Learn Hardcore Greek: Πάντα προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι στη σαλάτα πριν τη φάμε. - I always add olive oil and lemon to the salad before we eat it.

In ελαιόλαδο and λεμόνι we’re dealing with “some olive oil and (some) lemon”, not specific, countable items. In Greek, when you talk about:

indefinite mass nouns (some oil, some water)
or indefinite plural nouns in a general sense

you typically omit the article.

So:

Πάντα προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι
= I always add (some) olive oil and (some) lemon.

If you used an article, you’d be referring to specific things:

Προσθέτω το ελαιόλαδο και το λεμόνι.
= I add the olive oil and the lemon (that we’ve already mentioned or both know about).

Here we’re just talking about ingredients in general, so no article.

What is the difference between ελαιόλαδο and just λάδι?

Both refer to “oil”, but ελαιόλαδο is more specific:

ελαιόλαδο = olive oil (literally olive-oil)
λάδι = oil in general, but in everyday speech it often defaults to “olive oil” too, especially in cooking contexts.

In a recipe or food context:

Προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο sounds a bit more precise or slightly more formal.
Προσθέτω λάδι is completely natural and very common; in many Greek kitchens this will be understood as olive oil unless stated otherwise.

What does στη in στη σαλάτα mean exactly?

Στη is a combination (contraction) of:

σε (preposition: to, in, into, on)
τη(ν) (definite article: the, feminine singular accusative)

So:

σε + τη → στη

στη σαλάτα literally means “in the salad” / “onto the salad”, and in this context it translates naturally as to the salad.

Greek often contracts σε + article:

σε + τον → στον
σε + την → στη(ν)
σε + το → στο

Why does σαλάτα have the article (τη) but ελαιόλαδο and λεμόνι don’t?

Here the speaker is talking about a specific salad (the one we’re going to eat), but about indefinite quantities of oil and lemon.

τη σαλάτα = the salad (a particular salad we both know about, on the table, etc.)
ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι = (some) olive oil and (some) lemon (not specified which / how much; just ingredients)

So:

Πάντα προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι στη σαλάτα
= I always add some olive oil and lemon to the salad (we’re going to eat).

Why is it πριν τη φάμε and not something like πριν να τη φάμε?

Πριν means before and can introduce a clause with a verb in the subjunctive mood.

There are two common patterns:

πριν + (να) + subjunctive
e.g. πριν (να) φάμε
The να is often omitted in modern speech and writing when it’s clear from context:
- πριν φάμε
- πριν τη φάμε

So:

πριν τη φάμε = before we eat it / before we have eaten it
The να is just left out; the grammar is still “πριν” + subjunctive.

Why is it φάμε and not τρώμε in πριν τη φάμε?

Greek distinguishes aspect, not just tense:

τρώμε – present/imperfective aspect: “we eat / we are eating / we keep eating”
φάμε – aorist/perfective subjunctive: “we eat (once) / we have eaten”

With πριν, when you talk about a single, completed action in the future (before we do something once), Greek normally uses the aorist subjunctive:

πριν φάμε
πριν τη φάμε

So πριν τη φάμε literally means “before we (have) eaten it (once)”, which in natural English is “before we eat it.”

Using πριν την τρώμε would sound wrong here; it would suggest an ongoing/repeated “we are eating it” and does not fit this “before we eat (it)” meaning.

Where does φάμε come from? I thought “to eat” is τρώω.

You’re right: the present tense is τρώω (I eat).
But many Greek verbs have different stems for present and aorist.

For “to eat”:

Present: τρώω → τρώμε (we eat)
Aorist stem: φάω / φάγω
Subjunctive aorist, 1st person plural: (να) φάμε

So:

να φάμε = so that we eat / for us to eat
With πριν, the να can drop: πριν φάμε

In our sentence: πριν τη φάμε = before we eat it.

What is τη in πριν τη φάμε, and why is it placed before φάμε?

τη is the weak (clitic) object pronoun, feminine singular accusative, meaning “her / it”. Here it stands for “the salad” (τη σαλάτα).

σαλάτα is feminine: η σαλάτα
Its corresponding object pronoun is τη(ν)

In modern Greek, these clitic object pronouns usually stand before the verb in finite clauses:

Τη βλέπω. = I see her/it.
Θα τη φάμε. = We will eat it.

So:

πριν τη φάμε = before we eat it.

Putting it after (πριν φάμε τη) is not correct Greek; the pronoun doesn’t behave like a full noun here—it’s a clitic that must attach to the verb or to another “host word” closely tied to the verb.

Why is it written τη φάμε and not την φάμε?

The full form of the feminine object pronoun is την, but in modern standard spelling, the final -ν is dropped in many cases.

The usual rule: keep the -ν of την and μην only:

before vowels
and before consonants κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, γκ, μπ, τζ, τσ

Before other consonants, you normally drop it in writing.

Here the next word is φάμε (starts with φ), which is not in that list, so:

τη φάμε (standard spelling)
την φάμε would still be understood, but is usually considered non-standard in writing.

How does the pronoun τη in πριν τη φάμε relate to τη σαλάτα earlier in the sentence?

τη refers back to τη σαλάτα:

στη σαλάτα → to the salad
later: πριν τη φάμε → before we eat it (the salad)

Since σαλάτα is:

feminine
singular
the corresponding direct object pronoun is τη(ν).

So the structure is essentially:

I always add olive oil and lemon to the salad before we eat it.

Could the word order be different, like Πάντα προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι πριν τη φάμε στη σαλάτα?

In theory Greek word order is flexible, but not all orders sound natural or clear.

The most natural is:

Πάντα προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι στη σαλάτα πριν τη φάμε.

This keeps related pieces together:

ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι (what you add)
στη σαλάτα (where you add them)
πριν τη φάμε (when, relative to eating)

If you say:

Πάντα προσθέτω ελαιόλαδο και λεμόνι πριν τη φάμε στη σαλάτα.

it’s still understandable, but it can sound a bit more awkward and slightly ambiguous (does πριν τη φάμε modify “the salad” or the whole action?). Native speakers would strongly prefer the original order in this particular sentence.

Why is the tense προσθέτω (present) even though we’re describing a repeated habit?

In Greek, the present tense is naturally used for habits and general truths, just like the English “simple present”:

Πάντα προσθέτω… = I always add…
Τρώω συχνά ψάρι. = I often eat fish.
Μένω στην Αθήνα. = I live in Athens.

So προσθέτω here isn’t “right now I’m adding”; it expresses a habitual action: this is what I always do with the salad.