Learn Hardcore Greek: Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι γεννήθηκε σε μικρό χωριό κοντά στη θάλασσα. - My grandmother says that she was born in a small village near the sea.

Η = the (feminine, singular, nominative)
γιαγιά = grandmother
μου = my (unstressed/“clitic” possessive pronoun)
λέει = says (3rd person singular, present tense of λέω)
ότι = that (introduces a subordinate clause)
γεννήθηκε = she was born (aorist passive, 3rd person singular of γεννιέμαι / γεννιέται)
σε = in / at / to (here: in)
μικρό = small (neuter, singular, accusative, agreeing with χωριό)
χωριό = village (neuter, singular, accusative)
κοντά = near
στη = in the / at the (contraction of σε τη)
θάλασσα = sea (feminine, singular, accusative)

Natural English: My grandmother says that she was born in a small village near the sea.

Why is μου after γιαγιά instead of before it, like in English my grandmother?

In Greek, the unstressed possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun:

η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
το σπίτι σου = your house
ο φίλος μας = our friend

Putting μου before the noun (μου γιαγιά) is either wrong or sounds very archaic/poetic. So the normal order is:

article + noun + possessive pronoun
η γιαγιά μου = the grandmother my → my grandmother

Why is there no separate word for she in γεννήθηκε?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the context and from the verb ending. The verb ending in γεννήθηκε (-ηκε) already tells us it’s 3rd person singular (he/she/it).

We know from the earlier part of the sentence (η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι…) that the person is my grandmother, so:

(αυτή) γεννήθηκε
- αυτή = she (optional, usually omitted)
- γεννήθηκε = was born

So the she is understood, not stated. This is very typical in Greek.

What tense and voice is γεννήθηκε, and why is it used for was born?

γεννήθηκε is:

aorist (simple past)
passive voice
3rd person singular

It comes from the verb γεννιέμαι / γεννήθηκα = to be born.

Greek uses a simple past passive form for this meaning, which corresponds to English was born:

γεννήθηκα = I was born
γεννήθηκες = you were born
γεννήθηκε = he/she/it was born

So ότι γεννήθηκε literally means that (she) was born.

What is the difference between λέει and είπε?

Both come from the verb λέω = to say, but:

λέει = he/she says (present tense, ongoing/general)
- η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι… = my grandmother says that… (what she generally says / is saying now)
είπε = he/she said (aorist, simple past)
- η γιαγιά μου είπε ότι… = my grandmother said that… (a specific time in the past)

In the given sentence, λέει can imply something she often says or something she is saying in the present situation.

What does ότι do here, and how is it different from πως or που?

In this sentence ότι is a conjunction meaning that, introducing what she says:

η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι γεννήθηκε…
= my grandmother says that she was born…

Differences:

ότι and πως can both mean that (in reported speech):
- λέει ότι γεννήθηκε…
- λέει πως γεννήθηκε…
  Both: she says that she was born…
που is different; it usually means who / that / which in relative clauses:
- η γιαγιά μου που μένει εδώ = my grandmother who lives here

So here you need ότι (or πως), not που.

Why is it σε μικρό χωριό and not σε ένα μικρό χωριό for in a small village?

Greek has an indefinite article (ένας, μία/μια, ένα), but it is not always required where English uses a/an.

σε μικρό χωριό literally: in small village
σε ένα μικρό χωριό literally: in one small village / in a small village

Both are grammatically correct. The version without the article is very common when introducing something non‑specific, especially in descriptions or narratives.

So:

γεννήθηκε σε μικρό χωριό = she was born in a small village (naturally translated with a in English)
Adding ένα slightly emphasizes one such village, but in many contexts it feels almost the same.

Why is there no article before μικρό χωριό?

Because the phrase is indefinite and Greek often omits the article in that case:

No article: σε μικρό χωριό
- indefinite, non‑specific: in a small village
With article: σε το μικρό χωριό → contracted στο μικρό χωριό
- definite, specific: in the small village

So the + village would require the article, but here it’s a small village, so no definite article is used.

Why is it στη θάλασσα and not just σε θάλασσα?

στη is the contraction of:

σε
- τη → στη

Here τη is the definite article (the, feminine accusative).

So:

σε θάλασσα = in (a) sea (indefinite, unusual here)
στη θάλασσα = in the sea / at the sea (definite)

Greek often uses the definite article with nouns like θάλασσα in a general or familiar sense:

κοντά στη θάλασσα = near the sea / by the sea
(in English we typically drop the article and say near the sea or just by the sea, but Greek keeps τη).

What does κοντά mean, and how does it combine with σε?

κοντά = near / close (by).

When you want to say near something, you usually use κοντά σε + noun:

κοντά σε χωριό = near a village
κοντά στο χωριό (= σε + το) = near the village
κοντά στη θάλασσα (= σε + τη) = near the sea

In the sentence, κοντά στη θάλασσα = near the sea / close to the sea.

Why is it στη and not στην before θάλασσα?

στη and στην both come from σε + την (σε + τη(ν)). The final -ν in την is optional in modern Greek and is used or dropped depending on sound and style.

Many speakers say:

στην Αθήνα, στην Ιταλία, στην Αγγλία
στη θάλασσα, στη δουλειά, στη μέση

Both στη θάλασσα and στην θάλασσα can be heard; στη θάλασσα is more common in writing and everyday speech.

How does the word order compare to English? Could we rearrange it?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but the given order is very natural:

Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι γεννήθηκε σε μικρό χωριό κοντά στη θάλασσα.

You could rearrange some parts, but you can’t break natural groups:

Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι σε μικρό χωριό κοντά στη θάλασσα γεννήθηκε.
(still correct, but slightly marked/emphatic)

You cannot separate things like:

σε μικρό χωριό
κοντά στη θάλασσα

Those are prepositional phrases that should stay together. Compared to English, Greek is freer, but the sentence as given is the most straightforward.

How do you pronounce some of the tricky words: γιαγιά, γεννήθηκε, χωριό, θάλασσα?

Approximate pronunciations (stress in CAPS):

γιαγιά → ya‑YÁ
- για = ya, γιά = yá
γεννήθηκε → ye‑NÍ‑thi‑ke
- γ before ε/ι sounds like y in yes
- νθ = nth (as in panther, but in one syllable)
χωριό → ho‑RYO (or hɔ‑RYÓ)
- χ = a rough h, like German Bach
- ριό is one syllable: ryó
θάλασσα → THÁ‑la‑ssa
- θ = th in think
- double σ just lengthens the s sound a bit

All words are stressed exactly where the written accent (΄) is placed.