Breakdown of Η δασκάλα λέει ότι είναι βεβαίως λογικός στόχος να μιλάμε λίγο καλύτερα κάθε μήνα.
είμαι
to be
μιλάω
to speak
λίγο
a little
να
to
Questions & Answers about Η δασκάλα λέει ότι είναι βεβαίως λογικός στόχος να μιλάμε λίγο καλύτερα κάθε μήνα.
Why do we use ότι after λέει here? Is it like that in English?
Yes. In this sentence, λέει ότι… works like “(she) says that…” in English.
- ότι introduces a reported/indirect statement: what the teacher is saying.
- You could also use πως here (λέει πως…) with almost the same meaning in modern Greek. ότι is a bit more neutral or formal; πως can feel slightly more colloquial in many contexts.
- Don’t confuse this ότι (conjunction = that) with ό,τι (with a comma), which means whatever / anything that.
Why is there no word for it in είναι βεβαίως λογικός στόχος? In English we say “it is a logical goal”.
Greek usually drops the dummy “it” in sentences like this.
- English: It is a logical goal to…
- Greek: (Ø) είναι λογικός στόχος να… (no explicit subject like it)
The subject is understood from context as ο στόχος (the goal) or as an impersonal judgment. Greek doesn’t need a separate pronoun for this kind of impersonal “it”.
Why don’t we have the indefinite article ένας before λογικός στόχος? Why not είναι ένας λογικός στόχος?