Breakdown of Εγώ γεννήθηκα στην πρωτεύουσα, αλλά τώρα μένω σε άλλη χώρα.
τώρα
now
εγώ
I
μένω
to live
αλλά
but
Questions & Answers about Εγώ γεννήθηκα στην πρωτεύουσα, αλλά τώρα μένω σε άλλη χώρα.
Why is Εγώ written here? I thought Greek usually drops the subject pronoun.
Greek normally omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person (γεννήθηκα = I was born).
Εγώ is added mainly for emphasis or contrast, for example:
- Εγώ γεννήθηκα στην πρωτεύουσα, αλλά τώρα μένω σε άλλη χώρα.
→ I was born in the capital (not someone else), but now I live in another country.
Grammatically, the sentence would also be correct as:
- Γεννήθηκα στην πρωτεύουσα, αλλά τώρα μένω σε άλλη χώρα.
What exactly is the form γεννήθηκα? Which tense and voice is it?
γεννήθηκα is:
- tense: aorist (simple past)
- voice: passive
- person/number: 1st person singular
It comes from the passive verb γεννιέμαι (to be born).
So γεννήθηκα = I was born (once, at a specific time in the past).
Using the aorist here matches English “was born” as a single completed event.
Why is it γεννήθηκα and not γέννησα?