Breakdown of Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι υπάρχει ένα παγκάκι όπου καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε τη θέα.
Questions & Answers about Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι υπάρχει ένα παγκάκι όπου καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε τη θέα.
Δίπλα στο literally means right next to / beside something. It expresses very close, side‑by‑side proximity.
- δίπλα = next to, beside
- σε
- το → στο = to/at/in the (here: by the path)
So Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι = Next to the path or Beside the path.
κοντά σε just means near, not necessarily immediately next to. For instance:
- Δίπλα στο σπίτι = right next to the house, attached or very close
- Κοντά στο σπίτι = somewhere near the house, in the area
In the sentence, δίπλα στο is chosen because the bench is specifically right by the path.
στο is σε + το (= in/to/at the). Greek normally prefers a definite article with concrete, identifiable nouns.
- σε μονοπάτι = on a path (some path, unspecified)
- στο μονοπάτι = on the path (a particular path known from context)
Here we are talking about a specific path (probably one that both speaker and listener know about), so το μονοπάτι with the article is natural:
Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι → Next to the path.
μονοπάτι is a neuter noun. Its forms are:
- το μονοπάτι (nom./acc. singular) – the path
- του μονοπατιού (gen. singular)
After the preposition σε, Greek uses the accusative case. So:
- σε
- το μονοπάτι (accusative) → στο μονοπάτι
You can’t see the case change here because nominative and accusative are identical for most neuter nouns ending in -ι, but grammatically it is accusative.
Both can translate as “there is / there are”, but they’re used a bit differently:
υπάρχει (from υπάρχω) literally means “exists”. It’s the typical verb you use to introduce the existence or presence of something:
- Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι υπάρχει ένα παγκάκι.
Next to the path there is a bench.
- Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι υπάρχει ένα παγκάκι.
είναι (from είμαι = to be) is more general and often needs a different word order to sound natural:
- Ένα παγκάκι είναι δίπλα στο μονοπάτι.
Literally A bench is next to the path. (grammatical, but more like a neutral statement/fact about location)
- Ένα παγκάκι είναι δίπλα στο μονοπάτι.
When you mean “there is/are” in the sense of existence / presence at a place, υπάρχει is usually the most natural verb.
παγκάκι means bench (usually a small outdoor bench, like in a park).
- The ending -άκι is a diminutive in Greek. It often conveys small size or a neutral/affectionate tone.
- πάγκος = bench / counter (more general)
- παγκάκι = small bench / what we normally think of as a bench in a park
ένα is the neuter indefinite article = a / one.
So ένα παγκάκι = a bench (one bench, not specified which one). It’s neuter because παγκάκι is neuter.
όπου is a relative adverb of place meaning where. It introduces a relative clause that describes the bench:
- ένα παγκάκι όπου καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε τη θέα
= a bench *where we sit and look at the view*
που is a very common relative pronoun (and sometimes a conjunction) and often translates as that / who / which / where, depending on context.
Here, you could also say:
- ένα παγκάκι που καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε τη θέα
This is very natural in everyday speech.
Nuance:
- όπου keeps a clearer idea of place (the bench where…).
- που is more general and extremely common in spoken Greek.
Both are acceptable; όπου sounds a bit more explicitly locative or a touch more careful/formal.
Greek is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun (I, you, we, etc.) is usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.
- καθόμαστε = we sit (the ending -όμαστε signals we)
- κοιτάμε = we look (ending -με also signals we)
You can say εμείς καθόμαστε or εμείς κοιτάμε, but that adds emphasis, like “we sit” (as opposed to someone else). In neutral sentences like this, you simply leave εμείς out.
Modern Greek usually uses κάθομαι (middle/passive form) for “to sit / to be sitting / to sit down (colloquially)”:
- εγώ κάθομαι – I sit / I am sitting
- εμείς καθόμαστε – we sit / we are sitting
καθίζω exists, but it more literally means “to seat (someone) / to cause to sit”, or in some contexts “to sit down” in a more formal or older style. In everyday speech, when you say “we sit (on the bench)”, you use καθόμαστε, not καθίζουμε.
So όπου καθόμαστε = where we sit / where we (usually) sit.
Yes, both are correct and mean “we look (at)” / “we are looking (at)”.
- κοιτάμε is a shorter, very common form.
- κοιτάζουμε is a slightly longer variant; often a bit more “full” or careful, but in many dialects and styles they’re interchangeable.
So you could say:
- κοιτάμε τη θέα
- κοιτάζουμε τη θέα
Both mean “we look at the view”. In everyday speech κοιτάμε is extremely frequent.
Both are possible, but they have a nuance difference:
- κοιτάμε = we look (at), more active and deliberate: we direct our gaze at something.
- βλέπουμε = we see, more about perception in general, not necessarily intentional.
So:
- κοιτάμε τη θέα = we look at the view (we actively admire it)
- βλέπουμε τη θέα = we see the view (it’s visible to us)
In the context of sitting on a bench enjoying scenery, κοιτάμε τη θέα (“we’re looking at / admiring the view”) is the more natural choice.
The full feminine accusative singular article is την (for example: την πόρτα, την ώρα).
However, in everyday writing and speech, before a consonant, the -ν is often dropped, especially before certain consonants (π, τ, κ, μ, etc.). So:
- την θέα → τη θέα
This is standard and very common. You will still often see την kept in more formal writing or when clearer pronunciation is needed, but τη θέα is perfectly correct and completely natural.
τη θέα is in the accusative singular, feminine:
- η θέα (nominative) = the view
- τη(ν) θέα (accusative) = the view (as a direct object)
We use the accusative because τη θέα is the direct object of the verb κοιτάμε:
- κοιτάμε τι; → τη θέα
we look (at) what? → the view
So accusative is required by the verb.
Yes, you can change the word order. Greek word order is more flexible than English because the endings show the grammatical roles.
Both of these are natural:
- Δίπλα στο μονοπάτι υπάρχει ένα παγκάκι όπου καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε τη θέα.
- Υπάρχει ένα παγκάκι δίπλα στο μονοπάτι όπου καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε τη θέα.
The meaning is essentially the same: There is a bench next to the path where we sit and look at the view.
The difference is emphasis / focus:
- Version 1 starts by focusing on location (Next to the path…).
- Version 2 starts by introducing the existence of the bench (There is a bench…).
Both are correct and idiomatic.
Modern Greek present tense covers both:
- Ongoing present (happening now)
- General / habitual present (things we do regularly or typically)
In this sentence, καθόμαστε και κοιτάμε expresses a general habit or typical action associated with that bench:
- …a bench where we (usually) sit and look at the view.
You don’t need a special tense for “usually”; context plus the present tense is enough to convey that habitual meaning.