Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών. - The professor speaks slowly in the Greek exam.

Ο – the (masculine singular nominative article)
καθηγητής – (male) professor / (secondary or university) teacher
μιλάει – he speaks / he is speaking
αργά – slowly
στην – in the / at the (contraction of σε
- την)
εξέταση – exam, test
ελληνικών – of Greek (language) – literally “of Greek (things)”, genitive plural of ελληνικά (Greek language)

So a literal rendering is: “The professor speaks slowly in the exam of Greek.”

Why is it μιλάει and not μιλά? Are both correct?

Yes, both μιλάει and μιλά are correct for “he/she speaks” in the present tense.

Verb: μιλάω / μιλώ (to speak)
3rd person singular: μιλάει / μιλά

μιλάει is a bit more “full” and is very common in modern spoken Greek. μιλά is slightly shorter and can sound a bit more formal or just stylistically different; you’ll hear both all the time. The meaning is identical here.

What tense/aspect is μιλάει in Greek? Does it mean “speaks” or “is speaking”?

Greek present tense (here μιλάει) usually covers both English “speaks” and “is speaking.”

So Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά can mean:

“The professor speaks slowly” (in general)
“The professor is speaking slowly” (right now)

The difference is understood from context; Greek doesn’t normally separate simple/continuous the way English does.

Why is it αργά and not αργός?

αργά is an adverb meaning “slowly.”
αργός is an adjective meaning “slow” (masculine form), used with nouns.

Adverb (how?): Μιλάει αργά. – He speaks slowly.
Adjective (what kind of…?): Έχει αργό αυτοκίνητο. – He has a slow car.

In this sentence you are describing how he speaks, so you need the adverb αργά, not the adjective αργός.

What exactly is στην? Why not just σε την?

στην is the contracted form of the preposition σε (“in, at, to”) plus the feminine article την (“the”):

σε + την εξέταση → στην εξέταση

Greek very often contracts:

σε + την → στην
σε + την Αθήνα → στην Αθήνα
σε + τον φίλο → στον φίλο

So στην εξέταση = “in the exam / at the exam.”

Why is εξέταση in that form? Which case is it?

The base word is η εξέταση (“exam,” feminine). In the sentence, στην εξέταση is:

Preposition σε
- accusative case
Feminine singular accusative: την εξέταση

Greek uses the accusative after most prepositions, including σε. So στην εξέταση is “in/at the exam,” with εξέταση in the accusative because of the preposition.

What does ελληνικών mean exactly, and why is it in the plural genitive?

ελληνικών is the genitive plural of ελληνικά.

τα ελληνικά – Greek (language)
των ελληνικών – of (the) Greek (language)

In εξέταση ελληνικών, the genitive ελληνικών functions like “of Greek (language)”:

εξέταση ελληνικών – exam of Greek (language)

Languages in Greek are usually neuter plural (τα ελληνικά, τα αγγλικά, τα γαλλικά), so their genitive “of Greek / of English” is also plural: ελληνικών, αγγλικών, γαλλικών, etc.

Could you also say στην εξέταση των ελληνικών? Is there a difference?

Yes, στην εξέταση των ελληνικών is also correct and means the same thing: “in the Greek exam / in the exam of Greek.”

στην εξέταση ελληνικών – a bit shorter, commonly used, especially in speech
στην εξέταση των ελληνικών – more explicit (with article των), can sound a bit more formal or careful

Both forms are natural; you will hear both.

Why is it Ο καθηγητής? How would you say it for a female teacher?

Ο καθηγητής is masculine:

ο καθηγητής – (male) professor/teacher
η καθηγήτρια – (female) professor/teacher

So for a woman, you would say:

Η καθηγήτρια μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών.

The article changes with gender: ο for masculine, η for feminine.

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA + rough English guide):

Ο – /o/ (“o” as in or but shorter)
καθηγητής – /kaθiʝiˈtis/
- ka (“ka” as in car)
- θi (“th-ee” like think
  - ee)
- ʝi (like yi in yard)
- tís (stress here: “tis”)
μιλάει – /miˈlai/
- “mee-LAI” (like mee-lie)
αργά – /arˈɣa/
- “ar-GA” (Greek γ here is a soft “gh” / “ɣ”)
στην – /stin/
- “steen”
εξέταση – /eˈksetasi/
- “e-KSE-ta-see” (stress on KSE)
ελληνικών – /elinˈikon/
- “e-lee-nee-KON” (stress on last syllable)

Overall: Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
/ o kaθiʝiˈtis miˈlai arˈɣa stin eˈksetasi elinˈikon /

Can the word αργά move around in the sentence, or must it stay after μιλάει?

Greek word order is flexible, so you have options like:

Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
Ο καθηγητής αργά μιλάει στην εξέταση ελληνικών. (less usual, but possible)
Στην εξέταση ελληνικών, ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά.

The most natural and neutral place here is right after the verb: μιλάει αργά. Moving it can add emphasis or sound slightly more marked, but it’s generally understandable.

What’s the difference between μιλάει αργά and μιλάει σιγά?

μιλάει αργά – he speaks slowly (low speed)
μιλάει σιγά – he speaks quietly / softly (low volume)

So in an exam context:

μιλάει αργά helps students understand because he doesn’t rush.
μιλάει σιγά might make it hard to hear him.

They describe different aspects of speech: speed vs loudness.

How would you say “The teacher speaks Greek slowly in the exam” if you wanted to make Greek the object of “speaks,” not just the exam subject?

If you want to stress that he is speaking Greek (the language) slowly, you can say:

Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά ελληνικά στην εξέταση.
– “The teacher speaks Greek slowly in the exam.”

Here:

μιλάει ελληνικά – “speaks Greek” (object of the verb)
στην εξέταση – “in the exam” (where / when he does it)

Your original sentence στην εξέταση ελληνικών focuses more on the type of exam (a Greek exam), not directly on the language he is speaking.