Κάνουμε σύγκριση ανάμεσα σε δύο κείμενα που μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία.

Breakdown of Κάνουμε σύγκριση ανάμεσα σε δύο κείμενα που μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία.

δύο
two
μιλάω
to talk
που
that
ίδιος
same
ανάμεσα σε
between
για
about
το κείμενο
the text
η φιλία
the friendship
κάνω σύγκριση
to make a comparison
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Questions & Answers about Κάνουμε σύγκριση ανάμεσα σε δύο κείμενα που μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία.

In the sentence Κάνουμε σύγκριση…, what exactly does κάνουμε mean, and what tense is it?

Κάνουμε is the 1st person plural, present tense of the verb κάνω (to do / to make).

Modern Greek uses the same present form for both simple and continuous meanings, so κάνουμε can be:

  • we do / we make
  • we are doing / we are making

Here, in an instructional context, it corresponds to we are making a comparison / we are comparing.


Why does the sentence say Κάνουμε σύγκριση instead of just Συγκρίνουμε? Is there a difference?

Both are correct; the difference is stylistic:

  • Κάνουμε σύγκριση – literally we make a comparison

    • verb κάνουμε
      • noun σύγκριση
    • sounds a bit more explicit / school-like, common in instructions and explanations.
  • Συγκρίνουμεwe compare

    • single verb
    • more compact and very natural in most contexts.

You could perfectly say:

  • Συγκρίνουμε δύο κείμενα που μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία.

Meaning is practically the same; κάνουμε σύγκριση just spells out the action as a noun.


What is σύγκριση grammatically (gender, case, etc.), and why is there no article?

Σύγκριση is a feminine noun meaning comparison.

Key forms:

  • η σύγκριση – the comparison (nominative singular)
  • τη(ν) σύγκριση – the comparison (accusative singular)
  • της σύγκρισης – of the comparison (genitive singular)

In Κάνουμε σύγκριση, σύγκριση is the direct object of κάνουμε, so it is in the accusative singular. For many abstract activities, Greek often omits the article, similar to English expressions like do homework, do research.

You could also say:

  • Κάνουμε μια σύγκριση…We make a comparison…

Both are correct. Without the article it feels a bit more like naming the activity in general.


What does the phrase ανάμεσα σε mean, and how is it different from μεταξύ?

Ανάμεσα σε means between / among and is followed by the accusative:

  • ανάμεσα σε δύο κείμεναbetween two texts

Μεταξύ also means between / among, but it is slightly more formal / neutral and takes the genitive:

  • μεταξύ δύο κειμένωνbetween two texts

So:

  • ανάμεσα σε – very common in everyday speech and writing.
  • μεταξύ – common too, but feels a bit more formal or technical, especially in written language.

Both would work in your sentence; only the style changes.


Why do we need both words ανάμεσα and σε? Could we say ανάμεσα δύο κείμενα?

In standard Modern Greek, the normal pattern is:

  • ανάμεσα σε
    • accusative
      ανάμεσα σε δύο κείμενα

Using ανάμεσα directly before a noun (ανάμεσα δύο κείμενα) is not standard today. You may see ανάμεσα alone in older styles or in different structures, but for modern, correct Greek, treat ανάμεσα σε as a fixed expression meaning between / among.


What does δύο κείμενα mean exactly, and is δύο ever declined?

Δύο κείμενα means two texts.

  • κείμενα is the neuter plural accusative of το κείμενο (text).
  • δύο is the number two and in Modern Greek it is indeclinable – it has the same form in all genders and cases.

So you will see:

  • δύο κείμενα – two texts
  • δύο βιβλία – two books
  • δύο φίλοι / δύο φίλες – two friends (masc. / fem.)

It is also often written δυο (more informal spelling), but the meaning is identical.


What is the function of που in κείμενα που μιλάνε…? Is it who, that, or where?

Here που is a relative pronoun / conjunction introducing a relative clause:

  • δύο κείμενα που μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία

This means:

  • two texts that talk about the same friendship

So this που corresponds to English that or which:

  • texts that talk…
  • texts which talk…

It does not mean where here; it is simply linking δύο κείμενα to the clause μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία, specifying which texts we mean.


Why is it μιλάνε and not μιλούν? Are both correct?

Both are correct 3rd person plural present forms of μιλάω / μιλώ (to speak / to talk):

  • μιλάνε – very common in spoken, informal, everyday Greek.
  • μιλούν (or μιλούν(ε)) – more formal or written style, but also used in neutral speech.

In your sentence, all of these are acceptable:

  • κείμενα που μιλάνε για… – very natural, conversational.
  • κείμενα που μιλούν για… – slightly more formal.

So it is a matter of register, not correctness.


Why do we say μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία and not just μιλάνε την ίδια φιλία?

The verb μιλάω / μιλώ behaves differently depending on meaning:

  1. To speak a language – it can take a direct object:

    • Μιλάω ελληνικά.I speak Greek.
  2. To talk about something – it usually needs για

    • accusative:

    • Μιλάω για τη φιλία.I talk about friendship.
    • Μιλάνε για την ίδια φιλία.They talk about the same friendship.

In your sentence the meaning is “talk about”, so Greek requires για.
Μιλάνε την ίδια φιλία would be ungrammatical.


In για την ίδια φιλία, why do την, ίδια, and φιλία all have feminine singular endings?

Φιλία is a feminine noun meaning friendship:

  • η φιλία – the friendship (nominative)
  • τη(ν) φιλία – the friendship (accusative)

Because of για, the noun must be in the accusative. In για την ίδια φιλία we have:

  • για – about / for (governs the accusative)
  • την – feminine singular accusative article
  • ίδια – feminine singular accusative of ίδιος / ίδια / ίδιο (same)
  • φιλία – feminine singular noun in the accusative

In Greek, article + adjective + noun must agree in gender, number, and case, so all three appear in the feminine singular accusative.


What exactly does ίδια mean here? Is it more like same or like own, as in my own?

Here ίδια is the feminine form of ίδιος / ίδια / ίδιο meaning same:

  • η ίδια φιλίαthe same friendship
  • το ίδιο βιβλίοthe same book

It can, in some expressions, contribute to an “own” meaning together with a possessive, but Greek normally uses δικός / δικιά / δικό for own. In your sentence there is no possessive; the straightforward meaning is:

  • την ίδια φιλία = the same friendship
    (the two texts talk about one and the same friendship, not two different ones).

Could we drop the article and say για ίδια φιλία instead of για την ίδια φιλία?

No, για ίδια φιλία would sound wrong or very unnatural in this context.

With ίδιος / ίδια / ίδιο meaning same, and when you refer to something specific, Greek virtually always uses the definite article:

  • η ίδια φιλία – the same friendship
  • το ίδιο σπίτι – the same house
  • οι ίδιοι άνθρωποι – the same people

So:

  • για την ίδια φιλία = about the same friendship (a specific, identifiable friendship)
  • για ίδια φιλία – not idiomatic here; it lacks the definite reference that same implies in Greek.