Breakdown of Πριν από τις εκλογές ακούω πολλά πράγματα που φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα.
Questions & Answers about Πριν από τις εκλογές ακούω πολλά πράγματα που φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα.
Both πριν από τις εκλογές and πριν τις εκλογές are possible in modern Greek, and both will be understood as before the elections.
πριν από + noun is the most neutral and common way:
- πριν από τις εκλογές = before the elections
- πριν από το φαγητό = before the meal
πριν + noun (without από) also occurs, especially in more informal or faster speech:
- πριν τις εκλογές
- πριν το φαγητό
Very broadly:
- With a noun, πριν από is slightly more standard/clear.
- With a clause, you normally just use πριν:
- πριν φύγω = before I leave
- πριν να φύγω (also possible but less common today)
In your sentence, πριν από τις εκλογές is the most typical, textbook form.
Τις εκλογές is in the accusative plural feminine:
- η εκλογή = the election (singular, nominative)
- οι εκλογές = the elections (plural, nominative)
- τις εκλογές = the elections (plural, accusative)
Because από (like most Greek prepositions) takes the accusative, the noun after it must be in the accusative:
- από το σπίτι (το σπίτι = accusative)
- από τον φίλο μου
- από τις εκλογές
So τις εκλογές is simply “the elections” in the form required after από.
Greek verb endings show the subject, so subject pronouns (like εγώ) are usually omitted unless you want emphasis.
The verb ακούω is the 1st person singular form:
- (εγώ) ακούω = I hear
- (εσύ) ακούς = you hear
- (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) ακούει = he/she/it hears
Because the ending -ω clearly marks I, there is no need to say εγώ:
- Ακούω πολλά πράγματα. = I hear many things.
If you said Εγώ ακούω πολλά πράγματα, you would be stressing I (e.g. I hear many things, not someone else).
Greek present tense covers several English meanings: simple present, present continuous, and often habitual actions.
Ακούω πολλά πράγματα can correspond to:
- I hear many things.
- I am hearing a lot of things.
- I keep hearing a lot of things.
In this sentence, Πριν από τις εκλογές ακούω... implies something that happens regularly / typically whenever elections come around. The Greek present tense works well for that habitual meaning; there is no need for a special “progressive” form like in English.
Πολλά πράγματα literally means many things / a lot of things and is used in a non-specific, general sense. In English we also don’t say the many things here; we just say I hear many things.
In Greek:
- πολλά πράγματα = many things (in general, not specified)
- τα πολλά πράγματα = the many things (a specific, identified set of “many things”)
Examples:
- Ακούω πολλά πράγματα. = I hear many things. (unspecified)
- Αυτά είναι τα πολλά πράγματα που μου είπες. = These are the many things you told me about. (a specific group already known in context)
In your sentence, we are talking in general about what is heard before elections, so no article is used.
Yes. Here που is a relative pronoun, similar to English that / which / who in relative clauses.
- πολλά πράγματα που φαίνονται…
= many things that seem…
Key points about που as a relative pronoun:
- It is invariable: it does not change form for gender, number, or case.
- It is used for people, animals, things, abstract ideas — everything:
- ο άνθρωπος που γνώρισα = the person (man) that I met
- το βιβλίο που διάβασα = the book that I read
- A more formal alternative is ο οποίος / η οποία / το οποίο etc., which does change with gender and case, but in everyday speech people usually just use που.
So που here links πράγματα to the verb φαίνονται in a relative clause: πράγματα που φαίνονται… = things that seem…
Φαίνονται is:
- 3rd person plural
- middle/passive voice
- of the verb φαίνομαι (to seem / to appear).
It must agree with the subject of the relative clause, which is πράγματα (neuter plural):
- τα πράγματα φαίνονται = the things seem
- το πράγμα φαίνεται = the thing seems
So:
- πολλά πράγματα που φαίνονται… = many things that seem…
- If it were singular, it would be πολλοί ισχυρισμοί που φαίνονται… → φαίνονται (still plural, because ισχυρισμοί is plural).
Φαίνομαι is a verb that often describes appearance or seeming:
- Φαίνεσαι κουρασμένος. = You seem tired.
- Φαινόντουσαν θυμωμένοι. = They seemed angry.
Exactly. σαν να + verb usually means as if / as though.
- φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα
= they seem as if they are lies
= they seem like they’re probably not true
About σαν να:
- It introduces something hypothetical, unreal, or doubtful:
- Με κοιτάει σαν να μη με ξέρει. = He looks at me as if he doesn’t know me.
- Μιλάς σαν να είσαι ειδικός. = You speak as if you were an expert.
The verb after σαν να is usually in the subjunctive, but in the present tense the subjunctive and indicative look the same (e.g. είναι in both). So you just learn the pattern σαν να + [present verb] for as if.
Yes, you can say σαν ψέματα, but the nuance changes slightly.
σαν ψέματα = like lies (direct comparison to a noun)
- Λες πράγματα σαν ψέματα. = You say things like lies.
σαν να είναι ψέματα = as if they are lies / as if they were lies
This sounds a bit more tentative or suggestive, as if you’re saying:- they seem almost like they might be lies
- they give the impression of being lies
In your sentence:
- …που φαίνονται σαν ψέματα – simpler, more direct: “that seem like lies”
- …που φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα – a little more expressive: “that seem as if they’re lies”
Both are grammatical; the original version just adds a shade of “as if” feeling.
Greek very often uses ψέματα (plural) in a general or abstract sense, where English might just say lies or even a lie / not true.
- Είναι ψέματα. = It’s lies / It’s not true.
- Μου είπε ψέματα. = He/She lied to me.
You can say σαν να είναι ψέμα (singular):
- Φαίνεται σαν να είναι ψέμα. = It seems like it’s a lie.
But in your sentence we have πολλά πράγματα (many things), so plural ψέματα feels very natural:
- many things that seem like lies (i.e. they seem not true, they sound like lies in general)
So:
- σαν να είναι ψέμα = as if it is a lie (one)
- σαν να είναι ψέματα = as if they are lies (in general, or multiple statements)
Greek word order is more flexible than English, because grammatical roles are marked by endings, not just position.
All of these are possible (with slightly different emphasis):
Πριν από τις εκλογές ακούω πολλά πράγματα που φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα.
– Neutral emphasis: Before the elections, I hear many things…Πριν από τις εκλογές, πολλά πράγματα ακούω που φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα.
– Emphasis on πολλά πράγματα (many things):
Before the elections, many things I hear that seem like lies.Πολλά πράγματα ακούω πριν από τις εκλογές που φαίνονται σαν να είναι ψέματα.
– Stronger emphasis on πολλά πράγματα ακούω:
Many things I hear before the elections that seem like lies.
The original order is the most natural, “unmarked” version. Moving πολλά πράγματα forward tends to sound more stylistic or emphatic.