → ka-LÓ
- βαθμό → vath-MÓ (θ like th in think)
- στην → steen (almost like steen)
- εξέταση → ex-É-ta-si (ξ like ks)
- ελληνικών → e-li-ni-KÓN
Full phrase:
SÍ-me-ra PÍ-ra ka-LÓ vath-MÓ steen ex-É-ta-si e-li-ni-KÓN.