Στο τραπεζάκι βλέπω τώρα δύο βιβλία και ένα ποτήρι νερό.

On the coffee table I now see two books and a glass of water.

Breakdown of Στο τραπεζάκι βλέπω τώρα δύο βιβλία και ένα ποτήρι νερό.

• το νερό: the water
• τώρα: now
• και: and
• δύο: two
• ένα: one
• βλέπω: to see
• σε: on
• το βιβλίο: the book
• το ποτήρι: the glass
• το τραπεζάκι: the small table

Questions & Answers about Στο τραπεζάκι βλέπω τώρα δύο βιβλία και ένα ποτήρι νερό.

What does Στο mean here, and why is it written as one word?

Στο means on the / at the / in the.

It is a contracted form of:

• σε = in / at / on
• το = the (neuter singular article)

So:

• σε + το τραπεζάκι → στο τραπεζάκι = on the small table / coffee table

In spoken and written Greek, these combinations are almost always contracted:

• σε + το → στο
• σε + τον → στον
• σε + την → στην
• σε + τα → στα, etc.

Why is it τραπεζάκι and not τραπέζι? What’s the difference?

Both words come from the same root τραπέζ- (table), but:

• τραπέζι = table (neutral, basic word)
• τραπεζάκι = small table, little table, often coffee table / side table

The ending -άκι is a very common diminutive suffix in Greek. It usually gives the idea of:

• smaller size
• more informal / familiar feel
• sometimes affectionate tone

So τραπεζάκι here suggests a small table, like the kind you put books and a glass on in the living room.

Why is τραπεζάκι in this form? What case and gender is it?

τραπεζάκι is:

• Gender: neuter
• Number: singular
• Case: accusative (but nominative and accusative are identical in neuter)

You have σε + article το + noun τραπεζάκι:

• σε + το τραπεζάκι → στο τραπεζάκι

The preposition σε is normally followed by the accusative case.
For neuter nouns like τραπεζάκι, nominative and accusative singular both end in -ι, so the form looks the same.

What is the exact function of βλέπω in this sentence? Is it “I see” or “I am seeing”?

βλέπω is the present tense of the verb βλέπω = to see.

In Greek, the present tense usually covers both:

• I see (simple present)
• I am seeing (present continuous / progressive)

So βλέπω τώρα can be translated naturally as:

• I see now
• I am seeing now / I’m looking at now

Context and translation choice decide whether you use simple or continuous in English; Greek just uses βλέπω.

Why is τώρα placed after βλέπω instead of at the beginning? Could we say Τώρα βλέπω?

In Greek, adverbs like τώρα (now) are quite flexible in position. All of these are possible:

• Στο τραπεζάκι βλέπω τώρα δύο βιβλία...
• Στο τραπεζάκι τώρα βλέπω δύο βιβλία...
• Τώρα βλέπω στο τραπεζάκι δύο βιβλία...

The differences are small and mostly about emphasis and rhythm:

• Τώρα βλέπω... slightly emphasizes the time now
• βλέπω τώρα... sounds a bit more neutral

So yes, Τώρα βλέπω στο τραπεζάκι δύο βιβλία και ένα ποτήρι νερό is also correct.

Why do δύο βιβλία and ένα ποτήρι have no article before them?

In Greek, when you use numbers directly before a noun, you normally don’t add the definite article:

• δύο βιβλία = two books (not τα δύο βιβλία unless you mean some specific “the two books”)
• ένα ποτήρι = one glass / a glass

If you say:

• τα δύο βιβλία = the two books (very specific pair)
• το ένα ποτήρι = the one glass (a particular glass, contrasted with others)

Here the meaning is general: you just see two books and a glass of water, not particular, known items, so no article is used with the numbers.

What forms are βιβλία, ποτήρι, and νερό? Are they plural, singular, what gender, what case?

• βιβλία

  • from βιβλίο = book
  • Gender: neuter
  • Number: plural
  • Case: accusative (direct object of βλέπω)
  • So: δύο βιβλία = two books

• ποτήρι

  • Gender: neuter
  • Number: singular
  • Case: accusative (also direct object of βλέπω)
  • ένα ποτήρι = one glass / a glass

• νερό

  • Gender: neuter
  • Number: singular (mass noun)
  • Case: accusative (same form as nominative)
  • It works here in a “measure + content” structure: ένα ποτήρι νερό = a glass (of) water

Why is there no word for of in ένα ποτήρι νερό? Why not something like ένα ποτήρι του νερού?

Greek very often expresses “container + content” or “measure + content” simply by putting two nouns together:

• ένα ποτήρι νερό = a glass (of) water
• ένα μπουκάλι νερό = a bottle (of) water
• ένα κιλό ψωμί = a kilo (of) bread

No separate word like of is required.

You can also see the genitive:

• ένα ποτήρι νερού

This is more explicit and a bit more formal or careful, but in everyday speech ένα ποτήρι νερό is more common and completely correct.

Why is there no article before νερό? Why not ένα ποτήρι το νερό?

νερό (water) is usually treated as a mass noun when you mean water in general. In such cases, Greek typically omits the article:

• πίνω νερό = I drink water
• θέλω καφέ = I want coffee

Similarly:

• ένα ποτήρι νερό = a glass of (some) water

You would only use the article when you refer to specific water already known from context:

• το νερό στο ποτήρι = the water in the glass
• ένα ποτήρι το νερό που έφερες = a glass of the water that you brought (very specific)

How is τραπεζάκι pronounced, and where is the stress?

τραπεζάκι is pronounced roughly:

• tra-pe-ZA-ki

Syllable breakdown and stress:

• τρα – πε – ζά – κι
• The accent mark (´) in τραπεζάκι shows the stress is on the za syllable: τραπεζάκι.

Similarly:

• νερό = ne-RO
• βλέπω = VLE-po
• βιβλία = viv-LEE-a (more exactly: vi-vlí-a, with stress on vlí)
• ποτήρι = po-TEE-ri (po-tí-ri in Greek stress terms)

Could the word order be Βλέπω τώρα δύο βιβλία και ένα ποτήρι νερό στο τραπεζάκι instead? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is also correct:

• Βλέπω τώρα δύο βιβλία και ένα ποτήρι νερό στο τραπεζάκι.

Greek allows fairly free word order, especially for elements like prepositional phrases (here: στο τραπεζάκι). The main constraints are:

• the verb must agree with the subject
• the sentence must remain clear in meaning

Different word orders can change emphasis slightly:

• Στο τραπεζάκι βλέπω τώρα... – light emphasis on what is on the table
• Βλέπω τώρα ... στο τραπεζάκι – starts with the action, adds the location at the end

But all versions are grammatically fine.