Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό αλλά έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.

The kiosk on the corner is small but has almost everything.

Breakdown of Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό αλλά έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.

• είμαι: to be
• έχω: to have
• αλλά: but
• σε: on
• μικρός: small
• σχεδόν: almost
• τα πάντα: everything
• το περίπτερο: the kiosk
• η γωνία: the corner

Questions & Answers about Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό αλλά έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.

What does περίπτερο mean, and what gender is it?

Περίπτερο is a very common Greek word meaning a small stand or kiosk, often one that sells newspapers, snacks, drinks, phone cards, etc. In English you might say kiosk, newsstand, or corner stand, depending on context.

Grammatically, περίπτερο is:

• neuter noun
• singular
• nominative case here

That is why the article is το περίπτερο and the adjective later is μικρό, not μικρός or μικρή.

Why is it το περίπτερο and not something like ένα περίπτερο?

Greek uses the definite article το more often than English uses the. Here, το περίπτερο στη γωνία means the kiosk on the corner – a specific, known kiosk (probably one both speaker and listener can identify).

If you said:

• Ένα περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό… you would be talking about a kiosk on some corner (more indefinite, as if it doesn’t matter which one).

So το is used because it’s a specific kiosk already known or easily identifiable from context.

What exactly is happening in στη γωνία? Why στη and not σε τη or στην?

Στη is the contracted form of:

• σε (preposition, roughly in / at / on)
• τη (feminine accusative singular article, the)

So:

• σε + τη γωνία → στη γωνία = at/on the corner

About στη vs στην:

• Before most consonants, the final ν of στην can drop.
• στη(ν) γωνία: both forms are possible, but everyday speech and writing usually prefer στη γωνία here.

So στη γωνία literally is at the corner, with the article τη built into στη.

What case is γωνία, and why?

Γωνία is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative case here

The preposition σε in modern Greek is almost always followed by the accusative. After contraction (σε + τη → στη), the noun still stays in the accusative:

• σε τη γωνία → στη γωνία (accusative feminine singular)

So the case is determined by the preposition σε.

Why is the adjective μικρό and not μικρή or μικρός?

Greek adjectives agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

The noun περίπτερο is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative (it’s the subject)

So the adjective must be:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

The forms of μικρός (small) are:

• masculine: μικρός
• feminine: μικρή
• neuter: μικρό

Because περίπτερο is neuter, you use μικρό:
Το περίπτερο … είναι μικρό.

Could the word order be Το περίπτερο είναι μικρό στη γωνία?

That would sound odd and confusing.

In Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό…, the structure is:

• Το περίπτερο στη γωνία = the subject phrase (the kiosk on the corner)
• είναι μικρό = predicate (is small)

If you move στη γωνία after είναι μικρό, Greek speakers may interpret it as it is small at the corner (as if its size changes with location), which is not what you mean.

So the normal, natural order for the kiosk on the corner is small is:

• Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό…

What is the function of είναι here, and can it be left out?

Είναι is the present tense of είμαι (to be), meaning is here.

In this sentence:

• Το περίπτερο στη γωνία = subject
• είναι μικρό = is small (linking verb + adjective)

You cannot omit είναι in standard Greek.
Το περίπτερο στη γωνία μικρό… would be ungrammatical in this context. You need the verb είναι to connect the subject with the adjective.

Why do we use αλλά and not όμως for but?

Both αλλά and όμως can be translated as but, but they behave differently:

• αλλά is a conjunction that connects two clauses directly:

  • Είναι μικρό αλλά έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.
    (It is small but it has almost everything.)

• όμως is more like an adverb / discourse marker. It usually appears inside the second clause:

  • Είναι μικρό. Όμως, έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.
  • Είναι μικρό∙ όμως έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.

So in one single sentence joining two parts, αλλά is the standard and most natural choice.

Why is it έχει and not something like είναι or διαθέτει?

Έχει is the verb to have in the 3rd person singular: he/she/it has.
Το περίπτερο … έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα = The kiosk … has almost everything.

• Είναι means is, so είναι σχεδόν τα πάντα would mean is almost everything, which changes the meaning.
• Διαθέτει also means has / offers, but it is more formal and less common in everyday speech for a kiosk. You could say:
  • Το περίπτερο διαθέτει σχεδόν τα πάντα, but it sounds more formal, like an advertisement.

For normal conversation, έχει is the natural choice.

What does σχεδόν mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

Σχεδόν means almost.

Its normal place here is directly before what you are qualifying:

• έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα = it has almost everything

Alternatives like σχεδόν έχει τα πάντα are possible but sound marked or emphasize almost more unusually. The neutral, everyday order is:

• έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα

What exactly does τα πάντα mean, and how is it different from όλα?

Τα πάντα literally means all things, and in practice it translates as everything.

• τα = the (neuter plural)
• πάντα = all (things)

Comparison:

• όλα also means all / everything.
• τα πάντα is often a bit stronger or more emphatic than όλα in everyday speech.

Here:

• έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα ≈ it has (almost) everything, with a sense of practically anything you might need.

You could also say έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα or έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα που θες (it has almost everything you want).

Why does τα appear before πάντα if πάντα already feels like always or everything?

Greek πάντα can mean two different things:

1. πάντα (adverb) = always

   • Πάντα έρχεται νωρίς. = He always comes early.

2. τα πάντα (noun phrase) = everything / all things

   • Ξέρει τα πάντα. = He knows everything.

In the sentence έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα, we have the second use:

• τα is the definite article (neuter plural)
• πάντα works like a noun (all things)

So τα πάντα together means everything. The article τα is needed in this noun-phrase use.

Can we say έχει σχεδόν όλα instead of έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα?

You can say έχει σχεδόν όλα, and it is grammatically correct, but it feels a bit incomplete by itself, as if you are omitting a noun:

• έχει σχεδόν όλα (τα πράγματα που θες)

Τα πάντα is a fixed, idiomatic way to say everything all by itself, without needing a following noun. It sounds more natural here:

• Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό αλλά έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.

How are the stressed syllables pronounced in this sentence?

Stress in Greek is very important. The stressed syllables are:

• Το περίπτερο στη γωνία είναι μικρό αλλά έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα.

So the main stressed syllables are:

• πεΡΙπτερο
• γωΝΙα
• μικΡΟ
• αΛΛΑ
• σχεΔΟΝ
• ΠΑντα

Missing or moving the stress can make a word sound wrong or like a different word.

Is περίπτερο only used for kiosks on the street, or can it mean other things?

In everyday modern Greek, περίπτερο usually means:

• a small kiosk / stand in public spaces, often selling small items (newspapers, cigarettes, snacks, drinks, etc.)

In some formal or technical contexts, περίπτερο can also mean:

• a pavilion or booth at a trade fair or exhibition

But in this sentence, with στη γωνία and έχει σχεδόν τα πάντα, the meaning is clearly the common street kiosk / corner stand.