Η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν και όλα θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση.

Breakdown of Η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν και όλα θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση.

είμαι
to be
και
and
θα
will
δωρεάν
free
όλα
everything
από
by
η οργάνωση
the organization
η εκδρομή
the excursion
ετοιμάζομαι
to be prepared
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Questions & Answers about Η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν και όλα θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση.

What does Η εκδρομή mean, and why is the article η?

Η εκδρομή means “the excursion / the day trip.”

  • εκδρομή is a feminine noun in Greek.
  • The feminine singular definite article in the nominative case is η, so we say η εκδρομή.

If you wanted to say “a trip”, you would say μια εκδρομή (indefinite article).

How is θα είναι formed, and what tense does it express?

θα είναι is the future of είμαι (to be).

  • είναι = (he/she/it) is or (they) are, depending on context.
  • θα is the particle that marks the future.
  • θα + είναι = “will be.”

So Η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν = “The excursion will be free.”

Is δωρεάν an adjective or an adverb? Why doesn’t it change form?

δωρεάν is an indeclinable word meaning “free (of charge)”.

  • It does not change for gender, number or case.
  • It’s used predicatively after verbs like είμαι (to be) or κοστίζω (to cost):
    • Η εκδρομή είναι δωρεάν.The excursion is free.
    • Η είσοδος είναι δωρεάν.The entrance is free.

Colloquially, you might also hear τζάμπα for “free (for nothing / very cheap),” but δωρεάν is more neutral and standard.

Could I say Η εκδρομή είναι δωρεάν instead of Η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly.

  • Η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν focuses clearly on the future: a trip that will take place and will be free.
  • Η εκδρομή είναι δωρεάν can be:
    • A general statement (e.g. in a brochure describing it), or
    • A present-time statement about a future event that is already arranged, similar to English: “The trip is free.”

In practical everyday Greek, for a clearly future event, θα είναι δωρεάν is very natural.

What does όλα mean here, and why is it neuter plural?

όλα here means “everything / all (things)”.

  • It’s the neuter plural form of the word όλος (all, whole) used as a pronoun.
  • You can think of it as short for όλα τα πράγματα“all the things.”

Because όλα is neuter plural, the verb that follows (θα ετοιμαστούν) is also in 3rd person plural to agree with it.

What exactly is θα ετοιμαστούν? It doesn’t look like a simple future form to me.

θα ετοιμαστούν is the simple future passive form of the verb ετοιμάζω (to prepare).

  • Active: ετοιμάζωI prepare
  • Middle / passive: ετοιμάζομαιI get prepared / am prepared
  • Simple future passive (3rd person plural): θα ετοιμαστούνthey will be prepared

Grammatically, it’s formed with:

  • θα
    • the aorist passive stem (ετοιμαστ-) + plural ending (-ούν).

So Όλα θα ετοιμαστούν = “Everything will be prepared.”

Why is the passive voice (θα ετοιμαστούν) used instead of an active form like θα ετοιμάσει η οργάνωση?

The author wants to focus on what happens to “everything”, not on who does the preparing.

  • Passive: Όλα θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση.
    • Focus: Everything will be prepared (by the organization).
  • Active: Η οργάνωση θα ετοιμάσει τα πάντα.
    • Focus: The organization will prepare everything.

Both are correct; the choice is about emphasis and style. Greek, like English, often uses the passive when the result or the things affected are more important than the agent.

Why do we use από in από την οργάνωση to mean “by the organization”?

In Greek, the usual way to express the agent in a passive construction is:

  • από + definite article + noun

So:

  • θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση
    = “they will be prepared by the organization.”

This is parallel to English “by” after a passive, but in Greek we normally use από.

Why is it την οργάνωση and not η οργάνωση after από?

Because after the preposition από, the noun must be in the accusative case.

  • Nominative (subject form): η οργάνωσηthe organization
  • Accusative (object form): την οργάνωσηthe organization (as object of a verb or preposition)

So:

  • Η οργάνωση ετοιμάζει τα πάντα.The organization prepares everything.
  • Όλα ετοιμάζονται από την οργάνωση.Everything is prepared by the organization.
What does οργάνωση mean here? Is it like English “organization”?

Yes, οργάνωση here means an organization / association / group that is responsible for the trip.

The word οργάνωση can mean:

  1. An organized group or bodyan organization:
    • Μια μη κυβερνητική οργάνωσηa non-governmental organization (NGO)
  2. The act or process of organizingorganization / arranging:
    • Η οργάνωση της εκδρομής ήταν δύσκολη.The organization of the trip was difficult.

In your sentence, the meaning is clearly the group that organizes the trip.

How flexible is the word order? Could I say Όλα θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση και η εκδρομή θα είναι δωρεάν or Από την οργάνωση θα ετοιμαστούν όλα?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, mainly because the cases (η / την οργάνωση etc.) show the role of each word.

All of these are grammatical:

  • Όλα θα ετοιμαστούν από την οργάνωση.
  • Από την οργάνωση θα ετοιμαστούν όλα.
  • Θα ετοιμαστούν όλα από την οργάνωση.

The differences are mostly in emphasis:

  • Starting with Όλα emphasizes “everything.”
  • Starting with Από την οργάνωση emphasizes “by the organization.”

The original sentence has a very natural, neutral word order.

How do you pronounce the harder words: εκδρομή, δωρεάν, ετοιμαστούν, οργάνωση?

Here’s an approximate English-style pronunciation (stressed syllable in CAPS):

  • εκδρομήek-dro-MEE
  • δωρεάνtho-re-AN
    • δ is like th in “this” (voiced).
  • ετοιμαστούνe-tee-mas-TOON
  • οργάνωσηor-GA-no-see

In all of them, the written accent (´) marks the stressed syllable, which is important in Greek.

Could I use something else instead of δωρεάν, like χωρίς χρέωση or τζάμπα?

Yes, you have a few options with slightly different tones:

  • χωρίς χρέωση = “without charge”, more neutral / formal:
    • Η εκδρομή θα είναι χωρίς χρέωση.
  • δωρεάν = standard “free (of charge)”
  • τζάμπα = colloquial / informal “for free / very cheap”:
    • Η εκδρομή θα είναι τζάμπα. (very informal)

In a neutral, informational sentence like yours, δωρεάν is the safest and most standard choice.