Learn Hardcore Greek: Στη συνάντηση πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα. - In the meeting you must speak clearly and calmly.

The full form is στην (σε + την).
In modern spelling, the final ν is usually dropped before words that start with certain consonants (like σ).
Since συνάντηση starts with σ, we normally write στη συνάντηση, not στην συνάντηση.

So:

Στην Αθήνα (because Αθήνα starts with a vowel)
Στη συνάντηση (because συνάντηση starts with σ)

Why is συνάντηση in that form, and what gender/case is it?

συνάντηση (meeting) is:

Gender: feminine
Number: singular
Case: accusative

In modern Greek, the preposition σε always takes the accusative case. So whenever you say σε + [noun], that noun will be in accusative.

Examples:

σε τη συνάντηση → στη συνάντηση (at the meeting)
σε τον γιατρό → στον γιατρό (to the doctor, masculine accusative)
σε το σπίτι → στο σπίτι (to the house, neuter accusative)

So συνάντηση is in the accusative simply because it follows σε (inside the contraction στη).

What does πρέπει να mean exactly? Is it “must”, “have to”, or “should”?

πρέπει is an impersonal verb meaning it is necessary.

πρέπει να + verb usually translates as:

must,
have to, or
should (depending on how strong you want it to sound in English).

In this sentence:

Πρέπει να μιλάς… ≈ You must / have to / should speak…

Greek itself doesn’t clearly separate “must” vs “should” the way English does; context and tone make it sound stronger or softer:

Strong obligation: often translated as must / have to
Mild advice: often translated as should

So the sentence can reasonably be understood as either:

“At the meeting, you must speak clearly and calmly.”
or
“At the meeting, you should speak clearly and calmly.”

Why is there no separate word for “you” in the Greek sentence?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (like εγώ = I, εσύ = you) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

The verb μιλάς has the ending -ς, which indicates:

person: 2nd
number: singular

So μιλάς clearly means you speak / you are speaking, and you generally don’t need to add εσύ.

You could say Εσύ πρέπει να μιλάς… to emphasize “you (in particular)”, but the neutral, normal form is without the pronoun:

Πρέπει να μιλάς… = You must speak…

Why is the verb μιλάς (present tense) used, and not something like a future tense?

In Greek, after πρέπει να, we use the subjunctive form of the verb. For many verbs, including μιλάω / μιλώ, the present subjunctive looks the same as the simple present:

I speak: μιλάω / μιλώ
You speak: μιλάς
Present subjunctive (after να) for 2nd singular: also να μιλάς

Even though the form looks “present”, it often refers to:

general rules,
habits, or
future situations.

So πρέπει να μιλάς here means you must (whenever you are there) speak clearly and calmly during the meeting — it’s a general instruction about behavior, not about what you are doing right now.

Why is it να μιλάς and not να μιλήσεις? What’s the difference?

This is a difference in aspect (how the action is viewed):

να μιλάς → imperfective aspect: the action is ongoing, repeated, or general (how you speak during the whole meeting).
να μιλήσεις → aorist aspect: the action is seen as a single, complete event (speak once / at some point).

In this sentence, the idea is:

“During the meeting, your way of speaking should be clear and calm (all the time).”

So we use the imperfective:

πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα.

If we said:

Στη συνάντηση πρέπει να μιλήσεις ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα.

it would sound more like:

“At the meeting you must (at least at some key moment) speak clearly and calmly,”

focusing on one act of speaking rather than your general manner throughout.

Can we say πρέπει να μιλάτε instead? What’s the difference between μιλάς and μιλάτε?

Yes, you can say πρέπει να μιλάτε; the difference is:

μιλάς = 2nd person singular (talking to one person, informally “you”)
μιλάτε = 2nd person plural, used:
- for more than one person (“you all”), or
- as polite / formal you to one person.

So:

Στη συνάντηση πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα.
→ Addressing one person, informally.
Στη συνάντηση πρέπει να μιλάτε ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα.
→ Addressing several people, or being polite to one person (like a client, a stranger, a professor).

Are ξεκάθαρα and ήρεμα adjectives or adverbs, and why do they end in -α?

In this sentence, ξεκάθαρα and ήρεμα function as adverbs of manner (they describe how you speak):

μιλάς ξεκάθαρα = you speak clearly
μιλάς ήρεμα = you speak calmly

Many Greek adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives by using a neuter (often plural‑looking) -α ending:

ξεκάθαρος (clear) → ξεκάθαρα (clearly)
ήρεμος (calm) → ήρεμα (calmly)
γρήγορος (fast) → γρήγορα (quickly)
ήσυχος (quiet) → ήσυχα (quietly)

So ξεκάθαρα and ήρεμα here do not agree with any noun; they modify the verb μιλάς, just like English adverbs.

Could we change the word order, for example: Πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα στη συνάντηση? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is also correct:

Στη συνάντηση πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα.
Πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα στη συνάντηση.

Both are natural. The difference is mostly about emphasis:

Starting with Στη συνάντηση highlights the context: “At the meeting, you must speak clearly and calmly.”
Ending with στη συνάντηση slightly emphasizes the manner first and then adds “in the meeting” as a final frame.

Greek word order is quite flexible; as long as the sentence is not too long or ambiguous, both orders sound fine.

Is there a nuance difference between ξεκάθαρα and another word like καθαρά?

Both relate to clarity, but there is a nuance:

καθαρά literally means cleanly / purely and by extension clearly (in a physical or more neutral sense, e.g. a sound, handwriting, or pronunciation).
ξεκάθαρα comes from ξεκάθαρος, which has the idea of unambiguous, explicit, easy to understand.

In the context of speech at a meeting:

μιλάς ξεκάθαρα suggests:
- you express your points in an unambiguous, well‑structured way; your meaning is clear.
μιλάς καθαρά might lean a bit more toward:
- clear pronunciation / articulation (though it can also mean “clearly” in general).

Both can be used, but ξεκάθαρα is very natural when talking about making your message clear in a discussion or meeting.

How do you pronounce συνάντηση, μιλάς, ξεκάθαρα, and ήρεμα?

Approximate pronunciation (stress is on the syllable with the accent):

συνάντηση → see‑NÁN‑dee‑see
- σύ‑ναν‑τη‑ση → si‑NÁN‑ti‑si
μιλάς → mee‑LÁS
- mi‑LÁS
ξεκάθαρα → kse‑KÁ‑tha‑ra
- x represents the ks sound
ήρεμα → Í‑re‑ma
- Í‑re‑ma (like EE‑reh‑ma)

So the rhythm of the whole sentence is:

Στη συνάντηση πρέπει να μιλάς ξεκάθαρα και ήρεμα.
→ stee see‑NÁN‑dee‑see PRÉ‑pe na mee‑LÁS kse‑KÁ‑tha‑ra ke Í‑re‑ma.