Learn Hardcore Greek: Η αγορά αυτή είναι κοντά στην πλατεία, και εκεί συναντάμε συχνά τους φίλους μας. - This market is near the square, and there we often meet our friends.

αυτή η αγορά = this market (neutral, the most common everyday order)
η αγορά αυτή = this market / that market (right here / we’ve been talking about) with a bit more emphasis or a slightly more “pointing” or “specific” feel.

In your sentence, Η αγορά αυτή can be understood as “this particular market (we’re talking about now)”. Greek allows demonstratives (αυτός, αυτή, αυτό) both before and after the noun+article; English only has this market, so the nuance is lost in translation.

What exactly does αγορά mean here? Is it “market” or “shopping”?

Η αγορά can mean:

a market (a place): e.g. an open market, a marketplace, shopping area
the act of buying: shopping, purchase (more abstract/uncountable)

In this sentence, Η αγορά αυτή clearly refers to a specific place – “this market” (or “this shopping area / mall”, depending on context). It’s a feminine noun, which is why it takes η (feminine article) and αυτή (feminine demonstrative).

Why do we say κοντά στην πλατεία and not something like κοντά από την πλατεία?

With κοντά (“near”), Greek uses the preposition σε, not από.

κοντά σε κάτι = near something
κοντά στην πλατεία = near the square

στην is just the contraction of σε + την:

σε την πλατεία → στην πλατεία

Using κοντά από is generally wrong for physical proximity in standard Greek. So you should remember the fixed pattern: κοντά σε + accusative.

What is the function of εκεί in και εκεί συναντάμε συχνά…? Could it come later in the sentence?

εκεί means “there” and refers back to κοντά στην πλατεία / “that place near the square”.

Greek word order is flexible, so several positions are possible:

…και εκεί συναντάμε συχνά τους φίλους μας.
…και συχνά συναντάμε εκεί τους φίλους μας.
…και συναντάμε τους φίλους μας συχνά εκεί.

All are grammatically correct. The version you have, with εκεί right after και, highlights the location: “and there we often meet our friends.”

What tense and person is συναντάμε, and what is the infinitive form?

συναντάμε is:

Present tense, active voice
1st person plural: we
From the verb συναντώ (also appears as συναντάω in everyday speech)

So συναντάμε = “we meet” / “we run into” (right now, regularly, or habitually).

Greek doesn’t have an infinitive form like English “to meet” in modern usage. You refer to the verb by its 1st person singular: συναντώ = “(I) meet” (the dictionary form).

Why is there no word for “we” in συναντάμε? Where is the subject?

In Greek, the subject pronoun is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person:

(εγώ) συναντώ = I meet
(εσύ) συναντάς = you meet
(εμείς) συναντάμε = we meet

In your sentence, συναντάμε already tells us the subject is “we”, so adding εμείς is optional and would add emphasis:

…και εμείς εκεί συναντάμε συχνά τους φίλους μας.
→ “and we (in particular) often meet our friends there.”

What does συχνά mean, and does its position in the sentence matter?

συχνά means “often”.

Adverbs like συχνά are fairly flexible in Greek word order. All of these are correct and natural:

συναντάμε συχνά τους φίλους μας
συχνά συναντάμε τους φίλους μας
συναντάμε τους φίλους μας συχνά

The meaning (“we often meet our friends”) stays the same. Moving συχνά around can change which part of the sentence feels slightly more emphasized, but not the basic meaning.

Why is it τους φίλους μας and not something like οι φίλοι μας?

Because in Greek the object of the verb συναντάμε (what we meet) must be in the accusative case, not the nominative:

οι φίλοι = nominative plural masculine (“the friends”) – used for the subject of a sentence.
τους φίλους = accusative plural masculine (“the friends”) – used for the direct object.

Here, τους φίλους μας is “our friends” as the object of “we meet”, so τους φίλους is correct. The μας (“our”) is a possessive pronoun that doesn’t change case; the case is shown by τους φίλους.

What exactly does μας express in τους φίλους μας? Is it “us” or “our”?

μας can mean both “us” and “our”, depending on position:

As an object pronoun (us):
- Μας βλέπουν. = They see us.
As a possessive pronoun (our):
- οι φίλοι μας = our friends
- τους φίλους μας = our friends (as an object)

In your sentence, μας is possessive: τους φίλους μας = our friends.

Is the comma before και (“…, και εκεί…”) necessary in Greek?

In this sentence, και joins two clauses:

Η αγορά αυτή είναι κοντά στην πλατεία
(και) εκεί συναντάμε συχνά τους φίλους μας

Greek uses commas more freely before και than English does, especially when linking two full clauses. The comma here is:

Optional but common: it slightly separates the idea “the market is near the square” from “there we often meet our friends.”
Not considered wrong; many writers would include it.

In English, you would almost never put a comma before “and” here, but in Greek it’s fine.

Why are both αγορά and πλατεία preceded by η / την? Can we drop the articles?

Both αγορά and πλατεία are feminine nouns, so they take the feminine article:

η αγορά = the market
η πλατεία → την πλατεία (accusative after σε)

In Greek, definite articles are used much more often than in English. You usually keep the article when referring to a specific place:

Η αγορά αυτή είναι κοντά στην πλατεία.
→ “This market is near the square.”

You couldn’t normally drop them and say αγορά αυτή είναι κοντά σε πλατεία; that would sound ungrammatical or very odd in standard Greek.

Why is it στην πλατεία and not στη πλατεία?

Standard pronunciation merges σε την into στην before feminine nouns that start with a consonant (especially π, τ, κ, ψ, ξ, μπ, ντ, γκ):

σε την πλατεία → στην πλατεία

In careful written Greek, στην is the standard spelling in this context. You will also see στη in some dialects, informal speech, or certain fixed expressions, but for learners it’s safest to use:

στην
- feminine noun starting with consonant
στη more often before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel (e.g. στη Αθήνα).

Does συναντάμε mean we arrange to meet friends, or that we happen to run into them?

συναντάμε can cover both:

Planned meeting:
- Συναντάμε τους φίλους μας στην πλατεία στις 8.
  → We meet our friends at the square at 8.
Unplanned encounter / running into:
- Εκεί συναντάμε συχνά τους φίλους μας.
  → We often run into our friends there.

Context usually clarifies whether it’s arranged or accidental. If you want to be very explicit, you can add words like τυχαία (“by chance”) for unplanned meetings.