Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα.

My friend (female) is a volunteer in an organization for animals.

Breakdown of Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα.

• είμαι: to be
• η φίλη: the female friend
• μου: my
• για: for
• σε: in
• μία: one
• η εθελόντρια: the female volunteer
• η οργάνωση: the organization
• το ζώο: the animal

Questions & Answers about Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα.

What does the article Η in Η φίλη tell me?

Η is the definite article “the” in the feminine, singular, nominative form.

• It tells you that φίλη (“friend”) is:
  • feminine (a female friend),
  • singular (one person),
  • and is the subject of the sentence (nominative case).

Other forms for “the”:

• ο φίλος = the (male) friend (masculine nominative singular)
• το παιδί = the child (neuter nominative singular)

So Η φίλη literally means “the (female) friend”.

Why is it φίλη and not φίλος?

Greek has grammatical gender, and many nouns referring to people have distinct masculine and feminine forms.

• φίλος = (male) friend – masculine
• φίλη = (female) friend – feminine

Because the speaker is talking about a female friend, they use the feminine form φίλη. The article agrees with it: η φίλη (not ο φίλος).

Why does μου (“my”) come after φίλη instead of before, like in English “my friend”?

In Greek, the unstressed possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) normally come after the noun:

• η φίλη μου = my friend
• το σπίτι μου = my house
• το βιβλίο σου = your book

So the natural Greek order is noun + possessive, not possessive + noun as in English.
Η φίλη μου literally is “the friend my,” but it means “my friend.”

Do I always need the article with a possessive, like in η φίλη μου?

Almost always, yes. In Greek, when you say “my X / your X / his X” with these short possessive pronouns, you normally use:

article + noun + possessive

Examples:

• η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
• ο αδερφός σου = your brother
• το αυτοκίνητό του = his car

Leaving out the article (φίλη μου, αδερφός σου) is possible but sounds either:

• poetic/literary, or
• a bit unusual or very colloquial in many contexts.

So η φίλη μου is the standard, neutral form.

What form of the verb is είναι, and does it change with the subject?

είναι is the 3rd person singular (and also 3rd person plural) of the verb είμαι = “to be” in the present tense.

Some forms of είμαι:

• (εγώ) είμαι = I am
• (εσύ) είσαι = you are (singular)
• (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) είναι = he/she/it is
• (εμείς) είμαστε = we are
• (εσείς) είστε = you are (plural/polite)
• (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) είναι = they are

In this sentence, είναι agrees with η φίλη μου (“my friend”), so it means “(she) is.”

Why is there no article before εθελόντρια? Why not είναι μια εθελόντρια?

When you say someone’s profession, role, or status with είμαι (“to be”), Greek often drops the article, especially in a neutral, factual statement:

• Είναι εθελόντρια. = She is a volunteer.
• Είναι γιατρός. = He/She is a doctor.
• Είναι δάσκαλος. = He is a teacher.

You can say είναι μια εθελόντρια, but that slightly emphasizes “one (of the) volunteers” or makes it sound a bit more specific or descriptive:

• Είναι μια εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση… = She is a volunteer (one volunteer) in an organization...

The version without the article feels more like a simple statement of her role.

What is the difference between εθελόντρια and εθελοντής?

They are the feminine and masculine forms of “volunteer.”

• εθελοντής = male volunteer (masculine)
• εθελόντρια = female volunteer (feminine)

In your sentence, η φίλη μου is a woman, so the feminine form εθελόντρια is used, and the verb remains the same:

• Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια…
• Ο φίλος μου είναι εθελοντής…

What does σε mean here in σε μια οργάνωση, and why this preposition?

σε is a very common preposition that can mean “in, at, to, into” depending on context.
Here, σε μια οργάνωση means “in/at an organization.”

• είμαι σε μια οργάνωση = I am in/with an organization
• δουλεύω σε μια εταιρεία = I work at a company

Grammatically, σε is followed by the accusative case, so οργάνωση appears in the accusative:

• nominative: η οργάνωση
• accusative: (σε) μια οργάνωση

Spoken Greek often contracts σε + το / τον / την, but here σε + μια stays as two words, so there’s no contraction.

Why is it μια οργάνωση and not ένας οργανισμός? Are οργάνωση and οργανισμός the same?

Both can translate as “organization”, but there is a nuance:

• οργάνωση (feminine)

  • Often used for groups, associations, NGOs, especially in everyday speech.
  • Here it fits very well for something like an animal welfare organization.

• οργανισμός (masculine)

  • Can sound a bit more formal or institutional: a big body, authority, or agency (e.g., Δημόσιος Οργανισμός = public organization).
  • Still can mean “organization,” but has a slightly different flavor.

So μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα naturally suggests a group/NGO for animals.

Why is it μια and not έναν or ένα?

μια is the feminine singular accusative form of the indefinite article “a/an.”

The indefinite article has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• masculine: ένας (nom.), έναν (acc.)
• feminine: μία / μια (nom. & acc.)
• neuter: ένα (nom. & acc.)

Since οργάνωση is:

• feminine,
• singular,
• and here in the accusative (after σε),

you must use μια:

• σε μια οργάνωση = in/at an organization

What does για τα ζώα literally mean, and why is τα there?

για τα ζώα literally means “for the animals.”

• για = for
• τα = the (neuter plural article, accusative)
• ζώα = animals (neuter plural, accusative)

Greek commonly uses the definite article even when English would use no article and just say “for animals.”
So:

• μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα ≈ “an organization for animals (for the animals)” in general.

You wouldn’t normally say για ζώα here; it would sound incomplete or wrong in this context.

Why are ζώα and τα in the plural, not singular?

The speaker is talking about animals in general, not just one animal.

In Greek, using the plural with the article is a natural way to express a general category:

• αγαπώ τα ζώα = I love animals (animals in general)
• μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα = an organization for (all) animals

So τα ζώα = “the animals” but conceptually “animals in general.”

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but not everything sounds equally natural.

Your sentence:

• Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα.

Other possibilities:

• Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα. (neutral, standard)
• Η φίλη μου είναι σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα εθελόντρια. (possible, but sounds a bit marked/less natural)
• Εθελόντρια είναι η φίλη μου σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα. (emphasizes “volunteer”)

The original word order is the most natural and neutral for everyday speech.

How is the whole sentence pronounced, and where is the stress?

Sentence: Η φίλη μου είναι εθελόντρια σε μια οργάνωση για τα ζώα.

Stressed syllables in bold caps (rough guide):

• Η ΦΙ-λη μου ΕΙ-ναι ε-θε-ΛΟΝ-τρια σε μια ορ-ΓΑ-νω-ση για τα ΖΩ-α.

A simple phonetic transcription (not strict IPA):

• i FEE-li mu EE-ne ethe-LON-tria se mja or-GA-no-si ya ta ZO-a

Notes:

• Η, ι, υ, οι, ει are all pronounced roughly like English “ee”.
• γ before α, ο, ου is a soft g/voiced fricative (like a softer “gh”): οργάνωση ≈ or-GHA-no-si.
• για is pronounced like “ya”.
• μια is often pronounced [mja], almost like “mya.”