Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι.

In the end everyone was ready.

Breakdown of Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι.

• είμαι: to be
• έτοιμος: ready
• όλοι: everyone
• στο τέλος: at the end

Questions & Answers about Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι.

What does each word in Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι correspond to in English?

Word‑by‑word:

• Στο = in the / at the / to the
• τέλος = end
• όλοι = all, everyone
• ήταν = were (past of είμαι = to be)
• έτοιμοι = ready (masculine plural form)

Together: In the end, everyone was ready.

What exactly is στο? Why not just σε τέλος?

Στο is a contraction:

• σε (in, at, to) + το (the, neuter singular) → στο

So στο τέλος literally means in/at the end.

You do not say σε τέλος here, because:

• Greek normally uses the definite article with τέλος in this fixed phrase.
• Without the article it would sound like at an end, and it’s not idiomatic in this context.

Why is it στο τέλος and not στον τέλος?

Because τέλος is neuter, not masculine.

• Neuter singular article: το → στο (σε + το)
• Masculine singular article: τον → στον (σε + τον)

Since τέλος is neuter, the correct form is στο τέλος, never στον τέλος.

Is τέλος here more like the end or like finally?

In στο τέλος, τέλος is a noun: the end.
So στο τέλος = in the end / at the end.

Greek also has:

• τελικά = finally, eventually (adverb)
• Expressions with τέλος as part of idioms, like τέλος πάντων (well, anyway).

But in this sentence, think of στο τέλος as a literal in the end, not as an adverb on its own.

Why is it όλοι and not όλες or όλα?

Όλοι / όλες / όλα all mean all but differ by gender:

• όλοι = all (masculine plural)
• όλες = all (feminine plural)
• όλα = all (neuter plural)

Greek uses masculine plural:

• for groups of only men
• for mixed groups (men + women)
• often when gender is unknown or irrelevant

So όλοι here means all (of them) / everyone, with the normal masculine‑plural default.

Why is έτοιμοι in this form? How does it agree with όλοι?

The basic adjective is:

• έτοιμος (ready) — masculine singular
• έτοιμη — feminine singular
• έτοιμο — neuter singular

Plural forms:

• έτοιμοι — masculine plural
• έτοιμες — feminine plural
• έτοιμα — neuter plural

Adjectives must agree with the noun/pronoun in gender, number, and case.

• Subject: όλοι (masculine plural)
• So: έτοιμοι (masculine plural) to match: όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι = all were ready.

If the group were all women, you’d say:

• Στο τέλος όλες ήταν έτοιμες.

If you were talking about things (neuter):

• Στο τέλος όλα ήταν έτοιμα.

What tense and person is ήταν, and why isn’t there a word for they?

Ήταν is the imperfect (past) of είμαι (to be), used here simply as were.

• Form: 3rd person singular or plural (same spelling for both in Modern Greek).
• Person/number are understood from context, not from a separate pronoun.

Greek usually omits subject pronouns when the subject is clear. Here:

• όλοι
  • plural adjective έτοιμοι → it must be they were.
• You could say Αυτοί στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι, but it sounds heavy; normal Greek drops αυτοί.

Note: In English everyone takes a singular verb (everyone was ready), but Greek όλοι is grammatically plural, so the verb is plural: ήταν (they were).

Can I change the word order? For example, say Στο τέλος ήταν όλοι έτοιμοι?

Yes. All of these are grammatical:

• Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι.
• Στο τέλος ήταν όλοι έτοιμοι.
• Όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι στο τέλος.
• Όλοι στο τέλος ήταν έτοιμοι.

The basic meaning stays the same. Differences are in emphasis:

• Starting with Στο τέλος slightly highlights the timing: in the end.
• Putting όλοι near έτοιμοι can emphasize everyone or ready a bit more.

For a learner, treat them as equivalent; word order in Greek is flexible.

What’s the difference between στο τέλος and τελικά if both can be translated in the end or finally?

Approximate meanings:

• στο τέλος = at/in the end (more concrete, often tied to the end of a specific process, story, period, etc.)
  
  • Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι. → At the end (of the process), everyone was ready.
• τελικά = finally / eventually / in the end (more like a general outcome after expectations, doubts, or changes)
  • Τελικά, όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι. → In the end / as it turned out, everyone was ready.

Often, both are possible, but τελικά can sound more like a conclusion or a twist, not necessarily tied to a literal “end point” of something.

Can I say ήτανε instead of ήταν?

Yes:

• ήταν and ήτανε are the same tense and person, same meaning: was/were.
• ήταν is the standard form, common in writing and speech.
• ήτανε is more colloquial / conversational and somewhat more common in spoken Greek.

In this sentence, both are fine:

• Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι.
• Στο τέλος όλοι ήτανε έτοιμοι.

How do you pronounce Στο τέλος όλοι ήταν έτοιμοι and where is the stress?

Syllable breakdown with stressed syllables in caps (Latin letters):

• Στο → sto (one syllable)
• τέλος → TÉ-los (stress on té)
• όλοι → Ó-li (stress on ó)
• ήταν → Í-tan (stress on í)
• έτοιμοι → É-ti-mi (stress on é)

So, all together:

• sto TÉ-los Ó-li Í-tan É-ti-mi

Approximate IPA: [sto ˈtelos ˈoli ˈitan ˈetimi].