Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα.

My friend (male) wrote the recipe and sent it to me by message.

Breakdown of Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα.

• και: and
• μου: my
• ο φίλος: the male friend
• με: with
• μου: me
• στέλνω: to send
• το μήνυμα: the message
• γράφω: to write
• την: it
• η συνταγή: the recipe

Questions & Answers about Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα.

What is the role of each word in the sentence?

Breakdown:

• Ο – definite article, masculine singular nominative (the).
• φίλος – noun, masculine singular nominative (friend), subject of the verb.
• μου – weak (clitic) genitive pronoun, my, attached to φίλος → ο φίλος μου = my friend.
• έγραψε – verb, 3rd person singular, aorist active of γράφω (he wrote).
• τη – weak (clitic) definite article, feminine singular accusative (the), object marker.
• συνταγή – noun, feminine singular accusative (recipe), direct object of έγραψε.
• και – coordinating conjunction (and).
• μου – weak genitive pronoun, indirect object (to me / for me).
• την – weak accusative pronoun, feminine singular (it), referring back to τη συνταγή.
• έστειλε – verb, 3rd person singular, aorist active of στέλνω (he sent).
• με – preposition (with / by).
• μήνυμα – noun, neuter singular accusative (message).

So structurally:
Ο φίλος μου (subject) έγραψε τη συνταγή (verb + object) και (and) μου την έστειλε (sent it to me) με μήνυμα (by message).

Why do we have Ο φίλος and not just φίλος? Could I say Φίλος μου έγραψε...?

In Greek, the definite article is used much more often than in English, especially with people who are specific and known.

• Ο φίλος μου literally: the friend my, but means my friend.
• Saying just φίλος μου at the start of the sentence is possible, but it sounds less natural and usually needs context; it can sound like:
  • a friend of mine (not necessarily the usual/main friend), or
  • part of a looser, more colloquial structure.

In most neutral, standard sentences, when you mean a specific person (my friend, my sister, my teacher, etc.), you normally use:

• ο φίλος μου, η αδελφή μου, ο δάσκαλός μου, etc.

So Ο φίλος μου έγραψε... is the default natural way.

Why is μου after φίλος instead of before, like in English my friend?

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

• ο φίλος μου = my friend
• η μητέρα σου = your mother
• το βιβλίο του = his book

Putting them before (μου φίλος) is not normal modern Greek and would sound wrong.

Also note:

• These possessives are usually unstressed and clitic: you normally don’t pronounce them with strong stress unless you want to emphasize them strongly.
• If you want to emphasize whose friend, you could say:
  • Ο δικός μου φίλος έγραψε τη συνταγή... = My friend (as opposed to someone else’s) wrote the recipe...

What tense is έγραψε and how does it relate to the present tense?

Έγραψε is the aorist (simple past) of γράφω (to write):

• γράφω = I write / I am writing
• έγραψα = I wrote
• έγραψες = you wrote
• έγραψε = he/she/it wrote

In this sentence, έγραψε presents the action as a completed whole event:
He wrote the recipe (finished the writing).

Greek has two main past tenses in the indicative:

• Aorist (simple past): έγραψε – the action is seen as a single completed event.
• Imperfect (past continuous): έγραφε – he was writing / used to write (ongoing, repeated, or background).

Here, because he simply wrote it once (and we care about the fact it got done), the aorist έγραψε is correct.

Why is it τη συνταγή but την έστειλε? What’s the difference between τη and την?

Grammatically, τη and την here are the same form:

• Feminine, singular, accusative (object form)
• τη is the weak article (τη συνταγή = the recipe)
• την is the weak pronoun (την έστειλε = he sent it)

Spelling and pronunciation fact:

• Before consonants, in modern Greek the final -ν is often dropped in informal writing and speech:
  • την συνταγή → τη συνταγή
• Before vowels or certain consonants (π, τ, κ, μπ, ντ, γκ, ξ, ψ), the ν is often kept:
  • την έστειλε

So:

• τη συνταγή – article + noun
• την έστειλε – pronoun + verb

Same gender/number/case; different function (article vs pronoun) and different spelling choice due to the following sound.

What does την refer to in μου την έστειλε?

Την is a direct object pronoun (feminine, singular, accusative) that refers back to τη συνταγή.

So:

• έγραψε τη συνταγή – he wrote the recipe
• μου την έστειλε – he sent it to me

Because συνταγή is:

• feminine (η συνταγή),
• singular,
• and in this sentence it’s the direct object,

the pronoun must match: την (feminine, singular, accusative).

Why is the order μου την έστειλε and not την μου έστειλε or έστειλε μου την?

Greek clitic pronouns follow relatively strict order rules.

In μου την έστειλε:

• μου = indirect object (to me)
• την = direct object (it)
• έστειλε = verb (sent)

Standard order with two clitics before the verb is:

1. Indirect object pronoun (genitive: μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους)
2. Direct object pronoun (accusative: τον, την, το, τους, τις, τα)
3. Verb

So:

• μου την έστειλε = he sent it to me

Variations:

• την μου έστειλε is ungrammatical in standard modern Greek.
• έστειλε μου την συνταγή is only possible in some dialects / very colloquial speech; in standard modern Greek, clitics normally go before the simple verb (except in some special moods like imperatives, infinitive-like forms, etc.).

Why is μου used for to me? There is no preposition like σε here.

Greek often expresses indirect objects (to/for someone) with the genitive of weak pronouns, without a preposition:

• μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους

Examples:

• Μου έδωσε το βιβλίο. = He gave me the book / He gave the book to me.
• Της είπα την αλήθεια. = I told her the truth / I told the truth to her.
• Μου την έστειλε. = He sent it to me.

You can use the full form with a preposition for emphasis or contrast:

• Την έστειλε σε μένα. = He sent it to me (as opposed to someone else).

But in neutral, normal sentences, the clitic genitive without a preposition is the usual way to express to me / to you / to him, etc.

Why is the noun συνταγή not repeated in the second part? Could we say μου έστειλε τη συνταγή instead of μου την έστειλε?

Yes, you could absolutely say:

• Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου έστειλε τη συνταγή με μήνυμα.

But in natural Greek (as in English), once a noun has been mentioned, we usually replace it with a pronoun to avoid repetition:

• Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα.
  = My friend wrote the recipe and sent it to me in a message.

This:

• sounds more natural and less heavy,
• makes it clear we are still talking about the same συνταγή.

Using the noun again is possible, but usually only for emphasis, contrast, or when you want to avoid any possible ambiguity.

What does με μήνυμα literally mean, and why do we use με here?

Με μήνυμα literally means with a message, but in English we normally translate it as by message / in a message.

The preposition με can cover:

• with (using something as a means / instrument):
  
  • γράφω με μολύβι = I write with a pencil
• by (means of communication / transport):
  
  • στέλνω με μέιλ = I send by email
  • πήγα με το λεωφορείο = I went by bus

So μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα =
He sent it to me by message / in a message, with message as the means or medium of sending.

Are there other natural ways in Greek to say by message here?

Yes, several options, with slightly different levels of formality:

• με μήνυμα – very common, neutral:
  • μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα
• με ένα μήνυμα – adds the article, often slightly more specific:
  • μου την έστειλε με ένα μήνυμα
• μέσω μηνύματος – more formal/literal, like via a message:
  • μου την έστειλε μέσω μηνύματος
• If you mean specifically SMS / text:
  • με sms, με μήνυμα στο κινητό, με γραπτό μήνυμα

In everyday speech, με μήνυμα (as in the original sentence) is the most natural and general expression.

Can the position of με μήνυμα change? For example, can I say Ο φίλος μου, με μήνυμα, μου την έστειλε;

Word order in Greek is relatively flexible, especially for adverbials like με μήνυμα. You can move με μήνυμα to change rhythm or emphasis:

Some possible variants:

• Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα.
  (Neutral; end-position is very common for manner/means.)

• Ο φίλος μου έγραψε τη συνταγή και με μήνυμα μου την έστειλε.
  (Unusual emphasis on με μήνυμα; not the most natural here.)

• Ο φίλος μου, με μήνυμα, μου την έστειλε.
  (Prosodically marked, like: My friend – by message – sent it to me. Used for contrast or storytelling style.)

The original sentence’s order is the most neutral and natural: verb + objects, then the means at the end:
μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα.

Why is there no subject pronoun (like αυτός) before έγραψε or έστειλε?

Greek is a pro-drop language: the subject pronoun (I, you, he, etc.) is usually omitted because the verb ending already tells us the person and number.

• έγραψε → the -ε ending shows 3rd person singular (he/she/it).
• έστειλε → same.

Since we also have a clear subject Ο φίλος μου earlier in the sentence, we don’t need αυτός.

You would add αυτός only for emphasis or contrast:

• Αυτός έγραψε τη συνταγή και μου την έστειλε με μήνυμα, όχι κάποιος άλλος.
  = He wrote the recipe and sent it to me by message, not someone else.

In neutral statements, omitting the subject pronoun is normal and expected.