Στην κουζίνα έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα.

In the kitchen I have a large frying pan and a small pot.

Breakdown of Στην κουζίνα έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα.

• και: and
• έχω: to have
• ένα: one
• μεγάλος: big
• μικρός: small
• σε: in
• η κουζίνα: the kitchen
• μία: one
• το τηγάνι: the frying pan
• η κατσαρόλα: the pot

Questions & Answers about Στην κουζίνα έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα.

Why is it Στην κουζίνα and not σε την κουζίνα?

Σε + την combine into one word: στην.

• σε = in, at, to
• την = the (feminine, singular, accusative)
• σε την κουζίνα → στην κουζίνα

In modern Greek, σε almost always contracts with the definite article:

• σε + τον → στον
• σε + την → στην
• σε + το → στο
• σε + τις → στις
• σε + τους → στους

So στην κουζίνα literally means in the kitchen.

What case is κουζίνα in, and why?

Κουζίνα is in the accusative singular: την κουζίνα.

Reason: the preposition σε (in, at, to) always takes the accusative case in modern Greek, regardless of whether it means “in”, “at”, or “to”.

So:

• η κουζίνα (nominative, subject form) → την κουζίνα (accusative, after σε)
• Hence: στην κουζίνα = in the kitchen

Why is there no word for the before τηγάνι and κατσαρόλα?

There is an article, but it’s indefinite, like a / an in English:

• ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι = a big frying pan
• μια μικρή κατσαρόλα = a small pot / saucepan

In Greek:

• ο / η / το are definite articles = the
• ένας / μια (μία) / ένα are indefinite articles = a / an

Here, ένα and μια are the indefinite articles. So you already have the equivalent of a in the sentence.

Why is it ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι but μια μικρή κατσαρόλα? Why ένα vs μια?

Because nouns have grammatical gender, and articles and adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• τηγάνι is neuter

  • Article: ένα (neuter, singular, accusative)
  • Adjective: μεγάλο (neuter, singular, accusative)
  • Noun: τηγάνι (neuter)

  → ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι

• κατσαρόλα is feminine

  • Article: μια (feminine, singular, accusative)
  • Adjective: μικρή (feminine, singular, accusative)
  • Noun: κατσαρόλα (feminine)

  → μια μικρή κατσαρόλα

So:

• ένα goes with neuter nouns
• μια goes with feminine nouns

Why does τηγάνι count as neuter and κατσαρόλα as feminine? Can I tell from the endings?

You often can, though it’s not 100% automatic.

Typical patterns:

• Nouns ending in -ι, -μα are usually neuter:

  • το τηγάνι (the frying pan)
  • το μάθημα (the lesson)

• Nouns ending in -α, -η are usually feminine:

  • η κατσαρόλα (the pot)
  • η κουζίνα (the kitchen)
  • η πόλη (the city)

So:

• το τηγάνι → neuter
• η κατσαρόλα → feminine

You still have to learn each noun’s gender, but endings give strong clues.

Why is the adjective μεγάλο and not μεγάλος or μεγάλη?

Greek adjectives change form to agree with the noun.

The base adjective is:

• μεγάλος (masculine)
• μεγάλη (feminine)
• μεγάλο (neuter)

Since τηγάνι is neuter, the adjective must also be neuter:

• το μεγάλο τηγάνι
• Here it’s indefinite: ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι, but the adjective form stays the same: μεγάλο.

Compare:

• ένας μεγάλος σκύλος (masc) – a big dog
• μια μεγάλη κατσαρόλα (fem) – a big pot
• ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι (neut) – a big frying pan

Why is the adjective μικρή and not μικρός or μικρό?

Same reason: agreement with the noun.

The adjective is:

• μικρός (masculine)
• μικρή (feminine)
• μικρό (neuter)

Κατσαρόλα is feminine, so the adjective must be the feminine form:

• μια μικρή κατσαρόλα = a small pot

Compare:

• ένας μικρός σκύλος – a small dog (masc)
• μια μικρή κατσαρόλα – a small pot (fem)
• ένα μικρό τηγάνι – a small frying pan (neut)

Can the adjectives go after the nouns, like in some other languages?

Yes, Greek allows both positions, but patterns are slightly different.

The most common, neutral pattern is:

• article – adjective – noun
  
  • ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι
  • μια μικρή κατσαρόλα

You can also see:

• article – noun – adjective
  
  • ένα τηγάνι μεγάλο
  • μια κατσαρόλα μικρή

This second pattern is usually more marked, often adding emphasis or a contrast:

• Έχω ένα τηγάνι μεγάλο και ένα τηγάνι μικρό.
  I have one pan that is big and one pan that is small.

For basic use, put the adjective before the noun as in the original sentence.

Why is there no word for I? Why don’t we see εγώ?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is often left out because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• έχω means I have
  
  • έχω = I have
  • έχεις = you (sg) have
  • έχει = he/she/it has
  • έχουμε = we have
  • έχετε = you (pl) have
  • έχουν = they have

So:

• Έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι. = I have a big frying pan.
• Εγώ έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι. is also correct, but εγώ is usually added only for emphasis or contrast:
  • Εγώ έχω τηγάνι, όχι αυτός. – I have a pan, not him.

Why is the word order Στην κουζίνα έχω...? Could I say Έχω... στην κουζίνα instead?

Yes, you can say both:

• Στην κουζίνα έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα.
• Έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα στην κουζίνα.

Greek word order is quite flexible, because endings show grammatical roles. Changing the order usually changes emphasis, not basic meaning.

• Στην κουζίνα έχω...
  Emphasizes the location (in the kitchen, I have…).

• Έχω... στην κουζίνα.
  Neutral statement about what you have, and you mention the location at the end.

Both are natural; in everyday speech, both patterns are common.

What is the difference between τηγάνι and κατσαρόλα?

They are two different types of cookware:

• το τηγάνι = frying pan / skillet

  • flat, wide, used for frying eggs, meat, etc.

• η κατσαρόλα = pot / saucepan

  • deeper, usually with a lid, used for boiling, stews, soups, pasta, etc.

So the sentence literally says:
In the kitchen I have a big frying pan and a small pot.

What is the difference between κουζίνα as kitchen and as cuisine?

In Greek, κουζίνα can mean:

1. The physical kitchen (room):

   • Η κουζίνα είναι μικρή. – The kitchen is small.

2. Cuisine / style of cooking:

   • Μου αρέσει η ελληνική κουζίνα. – I like Greek cuisine.
   • Η ιταλική κουζίνα έχει πολλά ζυμαρικά. – Italian cuisine has a lot of pasta.

In your sentence, Στην κουζίνα clearly means the room.

Why is it στην κουζίνα and not just κουζίνα without any preposition?

In Greek, as in English, you normally need a preposition to express location.

• English: in the kitchen
• Greek: σε
  • την κουζίνα → στην κουζίνα

Just saying κουζίνα έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι… would sound wrong or at least very unnatural, because you’re missing the preposition that tells you the relationship (where you have it).

Could I use υπάρχει instead of έχω to say that there is a pan and a pot in the kitchen?

Yes, but it changes the structure slightly.

• Έχω = I have
  Focus on possession by the subject.

• Υπάρχει / υπάρχουν = there is / there are
  Focus on existence / presence in a place.

For example:

• Στην κουζίνα έχω ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα.
  In the kitchen I have a big frying pan and a small pot. (they belong to me)

• Στην κουζίνα υπάρχει ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι και μια μικρή κατσαρόλα.
  In the kitchen there is a big frying pan and a small pot. (they are present there; ownership is not emphasized)

Both are correct; you choose based on what you want to emphasize.

How is μια pronounced, and what about the form μία that I sometimes see?

In everyday speech, μια is usually pronounced as [mja], roughly like mya.

• μια μικρή κατσαρόλα → [mja mikrí katsaróla]

About the forms:

• μια is the common unstressed spelling in modern Greek.
• μία is used when the word is stressed or when you want to clearly mean one (feminine) rather than just a.

Examples:

• Έχω μια κατσαρόλα. – I have a pot. (unstressed article = a)
• Έχω μόνο μία κατσαρόλα. – I have only one pot. (stressed = one)

In your sentence, μια is just the normal, unstressed indefinite article = a.