Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.

My friend always writes comments under my photos.

Breakdown of Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.

• η φίλη: the female friend
• μου: my
• πάντα: always
• κάτω από: under
• γράφω: to write
• η φωτογραφία: the photo
• το σχόλιο: the comment

Questions & Answers about Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.

What does Η φίλη μου literally mean, and why is μου placed after φίλη instead of before it like in English?

Η φίλη μου literally means the friend my, but in natural English it is my (female) friend.

In Greek, possessive pronouns like μου (my), σου (your), του/της (his/her) usually come after the noun, not before it. The normal pattern is:

• article + noun + possessive
  • η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
  • ο αδερφός σου = your brother
  • το σπίτι του = his house

Putting μου before the noun (μου φίλη) is not correct in this kind of sentence. (You only see something like φίλη μου without the article for direct address, like calling someone: Φίλη μου, έλα εδώ = My friend, come here.)

So Η φίλη μου is the standard way to say my friend (female).

Why do we use the article Η in Η φίλη μου? In English we just say my friend, not the my friend.

Greek uses the definite article η/ο/το much more often than English, including with family members and close people.

The common pattern for possessions is:

• η/ο/το + noun + μου / σου / του ...
  • η φίλη μου = my friend (female)
  • ο πατέρας μου = my father
  • η μητέρα σου = your mother

So η φίλη μου is the normal, neutral way to say my friend in Greek.

Without the article, φίλη μου usually sounds like you are addressing the person directly (like saying my friend! to them), not just talking about them in a sentence.

What is the difference between φίλη and φίλος?

Both words mean friend, but they show gender:

• φίλη = female friend (feminine noun)
  • η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
• φίλος = male friend (masculine noun)
  • ο φίλος μου = my (male) friend

So in the sentence Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια..., we know the friend is female.

What exactly does γράφει mean here? Is it writes or is writing?

The verb γράφει is:

• 3rd person singular of γράφω (to write)
• Present tense: he/she/it writes or he/she/it is writing

In Greek, the same present tense form is used for:

• habitual actions (something that happens regularly):
  • Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια...
    = My friend always writes comments…
• an action happening right now (depending on context):
  • Η φίλη μου γράφει σχόλια τώρα.
    = My friend is writing comments now.

So γράφει can correspond to both English writes and is writing; the context tells you which is meant. Here, because of πάντα (always), it clearly describes a habit.

Why is πάντα after γράφει? Could we also say Η φίλη μου πάντα γράφει σχόλια...?

Yes, both word orders are possible:

• Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια...
• Η φίλη μου πάντα γράφει σχόλια...

They are both grammatical and both mean My friend always writes comments…, but there is a slight difference in emphasis:

• γράφει πάντα
  – a bit more neutral; the adverb πάντα is closely tied to the verb γράφει.
• πάντα γράφει
  – puts a little more emphasis on always. It can sound slightly more expressive, like:
  She always writes comments (she never forgets).

In general, adverbs like πάντα (always), συχνά (often), ποτέ (never) can appear:

• after the verb: γράφει πάντα
• before the verb: πάντα γράφει

Both positions are common.

What form is σχόλια, and why is there no article before it?

σχόλια is:

• the neuter plural form of the noun σχόλιο (comment)
• in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of γράφει (what does she write? comments)

So:

• (το) σχόλιο = the comment (neuter singular)
• (τα) σχόλια = the comments (neuter plural)

In the sentence we have no article:

• γράφει πάντα σχόλια
  = (she) always writes comments

Greek often omits the article with indefinite plural nouns, similar to English some comments or just comments. Adding the article τα would change the meaning:

• γράφει πάντα τα σχόλια
  = she always writes the comments (specific, defined comments)

How do you pronounce σχόλια and what sounds are in σχ?

σχόλια is pronounced approximately like SKHO-lee-a in English spelling.

Breakdown:

• σχ: in modern Greek this is pronounced like s plus a kind of h-like sound:
  • σ = like s in see
  • χ = a rough h sound, similar to:
    • German Bach
    • Spanish j in jota (but a bit softer)
• Stress: on the first syllable:
  • ΣΧΌ-λι-α

Syllables: σχό-λι-α (3 syllables)

So the whole word sounds like:

• σχόλια ≈ SKHO-lee-a (said smoothly as one word)

Why do we use κάτω από instead of just κάτω?

• κάτω by itself is an adverb meaning down / below / downstairs:

  • Είναι κάτω. = He/She/It is downstairs / below.

• κάτω από is a prepositional phrase meaning under / underneath (something) and it is followed by a noun in the accusative case:

  • κάτω από το τραπέζι = under the table
  • κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου = under my photos

In your sentence, we need the idea under my photos, so we must specify under + object:

• κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου

If you said only κάτω, it would just mean below / down there, without telling us below what.

Why is it τις φωτογραφίες μου and not some other form of the article?

τις φωτογραφίες μου breaks down like this:

• τις = feminine accusative plural article (the)
• φωτογραφίες = photos/pictures (feminine accusative plural of φωτογραφία)
• μου = my (possessive pronoun)

We use:

• feminine because φωτογραφία is a feminine noun
• plural because we are talking about more than one photo
• accusative because:
  • it is the object of the preposition από in κάτω από
  • κάτω από must be followed by the accusative case

So τις φωτογραφίες = the photos in the role required by κάτω από.

Why does μου appear twice in the sentence? Is it necessary to say both Η φίλη μου and τις φωτογραφίες μου?

In the sentence:

• Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.

we have two different possessions:

1. η φίλη μου = my friend (female)
2. τις φωτογραφίες μου = my photos

Greek normally repeats μου for each possessed noun, just as English repeats my:

• My friend always writes comments under my photos.

If you change or remove one μου, the meaning changes:

• Η φίλη γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.
  = The friend (some friend, not clearly yours) always writes comments under my photos.
  (Sounds odd without extra context; we usually keep μου with φίλη.)

• Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες.
  = My friend always writes comments under the photos (not clearly your photos).

So if you want to say exactly My friend always writes comments under my photos, you need μου twice.

Could we change the word order, for example Η φίλη μου πάντα γράφει σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου? Does it change the meaning?

You can change the word order a bit without changing the basic meaning. All of these are correct:

• Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.
• Η φίλη μου πάντα γράφει σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου.
• Πάντα η φίλη μου γράφει σχόλια κάτω από τις φωτογραφίες μου. (more emphatic)

Subtle differences:

• Η φίλη μου γράφει πάντα σχόλια...
  neutral, common order; adverb πάντα directly after the verb.

• Η φίλη μου πάντα γράφει σχόλια...
  slightly more focus on πάντα (she always does this).

• Πάντα η φίλη μου γράφει σχόλια...
  stronger emphasis on πάντα; often used when contrasting:

  • Πάντα η φίλη μου γράφει σχόλια, αλλά εγώ ποτέ.
    My friend always writes comments, but I never do.

The core meaning (my friend always writes comments under my photos) stays the same; only the emphasis shifts.

Can Η φίλη μου also mean my girlfriend, or is it only a platonic friend?

Η φίλη μου literally means my (female) friend, and by default it suggests a platonic friend.

For a romantic partner, Greek speakers more often say:

• η κοπέλα μου = my girlfriend (literally: my girl)
• ο φίλος μου can sometimes mean boyfriend in context, but κοπέλα μου / αγόρι μου are clearer.

However, just like in English, context matters. Among younger people, η φίλη μου can sometimes be understood as my girlfriend, especially if the romantic relationship is already known from context. Still, if you want to be clear, use:

• η κοπέλα μου for girlfriend
• η φίλη μου for (female) friend (usually platonic)