Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά.

I want a new book in Greek.

Breakdown of Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά.

• θέλω: to want
• ελληνικά: in Greek
• ένα: one
• το βιβλίο: the book
• νέος: young

Questions & Answers about Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά.

Why is there no separate word for “I” in this sentence? I only see Θέλω.

Greek usually drops subject pronouns (it’s a pro‑drop language).
The verb ending itself shows who the subject is.

• Θέλω = I want (1st person singular)
• Θέλεις = you want (2nd person singular)
• Θέλει = he/she/it wants (3rd person singular)

So Εγώ (I) is understood and not needed. You only add Εγώ for emphasis:

• Εγώ θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά. = I want a new book in Greek (as opposed to someone else).

What exactly is Θέλω grammatically (tense, mood, person), and do I need να after it?

Θέλω is:

• present tense
• indicative mood
• active voice
• 1st person singular of the verb θέλω (to want).

You do not use να when θέλω is followed by a noun:

• Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο. = I want a new book. ✅
• ❌ Θέλω να ένα νέο βιβλίο. (ungrammatical)

You use θέλω να when it’s followed by a verb:

• Θέλω να διαβάσω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά.
  = I want to read a new book in Greek.

Why is it ένα and not ένας or μία / μια?

Greek has three forms for the indefinite article (“a/an”), depending on gender:

• ένας – masculine (e.g. ένας φίλος – a (male) friend)
• μία / μια – feminine (e.g. μια τσάντα – a bag)
• ένα – neuter (e.g. ένα βιβλίο – a book)

The noun βιβλίο (book) is neuter, so the correct form is ένα:

• ένα βιβλίο = a book (neuter)
• Θέλω ένα βιβλίο. = I want a book.

What gender and case is βιβλίο, and why?

Βιβλίο is:

• Gender: neuter
• Number: singular
• Case: accusative here, because it is the direct object of Θέλω.

Neuter nouns in -ο have the same form for nominative and accusative singular:

• το βιβλίο – the book (nominative: subject)
• Βλέπω το βιβλίο. – I see the book. (accusative: object)

In Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά., ένα νέο βιβλίο is “what I want” → direct object → accusative.

Why is the adjective νέο in that form, and why does it come before βιβλίο?

The adjective νέος, νέα, νέο (new, young) must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since βιβλίο is neuter, singular, accusative, the adjective also takes the neuter singular accusative form: νέο.

Word order: with an adjective directly describing a noun, Greek normally puts it before the noun:

• ένα νέο βιβλίο = a new book
• το μεγάλο σπίτι = the big house

You can say ένα βιβλίο νέο, but that tends to put extra emphasis on “new” (“a book that is new”), and is less neutral/natural in everyday speech than ένα νέο βιβλίο.

What’s the difference between νέο and καινούριο when saying “a new book”?

Both can mean “new”, but there is a nuance:

• καινούριος / καινούργιος (common variants)
  Emphasizes brand‑new, unused, not old.
  Ένα καινούριο βιβλίο → a book that is new to you, not second‑hand.

• νέος, νέα, νέο
  More about new in time / recent.
  Ένα νέο βιβλίο → a newly published title / recent book, though in practice it often just means “new”.

In everyday speech, you will hear both, and often there is no big difference.
Here, ένα νέο βιβλίο is perfectly natural.

How do article and adjective agreement work in ένα νέο βιβλίο?

All three words match in gender, number, and case:

• ένα – neuter, singular, accusative (indefinite article)
• νέο – neuter, singular, accusative (adjective)
• βιβλίο – neuter, singular, accusative (noun)

Pattern to remember:

• [article] + [adjective] + [noun]
  → ένα ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο (an interesting book)
  → το παλιό σπίτι (the old house)

What does στα mean exactly in στα ελληνικά?

Στα is a contraction of:

• σε + τα → στα

Σε is a very common preposition meaning in, at, to. It almost always takes the accusative case and usually combines with the definite article:

• σε το → στο
• σε τα → στα
• σε την → στην, etc.

So στα ελληνικά literally is “in the Greek [language]”.

Why is it στα ελληνικά (plural), and what form is ελληνικά?

Ελληνικά here is:

• neuter
• plural
• accusative (because of σε/στα)

Formally, ελληνικά is the neuter plural of the adjective ελληνικός, ελληνική, ελληνικό (Greek). In modern Greek, many language names appear as neuter plurals used as nouns:

• τα ελληνικά – Greek (language)
• τα αγγλικά – English
• τα γαλλικά – French
• Μιλάω ελληνικά. – I speak Greek.

So στα ελληνικά literally = “in the Greek [words/things]”, idiomatically = “in Greek (language)”.

Could I say σε ελληνικά or στην ελληνική instead of στα ελληνικά?

• σε ελληνικά – sounds incomplete/wrong in this context; it lacks the article and doesn’t match the usual idiom for languages.
• στην ελληνική – could work only if a noun is understood, e.g.
  στην ελληνική (γλώσσα) = in the Greek (language).
  It feels more formal or technical.

In everyday, natural Greek, for “in Greek (language)” you say:

• στα ελληνικά – almost always.

What’s the difference between στα ελληνικά and ένα νέο ελληνικό βιβλίο?

They say different things:

• Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά.
  = I want a new book in Greek (language).
  Focus on the language of the text.

• Θέλω ένα νέο ελληνικό βιβλίο.
  = I want a new Greek book.
  This usually means a book by a Greek author / from Greece / about something Greek.
  It does not necessarily specify the language (it might be in English about Greece, for instance).

To be clear about language, use στα ελληνικά.

Can I move στα ελληνικά to a different place in the sentence?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, though Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά is the neutral order.

Other possible orders:

• Θέλω στα ελληνικά ένα νέο βιβλίο.
• Ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά θέλω.
• Στα ελληνικά θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο.

All can be understood, but changing the position often adds emphasis:

• Στα ελληνικά θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο.
  Stresses στα ελληνικά (“In Greek is how I want the book”).

How can I make this sentence more polite, like “I would like a new book in Greek”?

Use Θα ήθελα (“I would like”) instead of Θέλω:

• Θα ήθελα ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά, παρακαλώ.
  = I would like a new book in Greek, please.

Θα ήθελα is very common in shops, restaurants, etc., and sounds more polite than Θέλω.

How do you pronounce Θέλω ένα νέο βιβλίο στα ελληνικά?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA):

• Θέλω – /ˈθelo/
• ένα – /ˈena/
• νέο – /ˈneo/
• βιβλίο – /viˈvlio/
• στα – /sta/
• ελληνικά – /eliniˈka/

Whole sentence:
/ˈθelo ˈena ˈneo viˈvlio sta eliniˈka/

Key points:

• Θ θ = like th in think (never like this).
• η, ι, υ, ει, οι often sound like i in machine.
• Stress is where the accent mark is: Θέ‑λω, έ‑να, νέ‑ο, βι‑βλί‑ο, ε‑λλη‑νι‑κά.