Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο στην πόλη μου.

Breakdown of Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο στην πόλη μου.

δεν
not
μου
my
σε
in
η πόλη
the city
τόσο
so much
κάνει κρύο
to be cold
τον Μάρτιο
in March
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Questions & Answers about Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο στην πόλη μου.

Why is it Τον Μάρτιο and not Ο Μάρτιος when the meaning is in March?

Greek often uses the accusative case to express time when something happens (the so‑called accusative of time).

  • Τον Μάρτιο = in March / during March
  • Τη Δευτέρα = on Monday
  • Κάθε βράδυ = every night

So:

  • Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο…
    literally: March (accusative) it-is-not-so-cold…In March it isn’t so cold…

If you said Ο Μάρτιος δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο…, it would sound like March (as a person/subject) doesn’t make such cold, which is not how Greek expresses dates or weather.

Why do we use the article τον with the month (Τον Μάρτιο)?

In Greek, months and days of the week very often take the definite article in normal speech when you talk about time:

  • Τον Ιούνιο πάμε διακοπές.We go on holiday in June.
  • Τη Δευτέρα δουλεύω.I work on Monday.

The article here doesn’t mean the March in a literal way; it’s just part of the normal pattern for time expressions in Greek.

You might see the month without an article:

  • on calendars: Μάρτιος 2026
  • in headings, labels, etc.

But in a full sentence like this, Τον Μάρτιο is the natural choice.

Could we drop the article and just say Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο…?

You can sometimes hear the article dropped in fast or informal speech, but:

  • Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο… sounds normal and complete.
  • Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο… can sound elliptical or slightly telegraphic, as if you left something out.

Learners should keep the article here: Τον Μάρτιο is the standard form.

What is the difference between Μάρτιος and Μάρτης / Μάρτη? Could I say Τον Μάρτηο?

There are two common sets of month names:

  1. Standard / more formal

    • ο Μάρτιος (nom.) → τον Μάρτιο (acc.)
  2. Colloquial / everyday

    • ο Μάρτης (nom.) → τον Μάρτη (acc.)

So you can say:

  • Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο… (standard)
  • Τον Μάρτη δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο… (more colloquial)

But you cannot mix them:
Τον Μάρτηο is wrong. You must choose Μάρτιο or Μάρτη, not a hybrid.

What does κάνει mean here in δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο? Isn’t κάνω “to do / to make”?

Literally, κάνω means do, make, but in weather expressions it works impersonally, like English “it is …”:

  • Κάνει κρύο.It is cold.
  • Κάνει ζέστη.It is hot/warm.
  • Κάνει αέρα.It is windy.

So δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο = it isn’t so cold, not it doesn’t make so much cold in normal English.

This impersonal use of κάνει is extremely common for talking about the weather.

Could I say δεν είναι τόσο κρύο or δεν έχει τόσο κρύο instead of δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο?

Yes, but there are differences:

  • Δεν κάνει κρύο. – very common, neutral: It isn’t cold (the weather isn’t cold).
  • Δεν έχει κρύο. – equally common, also neutral: literally it doesn’t have cold, meaning it’s not cold (out).
  • Δεν είναι τόσο κρύο.
    • For weather, it’s possible but less idiomatic alone.
    • More often, είναι κρύο describes a specific thing:
      • Το νερό είναι κρύο.The water is cold.
      • Το σπίτι δεν είναι τόσο κρύο.The house isn’t that cold.

So for general weather in your sentence, δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο (or δεν έχει τόσο κρύο) is better than δεν είναι τόσο κρύο.

Why is the negation δεν placed before κάνει?

In Greek, the standard negation word for ordinary (indicative) verbs is δεν, and it always goes immediately before the verb:

  • Δεν κάνει κρύο.It isn’t cold.
  • Δεν δουλεύω σήμερα.I’m not working today.
  • Δεν μένει εδώ.He/She doesn’t live here.

So:

  • δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο
  • κάνει δεν τόσο κρύο (incorrect word order)

(You might also see δε in writing or speech when the ν drops before certain consonants, but officially it is δεν.)

What exactly does τόσο mean in τόσο κρύο, and how is it different from πολύ κρύο?

Τόσο means “so (much), that much”, often implying a comparison or reference:

  • δεν κάνει τόσο κρύοit isn’t so cold / it’s not that cold
    → implies less cold than expected / than somewhere else / than another time.

Πολύ means “very / a lot (of)”:

  • δεν κάνει πολύ κρύοit isn’t very cold (just describing the degree, no built-in comparison)

Nuance:

  • Δεν κάνει πολύ κρύο. – Simply: the cold is not strong.
  • Δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο. – Implies: compared to something (e.g. winter, another city), it’s not that cold.

You can combine them:

  • Δεν κάνει τόσο πολύ κρύο.It isn’t that very cold. (stronger/more emphatic, but not needed in your sentence.)
Where is the subject “it” in this sentence? Why is there no word for “it” in Greek?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (I, you, he, it, etc.) are usually omitted because the verb form and context make the subject clear.

For impersonal statements like weather, Greek simply has no explicit subject:

  • Κάνει κρύο. – literally just makes coldIt is cold.
  • Βρέχει.It’s raining.
  • Χιονίζει.It’s snowing.

So in Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο, English needs the dummy subject “it”, but Greek doesn’t; the verb κάνει stands on its own.

Why is it στην πόλη μου and not σε την πόλη μου?

Σε (in, at, on, to) contracts with the definite article:

  • σε + τηνστην
  • σε + τηστη
  • σε + τοστο
  • σε + τουςστους
  • σε + τιςστις
  • σε + ταστα

Since πόλη is feminine and here in the accusative την πόλη, we get:

  • σε την πόληστην πόλη

So στην πόλη μου = in my city.

Is πόλη feminine? How do we know, and how does that affect the phrase στην πόλη μου?

Yes, πόλη (city, town) is feminine:

  • Nominative: η πόληthe city
  • Accusative: την πόληthe city (object / after prepositions)

In στην πόλη μου:

  • στην = σε + την (preposition + feminine accusative article)
  • πόλη = feminine noun
  • μου = my (unstressed possessive pronoun)

So στην πόλη μου literally is in the city of‑mein my city.
The femininity of πόλη is what forces την (and thus στην) instead of τον / στο, etc.

Why does μου (my) come after πόλη instead of before, like in English?

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

  • η πόλη μουmy city
  • το σπίτι σουyour house
  • το αυτοκίνητό μαςour car

So:

  • στην πόλη μουin my city

If you want to emphasize the possessor (my city, not someone else’s), you can use stressed forms before the noun:

  • η δική μου πόληmy own city / my city (as opposed to others’)

But by default, the possessor follows the noun.

Can the word order of the whole sentence change? For example, is Στην πόλη μου τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο also correct?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible, and you can move phrases around for emphasis without changing the basic meaning.

All of these are grammatical:

  • Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο στην πόλη μου.
    → neutral: focuses on March / that time first.

  • Στην πόλη μου τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο.
    → starts with in my city; mild emphasis on the place.

  • Δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο στην πόλη μου τον Μάρτιο.
    → first comes the negation + verb; feels like a general statement you then specify.

The most natural in isolation is probably the original, but all three can be used depending on what you want to highlight (time, place, or the fact that it’s not so cold).

How is Τον Μάρτιο δεν κάνει τόσο κρύο στην πόλη μου pronounced, especially the ν in τον and the ιο in Μάρτιο?

Approximate pronunciation (stressed syllables in caps):

  • Τον → /ton/
    • The final ν is clearly pronounced because the next word starts with μ (a consonant that keeps the ν strong).
  • ΜάρτιοΜΆΡ‑τι‑ο → /ˈmar.ti.o/
    • Three syllables: Μάρ‑τι‑ο, not Μάρ‑τσο.
  • Full sentence:
    • Τον ΜΆΡ‑τι‑ο δεν ΚΆ‑νει ΤΌ‑σο ΚΡÍ‑ο στην ΠΌ‑λη μου.

Rhythmically, Greeks often group it as:

  • Τον ΜΆρτιο | δεν ΚΆνει | ΤΌσο ΚΡÍο | στην ΠΌλη μου.

The written accent marks (Μάρτιο, κάνει, τόσο, πόλη) show where the stress goes.