Learn Hardcore Greek: Με τη μουσική στο πάρτι νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός. - With the music at the party I feel very alive.

Με τη μουσική ≈ “with the music (around)” / “because of the music”. The preposition με here shows the cause or background for feeling alive, not physical accompaniment (“together with the music”).

Why do we say τη μουσική and not just μουσική without the article?

Greek uses the definite article (ο, η, το, etc.) much more than English.

η μουσική = the music (subject form)
τη μουσική = the music (object form – accusative)

In this sentence:

με τη μουσική = “with the music”, meaning the music at the party, the specific situation you’re in. Without the article (με μουσική) would sound more like “with music (in general)”, and here we’re clearly talking about the actual party music, so Greek prefers the definite article.

Why is it τη μουσική and not την μουσική?

The full accusative feminine article before a consonant is την, but in everyday writing and speech the final -ν is often dropped if the next word starts with most consonants.

So:

Careful / full form: με την μουσική
Common / standard modern form: με τη μουσική

You will see both. In speech, the -ν comes and goes depending on speed and style; in writing, τη μουσική is very common.

What exactly is στο in στο πάρτι?

Στο is a contraction of:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the, neuter article)

So:

σε το πάρτι → στο πάρτι = “at the party / in the party”.

You never keep σε το separate in modern Greek; it always contracts to στο.

What is the gender and behavior of the word πάρτι? Does it change form?

Πάρτι is a neuter, indeclinable noun borrowed from English:

Singular: το πάρτι
Plural: τα πάρτι (often the same form)
It usually does not change in different cases.

So:

στο πάρτι = “at the party”
τα πάρτι = “the parties”

The spelling πάρτι and πάρτυ both exist in practice; πάρτι is more common in modern spelling norms.

Why is there no word for “I” in the Greek sentence?

Greek is a “pro-drop” language: the subject pronoun (like εγώ = “I”) is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

νιώθω = I feel
νιώθεις = you feel
νιώθει = he / she / it feels

So:

(Εγώ) νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός.
Both forms are correct; εγώ is only needed for emphasis:
Εγώ νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός. = I (as opposed to others) feel very alive.

What is the nuance of νιώθω? Is it the same as “feel” in English?

Νιώθω is indeed the common verb for feel, especially for inner states / emotions / sensations:

Νιώθω κρύο. = I feel cold.
Νιώθω χαρά. = I feel joy.

There is also αισθάνομαι, which can often replace νιώθω, but:

νιώθω tends to sound more everyday / simple / direct.
αισθάνομαι can sound a bit more formal or introspective, though they overlap a lot.

In this sentence, νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός is perfectly natural and common.

Why is it πολύ ζωντανός and not something like πολλός ζωντανός?

Greek has:

πολύς / πολλή / πολύ (adjective) = much / many
πολύ (adverb) = very / a lot

Here πολύ is an adverb modifying an adjective (ζωντανός), so it stays in the one invariable adverb form πολύ:

πολύ ζωντανός = very alive
πολύ κουρασμένος = very tired
πολύ ωραίο = very nice

The adjective forms πολύς / πολλή / πολύ would be used like:

πολύς κόσμος = many people
πολλή δουλειά = a lot of work

So πολύ ζωντανός is correct, not πολλός ζωντανός.

Why is the adjective ζωντανός masculine? How would the sentence change if the speaker is a woman?

Adjectives in Greek agree in gender and number with the subject.

Here the implied subject is εγώ (“I”). The form ζωντανός is:

masculine, singular.

So the sentence as given assumes a male speaker:

(Εγώ) νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός. = I (male) feel very alive.

If the speaker is female:

(Εγώ) νιώθω πολύ ζωντανή. = I (female) feel very alive.

Other possibilities:

Group of men / mixed group: νιώθουμε πολύ ζωντανοί.
Group of women: νιώθουμε πολύ ζωντανές.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός με τη μουσική στο πάρτι?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are grammatical:

Με τη μουσική στο πάρτι νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός.
Νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός με τη μουσική στο πάρτι.
Στο πάρτι, με τη μουσική, νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός.

The basic meaning stays the same. Changing the order mainly affects emphasis / rhythm:

Starting with Με τη μουσική στο πάρτι highlights the setting / cause.
Starting with Νιώθω highlights the feeling itself first.

Could I say this in a more literally “because of the music” way instead of με τη μουσική?

You can, though με τη μουσική is very natural.

Other options:

Λόγω της μουσικής στο πάρτι νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός.
= “Because of the music at the party I feel very alive.” (more formal)
Εξαιτίας της μουσικής στο πάρτι νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός.
= “Due to the music at the party …” (also more formal / heavier)

For everyday speech, Με τη μουσική στο πάρτι νιώθω πολύ ζωντανός (or with a different word order) is the most idiomatic.