Breakdown of Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
μιλάω
to speak
αργά
slowly
σε
in
ελληνικός
Greek
Questions & Answers about Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών.
What does each word in Ο καθηγητής μιλάει αργά στην εξέταση ελληνικών. literally mean?
Word-by-word:
- 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”?