Learn Hardcore Greek: Η κουβέντα με τη φίλη μου στο σαλόνι είναι πολύ ευχάριστη. - The chat with my friend in the living room is very pleasant.

η κουβέντα = subject (nominative case, feminine singular)
είναι = verb (is)
με τη φίλη μου and στο σαλόνι = prepositional phrases (tell us with whom and where)
πολύ ευχάριστη = predicate adjective (describes the subject η κουβέντα)

Why is it η κουβέντα and not το κουβέντα?

Because κουβέντα is a feminine noun in Greek.

Feminine singular definite article (nominative): η
Masculine singular definite article (nominative): ο
Neuter singular definite article (nominative): το

Many nouns ending in -α or -η are feminine, so you say η κουβέντα (the conversation), not το κουβέντα.

Why is it τη φίλη and not η φίλη?

Because η φίλη is not the subject here; it follows the preposition με (with), and prepositions in Greek take the accusative case.

Nominative (subject): η φίλη = the (female) friend
Accusative (after με): τη φίλη

So:

Η φίλη μού μιλάει. = The friend talks to me. (η φίλη = subject)
Μιλάω με τη φίλη μου. = I talk with my friend. (τη φίλη = object of the preposition με)

I learned την for the feminine accusative. Why is it τη φίλη instead of την φίλη?

Both forms exist; the -ν at the end is often dropped in writing and speech before many consonants.

Rules (modern standard Greek):

Use την before a vowel or the consonants κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ
- e.g. την κόρη, την πόρτα, την ώρα
You can drop the -ν (write τη) before other consonants: β, γ, δ, ζ, θ, λ, μ, ν, ρ, σ, φ, χ
- e.g. τη φίλη, τη ζέστη

Since φ is in that second group, we normally write τη φίλη.
So τη φίλη is the standard spelling in this sentence, but την φίλη is still understandable.

Why does μου come after φίλη instead of before, like in English?

In Greek, possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους usually come after the noun as enclitics:

η φίλη μου = my friend
το σπίτι σου = your house
η μητέρα μας = our mother

So we say τη φίλη μου, not μου τη φίλη.
Word-for-word it’s the friend my, but that’s the normal order in Greek.

What does με mean here?

με is the preposition with.

με τη φίλη μου = with my (female) friend

Like most Greek prepositions, με is followed by the accusative case, which is why we have τη φίλη (accusative) instead of η φίλη (nominative).

What exactly is στο in στο σαλόνι?

στο is a contraction of:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the, neuter singular)

So:

σε + το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι = in the living room / in the lounge

Similarly:

σε + τον κήπο → στον κήπο (in the garden)
σε + την κουζίνα → στην κουζίνα (in the kitchen)

Which case is σαλόνι in, and how can I tell?

σαλόνι is in the accusative singular, because it comes after the preposition σε (hidden inside στο).

However, neuter nouns in Greek typically have the same form in nominative and accusative:

Nominative: το σαλόνι
Accusative: (στο) σαλόνι

So the article/contraction (στο) tells you it’s accusative; the noun itself looks the same.

Why does ευχάριστη end in -η? Why not ευχάριστο?

ευχάριστη is an adjective that must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes.

Subject: η κουβέντα → feminine, singular, nominative
Adjective: ευχάριστη → feminine, singular, nominative

If the subject were neuter, you would use the neuter form:

Το ταξίδι είναι πολύ ευχάριστο. = The trip is very pleasant.

If it were masculine:

Ο καιρός είναι πολύ ευχάριστος. = The weather is very pleasant.

What is πολύ doing here? Is it an adjective or an adverb?

In this sentence, πολύ functions as an adverb meaning very:

πολύ ευχάριστη = very pleasant

As an adverb, πολύ does not change form for gender, number, or case.

It can also be used as an adjective (a lot of/many), in which case it does change:

πολλή κουβέντα = a lot of conversation (feminine)
πολλοί φίλοι = many friends (masculine)

Can I change the word order, for example: Η κουβέντα στο σαλόνι με τη φίλη μου είναι πολύ ευχάριστη?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially for prepositional phrases like με τη φίλη μου and στο σαλόνι.

All of these are natural:

Η κουβέντα με τη φίλη μου στο σαλόνι είναι πολύ ευχάριστη.
Η κουβέντα στο σαλόνι με τη φίλη μου είναι πολύ ευχάριστη.

The basic structure [subject] – [verb] – [complements] stays the same, but the order of the complements can move to change emphasis slightly.

If my friend is male, how does με τη φίλη μου change?

You would use the masculine forms:

ο φίλος = the (male) friend
Accusative with με: με τον φίλο μου = with my (male) friend

So the sentence becomes:

Η κουβέντα με τον φίλο μου στο σαλόνι είναι πολύ ευχάριστη.

What is the difference between η κουβέντα and η συζήτηση?

Both can be translated as conversation, but they have different nuances:

η κουβέντα
- more informal, casual talk, chat
- often friendly, everyday speech
- e.g. Έχουμε ωραίες κουβέντες. = We have nice chats.
η συζήτηση
- more formal, structured discussion, often about a topic or issue
- e.g. Κάναμε μια σοβαρή συζήτηση. = We had a serious discussion.

In your sentence, η κουβέντα fits well because it suggests a pleasant, friendly chat.