Learn Hardcore Greek: Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, πάντα της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά. - When I see my grandmother, I always give her a big hug.

The full feminine accusative article is την.
In Modern Greek, the final -ν is often dropped before most consonants in everyday speech and informal writing.

So:

την γιαγιά and τη γιαγιά are both grammatically correct.
Many speakers write τη γιαγιά because γ is a consonant and the -ν is not strictly required here.

You must keep the -ν (use την) mainly:

before vowels (e.g. την ώρα)
and usually before κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ and the double consonants μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ (e.g. την πόρτα, την κόρη).

What does της mean in this sentence, and why is it used?

Here της means “to her” and refers to τη γιαγιά μου.

Grammatically:

της is the weak (clitic) pronoun, feminine, singular, in the genitive, used as an indirect object.
Greek normally uses a pronoun in the genitive instead of a preposition like to or for.

So της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά literally is “I give her a big hug”, with της = “to her”.

What is the difference between τη(ν) and της?

They are different forms and functions:

τη(ν) = feminine accusative singular article or object pronoun
- As article: τη γιαγιά = the grandmother (direct object)
- As pronoun: Τη βλέπω. = I see her.
της = feminine genitive singular pronoun or article
- As pronoun: Της δίνω μια αγκαλιά. = I give her a hug. (indirect object)
- As possessive: το σπίτι της = her house.

In your sentence:

τη γιαγιά μου is the direct object of βλέπω.
της is the indirect object of δίνω.

Why is μου placed after γιαγιά instead of before it?

In Greek, weak possessive pronouns (my, your, his/her…) usually follow the noun:

η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
το βιβλίο σου = your book
το σπίτι του = his house

So τη γιαγιά μου literally is “the grandmother my”, which in English becomes “my grandmother.”
Putting μου before the noun (e.g. μου γιαγιά) is not standard in Modern Greek.

Why is there no “to” in Greek for “I always give her a big hug”?

English needs “to her”; Greek normally does not use a preposition here.

Instead, Greek uses:

a verb like δίνω (I give)
plus a genitive clitic pronoun (της, to her) as the indirect object.

So:

Της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά. = I give her a big hug.
There is no need for a separate word like “to”; της already expresses “to her.”

Can πάντα and της move to other positions in the sentence?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible, especially with adverbs and clitics. Some natural options:

Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, πάντα της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά. (original)
Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, της δίνω πάντα μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά.
Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά πάντα. (less common, more emphatic on “always”)

But the clitic pronoun must stay attached to the verb; you cannot say:

✗ Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, δίνω της μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά.

Correct patterns are της δίνω, θα της δίνω, να της δώσω, etc.

Why is the present tense βλέπω used instead of a future form like “when I will see”?

In Greek, the present tense is often used with Όταν to express habitual or general actions, including in the future context.

Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, πάντα της δίνω…
= Whenever I see my grandmother, I always give her… (habitual).

For a specific future event, Greek would change the structure:

Όταν τη δω, θα της δώσω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά.
= When I see her (that time), I will give her a big hug.

So:

Όταν βλέπω… δίνω… → general/habitual.
Όταν τη δω, θα της δώσω… → specific future time.

Why isn’t the subject εγώ (I) written in the sentence?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already shows the person.

βλέπω = I see (1st person singular)
δίνω = I give (1st person singular)

So adding εγώ is usually only for emphasis:

Εγώ, όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, πάντα της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά.
= I, when I see my grandmother, I always give her a big hug. (emphasising I).

Normally, just βλέπω and δίνω are enough to convey “I”.

Why is there a comma after Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου?

Greek uses a comma before the main clause when a sentence begins with a dependent (subordinate) clause, just like in English:

Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, (subordinate “when” clause)
πάντα της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά. (main clause)

If you reverse the order, the comma is not needed:

Πάντα της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου.

So the comma marks the end of the “when” clause and separates it from the main statement.

Why is it μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά and not ένα μεγάλη αγκαλιά?

Because αγκαλιά is feminine in Greek.

Indefinite articles:

Masculine: ένας
Feminine: μία / μια
Neuter: ένα

Since αγκαλιά is feminine:

μια αγκαλιά = a hug
μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά = a big hug

Using ένα would be wrong because ένα is neuter.

Why is the adjective μεγάλη in that form?

Greek adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.

Here:

αγκαλιά is feminine, singular, accusative.
So μεγάλη is also feminine singular accusative.

Pattern:

μεγάλος (masculine)
μεγάλη (feminine)
μεγάλο (neuter)

Thus μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά is correct agreement.

Could you say μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά στη γιαγιά μου instead of της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά?

Yes, that structure is possible, but you need a verb:

Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου, πάντα δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά στη γιαγιά μου.

Here:

στη γιαγιά μου literally means “to my grandmother” (preposition σε
- article τη
  - noun).

This sounds a bit heavier and more repetitive than:

πάντα της δίνω μια μεγάλη αγκαλιά, where της already stands for “to my grandmother.”

Both are grammatical; the clitic version is more natural and compact.

Does βλέπω here mean “see” or “meet”?

Literally, βλέπω means “I see”, but in contexts with people it often corresponds to English “see / meet / visit”, depending on context.

Όταν βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου…
in natural English becomes “When I see my grandmother…” or “When I visit my grandmother…”

Greek does not need a special verb here; βλέπω covers the idea of encountering or being with the person.

How is γιαγιά pronounced and what does the double γ do?

γιαγιά is pronounced roughly like [ya‑YÁ] in English approximation.

Details:

γ before ι (and ε) is like a soft y/gh sound, not a hard g.
για sounds like ya.
The stress is on the second syllable: για‑ΓΙΑ.

So γιαγιά sounds like ya‑YÁ, with a soft glide, not like “gag‑ya.”