Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια με πολύ δυνατή φωνή.

At the wedding a female singer was singing with a very strong voice.

Breakdown of Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια με πολύ δυνατή φωνή.

• πολύ: very
• με: with
• σε: at
• μία: one
• δυνατός: strong
• τραγουδάω: to sing
• η φωνή: the voice
• η τραγουδίστρια: the female singer
• ο γάμος: the wedding

Questions & Answers about Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια με πολύ δυνατή φωνή.

Why is it Στον γάμο and not something like σε ο γάμος?

Σε is the basic preposition meaning in / at / to.
The definite article for masculine singular accusative is τον.

In everyday Greek, σε + τον is almost always contracted to στον:

• σε + τον γάμο → στον γάμο = at the wedding / to the wedding

So:

• σε ο γάμος is simply wrong (wrong article, wrong case, and no contraction).
• You need σε + τον → στον, and the noun in the accusative: γάμο.

Why do we say γάμο and not γάμος?

Γάμος is a masculine noun. Its forms are:

• Nominative: ο γάμος (subject)
• Accusative: τον γάμο (object or after many prepositions)

The preposition σε always takes the accusative case.
So you must use τον γάμο, not ο γάμος.

That’s why the sentence has στον γάμο (σε + τον γάμο) and not σε ο γάμος.

What is the difference between Στον γάμο and Στο γάμο or Σε έναν γάμο?

1. Στον γάμο

   • Literally: to/at the wedding.
   • Refers to a specific wedding that both speaker and listener know about.

2. Στο γάμο

   • Same meaning as στον γάμο, but the final -ν in στον is dropped in casual speech and writing before γ.
   • Very common in everyday modern Greek: στο γάμο.

3. Σε έναν γάμο

   • Literally: at a wedding (not a specific one).
   • Uses the indefinite article έναν instead of the definite τον.

So:

• στον/στο γάμο = at the (particular) wedding
• σε έναν γάμο = at some wedding / at a wedding (in general)

Why is the verb τραγουδούσε here and not τραγούδησε?

Both are past tense forms, but with different aspects:

• τραγουδούσε = imperfect (past continuous)

  • she was singing, she used to sing
  • Describes an ongoing, background, or repeated action in the past.

• τραγούδησε = aorist (simple past)

  • she sang (once), she did sing
  • Focuses on the action as a single, completed event.

In the sentence:

• Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια…
  → The focus is on the ongoing situation at the wedding: there was a singer who was singing (for some time), not just one isolated act of singing.

How is τραγουδούσε formed from the verb τραγουδάω / τραγουδώ?

The verb is usually given as τραγουδάω or τραγουδώ (to sing).

To form the imperfect (past continuous):

1. Stem: τραγουδ-
2. Imperfective pattern: τραγουδούσα (1st person singular: I was singing)
3. 3rd person singular ending: -ε

So:

• 1st sg: τραγουδούσα – I was singing
• 2nd sg: τραγουδούσες – you were singing
• 3rd sg: τραγουδούσε – he/she/it was singing

In the sentence, τραγουδούσε is 3rd person singular (she was singing), agreeing with μια τραγουδίστρια.

Why does Greek say τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια (verb first) instead of “μια τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε”?

Greek word order is flexible. Both are possible:

• Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια…
• Στον γάμο μια τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε…

The basic idea:

• Greek tends to put known/background information earlier and new or emphasized information later.
• Starting with the verb τραγουδούσε makes the action (“there was singing going on”) part of the background at the wedding, and μια τραγουδίστρια is introduced as the source of that singing.

Meaning-wise, both orders are correct; the difference is mostly about rhythm and slight emphasis, not grammar.

Where is the word for “she” in this sentence? Why is there no αυτή?

Greek is a pro-drop language: it normally omits subject pronouns when they are clear from context or from verb endings.

• τραγουδούσε is 3rd person singular → he/she/it was singing.
• The noun μια τραγουδίστρια (a singer) serves as the subject and clearly tells you “she”.

So:

• Μια τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε. = A (female) singer was singing.
• Adding αυτή (she) would usually sound redundant:
  Αυτή η τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε is only used if you really want to emphasize that particular woman.

Why is it μια τραγουδίστρια and not ένας τραγουδιστής or η τραγουδίστρια?

There are three points here: article type, gender, and form.

1. Indefinite article: μια

   • μια = a, one (feminine)
   • ένας = a, one (masculine)
     Μια τραγουδίστρια = a singer (female), not a specific, known one.

2. Gendered forms: τραγουδιστής vs τραγουδίστρια

   • τραγουδιστής = male singer (masculine)
   • τραγουδίστρια = female singer (feminine) Because the singer is female in this sentence, Greek uses the feminine noun.

3. Definite vs indefinite

   • η τραγουδίστρια = the singer (a particular one you both know)
   • μια τραγουδίστρια = a singer (some singer, not specified)

So μια τραγουδίστρια fits because:

• She is female.
• She is not a specific known person to the listener.

What does με πολύ δυνατή φωνή literally mean, and is this how you normally say “in a very loud voice”?

Literally, με πολύ δυνατή φωνή is:

• με = with
• πολύ = very
• δυνατή = strong / loud (feminine)
• φωνή = voice

So, literally: with a very strong voice, which in natural English is with a very loud voice or in a very loud voice.

Yes, this is a common and natural way in Greek to describe how someone speaks or sings:

• Μιλάει με ήρεμη φωνή. – He/she speaks with a calm voice.
• Τραγουδάει με γλυκιά φωνή. – He/she sings with a sweet voice.
• Τραγουδούσε με πολύ δυνατή φωνή. – She was singing in a very loud voice.

Why is φωνή in this form, and why does δυνατή end in -ή?

Φωνή is a feminine noun. Its nominative and accusative singular are both φωνή.

After the preposition με, the noun must be in the accusative:

• (η) φωνή → (την) φωνή (same form in this case)

Δυνατός, -ή, -ό is the adjective (strong / loud). It must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since φωνή is feminine, singular, accusative, the adjective takes the matching form:

• δυνατή (φωνή) = feminine, singular, accusative

So:

• δυνατός ήχος (masc.) – loud sound
• δυνατή φωνή (fem.) – loud voice
• δυνατό τραγούδι (neut.) – loud song

Why is πολύ not changing form here? Shouldn’t it be πολλή for feminine?

Πολύ can be both:

1. An adjective: πολύς, πολλή, πολύ (much, many)

   • e.g. πολλή δουλειά – a lot of work (feminine noun)
   • e.g. πολύς κόσμος – many people (masculine)

2. An adverb: πολύ (invariable: doesn’t change form)

   • means very / a lot and modifies adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs
   • e.g. πολύ δυνατή φωνή – very loud voice

In με πολύ δυνατή φωνή, πολύ is an adverb modifying the adjective δυνατή, so it stays in the form πολύ and does not change to πολλή.

Could we say Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια πολύ δυνατή τραγουδίστρια instead? What changes in meaning?

Yes, that is a correct sentence:

• Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια πολύ δυνατή τραγουδίστρια.

But now:

• πολύ δυνατή describes τραγουδίστρια (the singer), not φωνή (the voice).

So:

• με πολύ δυνατή φωνή → her voice was very loud.
• μια πολύ δυνατή τραγουδίστρια → she was a very powerful / very strong singer (could mean loud-voiced, but also powerful in general).

In practice:

• Original: focuses on how she was singing (with a very loud voice).
• Alternative: focuses on what kind of singer she was (very strong singer).

Can we change the word order to Στον γάμο μια τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε με πολύ δυνατή φωνή? Does the meaning change?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct:

• Στον γάμο μια τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε με πολύ δυνατή φωνή.

The basic meaning is the same.
Subtle differences:

• Στον γάμο τραγουδούσε μια τραγουδίστρια…
  → Slightly more neutral; starts with the action of singing at the wedding, then introduces who was singing.

• Στον γάμο μια τραγουδίστρια τραγουδούσε…
  → Brings μια τραγουδίστρια a bit more into focus: At the wedding, a singer was singing… (you’re introducing “a singer” right after setting the scene).

In everyday use, both are fine; the difference is very slight and mostly about emphasis and rhythm, not about core meaning.