Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου στην Ελλάδα.

I inform my parents about my trip to Greece.

Breakdown of Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου στην Ελλάδα.

• μου: my
• σε: to
• για: about
• το ταξίδι: the trip
• η Ελλάδα: Greece
• ο γονιός: the parent
• ενημερώνω: to inform

Questions & Answers about Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου στην Ελλάδα.

Why is it ενημερώνω and not something like πληροφορώ or just λέω? What nuance does ενημερώνω have?

All three verbs can be translated as “tell / inform,” but they’re not used in the same way.

• ενημερώνω = to inform, to update (someone), usually about news, plans, changes, or practical information.

  • It often implies giving someone the necessary or latest information.
  • In many contexts it feels a bit more “proper” or neutral/formal than just “tell.”

• πληροφορώ = to inform (formally), often more official, bureaucratic, or written.

  • You’re more likely to see it in announcements, official letters, etc.

• λέω = to say / to tell, very general and everyday.

  • It doesn’t specifically mean “to inform” in the sense of “update with information.”

So Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου is very natural for: > I inform / I update my parents about my trip.

If you said Λέω στους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου, it would sound more like: > I tell my parents about my trip.

Still correct, just less focused on the idea of “updating/informing” and more on the act of telling.

Why is it τους γονείς μου and not οι γονείς μου?

Because in this sentence οι γονείς μου are not the subject; they are the object of the verb.

• Subject (who is doing the action):
  • Εγώ (I) – implied by the verb ενημερώνω (1st person singular).
• Direct object (who receives the action):
  • τους γονείς μου (my parents).

In Greek:

• οι γονείς μου = my parents as a subject (nominative case, article οι).
  • Example: Οι γονείς μου ταξιδεύουν. – My parents are traveling.
• τους γονείς μου = my parents as a direct object (accusative case, article τους).
  • Example: Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου. – I inform my parents.

So the article changes form (from οι to τους) to mark the change from subject to object.

Why is γονείς treated as masculine (τους γονείς) if it means “parents” (both male and female)?

Greek has a grammatical category called “common gender” for some nouns that refer to people and can be either male or female, but grammatically they follow one gender’s patterns.

γονέας / γονείς (parent / parents) is grammatically masculine, even though in meaning it includes both mothers and fathers. That’s why:

• Singular:
  • ο γονέας – the parent
  • τον γονέα – (I see) the parent
• Plural:
  • οι γονείς – the parents
  • τους γονείς – (I inform) the parents

So τους γονείς μου is correct because the noun follows masculine plural forms, even though it refers to both parents.

Why does the possessive μου come after the noun (γονείς μου, ταξίδι μου) instead of before it like in English (“my parents”, “my trip”)?

In Greek, weak possessive pronouns such as μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους normally come after the noun they modify:

• οι γονείς μου – my parents
• το ταξίδι μου – my trip
• το σπίτι μας – our house

So the usual order is:

(article) + noun + possessive pronoun

This is just the standard Greek structure. You can put a strong possessive pronoun before the noun (e.g. ο δικός μου πατέρας = my own father), but that is used for emphasis or contrast. The neutral, everyday way is γονείς μου, ταξίδι μου.

Why is μου repeated twice? Can you say it only once, like “my parents about the trip to Greece” without “my” again?

In Greek, each noun that is possessed normally gets its own possessive pronoun:

• τους γονείς μου – my parents
• το ταξίδι μου – my trip

So:

Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου
I inform my parents about my trip.

If you drop one μου, the meaning changes:

• Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι στην Ελλάδα.
  • Literally: I inform my parents about the trip to Greece (not clearly “my” trip anymore).

You can sometimes omit a possessive when the context makes it obvious, but by default, Greek tends to keep the possessive on each noun whose owner you want to specify.

Why does Greek use το ταξίδι μου (with το) even though English just says “my trip”, without “the”?

Greek almost always uses the definite article together with a possessive pronoun:

• το βιβλίο μου – my book
• η δουλειά σου – your job
• οι φίλοι του – his friends

So in το ταξίδι μου:

• το = the
• ταξίδι = trip
• μου = my

Literally: the trip my – but it just means my trip.

Unlike English, Greek doesn’t usually drop the article in this structure. Using ταξίδι μου without το is possible in some very specific or poetic contexts, but the neutral, standard form is το ταξίδι μου.

What does για mean here? Does για always mean “for”, or can it also mean “about”?

The preposition για is flexible. It often means:

• for
• about
• because of / on account of

In this sentence:

Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου

για is best translated as about:

• I inform my parents *about my trip.*

Common patterns:

• μιλάω για κάτι – I talk about something
• διαμαρτύρομαι για κάτι – I complain about something
• αγοράζω κάτι για σένα – I buy something for you

So yes, για can mean about, and here that’s exactly its function.

Why is it στην Ελλάδα and not σε την Ελλάδα? What’s happening there?

στην is a contraction of σε + την:

• σε = in / at / to
• την = the (feminine accusative singular)

Ελλάδα is feminine, so:

• σε + την Ελλάδα → στην Ελλάδα

This kind of contraction is very common and standard in Greek:

• σε + την πόλη → στην πόλη – in/to the city
• σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι – in/to the house
• σε + τους φίλους → στους φίλους – to the friends

So στην Ελλάδα simply means to/in Greece (depending on context; here it’s “to Greece” because it’s about a trip).

Is στην Ελλάδα “to Greece” or “in Greece”? How do I know which one Greek means?

The preposition σε (and its contractions like στην, στο, στους) covers both:

• “in / at” (location)
• “to” (movement/direction)

You understand which one is meant from the verb and the overall context:

• Μένω στην Ελλάδα. – I live in Greece. (location)
• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα. – I am going to Greece. (direction)
• Το ταξίδι μου στην Ελλάδα. – my trip to Greece. (a trip normally implies movement towards)

So here, because we’re talking about a trip (ταξίδι), the natural English translation is to Greece.

Could the word order be different, like Ενημερώνω για το ταξίδι μου τους γονείς μου στην Ελλάδα?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but not every permutation sounds natural or clear.

The original:

Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου στην Ελλάδα.

has a very clear structure:

• Ενημερώνω – I inform
• τους γονείς μου – my parents (who I inform)
• για το ταξίδι μου – about my trip
• στην Ελλάδα – to Greece

If you say:

Ενημερώνω για το ταξίδι μου τους γονείς μου στην Ελλάδα.

it starts to sound confusing, because:

• στην Ελλάδα could be read as modifying τους γονείς μου (my parents in Greece) rather than το ταξίδι μου (my trip to Greece).

So while you can move some parts for emphasis (e.g. Τους γονείς μου ενημερώνω… for emphasis on “my parents”), the original word order is the most natural and unambiguous here.

What tense is ενημερώνω here, and does it mean “I inform” (habitually) or “I am informing” (right now)?

Ενημερώνω is:

• Present tense
• Active voice
• 1st person singular of ενημερώνω

Greek present tense usually covers both:

• simple present: I inform / I (usually) inform
• present continuous: I am informing / I am currently informing

The exact English translation depends on context, which we don’t fully see here. It can mean:

• Habit / general fact:
  • Ενημερώνω τους γονείς μου για το ταξίδι μου στην Ελλάδα.
  • I inform / I keep my parents informed about my trip to Greece.
• Action happening now (if supported by context):
  • I am informing my parents about my trip to Greece (right now).

Greek doesn’t make a strict formal distinction like English does between “I inform” and “I am informing” in the present; the same form ενημερώνω can express both.