Breakdown of Στο ραδιόφωνο λένε ότι η οικονομία της χώρας είναι καλύτερη από την προηγούμενη χρονιά, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα οι άνθρωποι έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα.
Questions & Answers about Στο ραδιόφωνο λένε ότι η οικονομία της χώρας είναι καλύτερη από την προηγούμενη χρονιά, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα οι άνθρωποι έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα.
Στο ραδιόφωνο literally means “on/at the radio”.
- στο is a contraction of σε (in/at/on/to) + το (the, neuter singular):
- σε + το → στο
- So:
- σε + το ραδιόφωνο → στο ραδιόφωνο
The whole phrase Στο ραδιόφωνο λένε… corresponds to English “On the radio they say…” or “The radio says…”.
In Στο ραδιόφωνο λένε…, the verb λένε (they say) is used impersonally / generically.
- There is no explicit subject written.
- λένε here means:
- “they say” in the sense of “people say / the announcers say / the news says”.
Greek often uses 3rd person plural like this to express an indefinite subject:
- Λένε ότι θα βρέξει.
They say it will rain / It is said that it will rain.
So in your sentence, it’s not a specific group “they”; it’s like saying “According to what is being said on the radio…”.
In this sentence, ότι is a conjunction meaning “that” (introducing reported speech):
- λένε ότι η οικονομία…
they say that the economy…
ότι (no comma)
- Meaning: that (after verbs like “say”, “think”, “know”…)
- Example: Ξέρω ότι έχεις δίκιο. – I know that you are right.
πως (as a conjunction)
- In modern Greek, πως very often means the same as ότι = “that”.
- You could say: λένε πως η οικονομία… with almost no change in meaning.
- ότι is a bit more neutral/standard; πως can feel slightly more informal or stylistic, but both are very common.
ό,τι (with a comma)
- This is a different word: it means “whatever / anything that”.
- Example: Φάε ό,τι θέλεις. – Eat whatever you want.
So:
- Here you correctly have ότι = that.
- Don’t confuse it with ό,τι (whatever) – the comma changes the meaning.
The normal Greek way to say “the country’s economy” is:
- η οικονομία της χώρας
literally “the economy of the country”.
Points:
Genitive after the noun
- The possessor usually follows the noun in the genitive:
- το σπίτι του φίλου μου – the house of my friend → my friend’s house
- η οικονομία της χώρας – the economy of the country → the country’s economy
- The possessor usually follows the noun in the genitive:
της χώρας η οικονομία
- This order is possible, but it sounds emphatic / marked, like:
- “the country’s economy (as opposed to someone else’s)”
- It’s used much less in neutral, informational sentences like this one.
- This order is possible, but it sounds emphatic / marked, like:
η χώρας οικονομία
- This is incorrect. You cannot just put χώρας directly after η like that.
- The noun χώρα needs its own article in genitive: της χώρας.
So η οικονομία της χώρας is the standard, natural form.
καλύτερη must agree with η οικονομία, which is feminine singular.
- Base adjective: καλός – καλή – καλό (good).
- Comparative: καλύτερος – καλύτερη – καλύτερο (better).
Since:
- η οικονομία = feminine, singular, nominative
- The complement of είναι (is) must match it:
You get:
- η οικονομία είναι καλύτερη
the economy is better
If the subject were neuter or masculine, the form would change:
- το σύστημα είναι καλύτερο – the system is better (neuter)
- ο δείκτης είναι καλύτερος – the index is better (masculine)
In Greek comparatives, από very often plays the role of “than”.
Pattern:
- [subject] + είναι + [comparative adjective] + από + [thing compared]
So:
- η οικονομία της χώρας είναι καλύτερη από την προηγούμενη χρονιά
- literally: the country’s economy is better from the previous year
- functionally: the country’s economy is better *than the previous year / than last year*
Breakdown:
- καλύτερη – better (comparative of καλή)
- από – from → used as “than” in comparisons
- την προηγούμενη χρονιά – the previous year (accusative after από)
You could also say:
- είναι καλύτερη από πέρσι – it is better than last year.
So in this structure, από = than.
Yes, you can say:
- η οικονομία είναι καλύτερη από πέρσι.
Differences:
πέρσι
- Adverb: last year.
- Shorter, more conversational, very common in speech.
την προηγούμενη χρονιά
- Literally: the previous year.
- Sounds a bit more formal / neutral / “news-like”, which fits a sentence about the economy on the radio.
- Explicitly highlights the idea of a comparison between two time periods.
Meaning-wise, in this context they are almost the same; it’s mainly a difference in style and register.
Yes, στην is another contraction:
- σε + την → στην
So:
- στην πραγματικότητα = σε (in/at) + την πραγματικότητα (the reality)
Meaning-wise, στην πραγματικότητα corresponds to:
- “in reality”
- “in fact”
- “actually” (in the sense of contrast with what is said/thought)
Examples:
- Λένε ότι όλα είναι καλά, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα υπάρχουν προβλήματα.
They say everything is fine, but in reality there are problems.
It functions as an adverbial phrase; it often comes near the beginning of the clause, as in your sentence.
Greek often omits the article with a direct object to express an indefinite / non-specific meaning, similar to English “a/some/any” (but without using a separate word).
Compare:
έχουν πρόβλημα
- literally: they have problem
- meaning: they have (a) problem / they are in trouble / they still have difficulties.
- πρόβλημα is indefinite and general.
έχουν το πρόβλημα
- they have the problem
- refers to a specific, already known problem.
In your sentence, οι άνθρωποι έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα is talking about people in general still being in difficulty, not about one particular already‑defined problem, so no article is the natural choice.
Greek can use the singular πρόβλημα to express a general state of difficulty, a bit like English “have a problem” or “be in trouble”.
- έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα
- literally: they still have problem
- idiomatically: they are still in trouble / they still have serious difficulty.
If you say:
- έχουν ακόμα προβλήματα
- That focuses more on multiple, distinct problems: many separate issues.
So:
- έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα → emphasises a general bad situation / trouble.
- έχουν ακόμα προβλήματα → emphasises many different problems.
In English we often naturally translate both as “they still have problems”, but the Greek singular is perfectly natural and does not mean only one tiny problem.
In your sentence:
- οι άνθρωποι έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα
ακόμα means “still”.
Position
- Common positions:
- οι άνθρωποι έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα
- οι άνθρωποι ακόμα έχουν πρόβλημα
- Both are acceptable; the first is very natural and common in speech.
- Common positions:
ακόμα vs ακόμη
- ακόμα and ακόμη usually mean the same thing (= still/yet) in modern Greek.
- ακόμα is slightly more colloquial; ακόμη may look/feel a bit more formal or written, but both are widely used.
ακόμα (ως “even”)
- With και it can mean “even”:
- ακόμα και οι πλούσιοι έχουν πρόβλημα – even the rich have a problem.
- With και it can mean “even”:
πια
- πια usually means “anymore”, and is used mostly in negative sentences:
- οι άνθρωποι δεν έχουν πια δουλειά – people don’t have work anymore.
- πια usually means “anymore”, and is used mostly in negative sentences:
So in this sentence, ακόμα = still, and its position is flexible around the verb.
You can use other words, but they have slightly different flavours.
Original:
- …είναι καλύτερη από την προηγούμενη χρονιά, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα οι άνθρωποι έχουν ακόμα πρόβλημα.
αλλά
- The standard “but”.
- Neutral, used everywhere, both spoken and written.
όμως
- Also means “but / however”.
- It can appear at the start or inside the second clause:
- …είναι καλύτερη…, όμως στην πραγματικότητα οι άνθρωποι…
- …είναι καλύτερη… Στην πραγματικότητα, όμως, οι άνθρωποι…
- Feels a bit like English “however” in many contexts.
μα
- Also “but”, often more emphatic or colloquial:
- …είναι καλύτερη…, μα στην πραγματικότητα οι άνθρωποι…
- Can sound stronger, sometimes like “but actually…” with a bit of emotional tone.
- Also “but”, often more emphatic or colloquial:
In a neutral news-style sentence, αλλά is the most standard and natural choice, which fits this context well.