Σήμερα η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή και βήχω λίγο, αλλά τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά.

Today my nose is blocked and I cough a bit, but my ears are fine.

Breakdown of Σήμερα η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή και βήχω λίγο, αλλά τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά.

• είμαι: to be
• καλά: well
• και: and
• λίγο: a little
• σήμερα: today
• μου: my
• αλλά: but
• βήχω: to cough
• η μύτη: the nose
• κλειστός: blocked
• το αυτί: the ear

Questions & Answers about Σήμερα η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή και βήχω λίγο, αλλά τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά.

What is the function of μου in η μύτη μου and τα αυτιά μου, and why does it come after the noun?

Μου is the unstressed (clitic) form of my in Greek. It is the genitive form of the first‑person singular pronoun.

In phrases like η μύτη μου and τα αυτιά μου:

• η μύτη = the nose

• μου = my
  → η μύτη μου = my nose (literally: the nose my)

• τα αυτιά = the ears
• μου = my
  → τα αυτιά μου = my ears (literally: the ears my)

In Greek, these possessive pronouns normally come after the noun (and its article), not before it as in English. So:

• το βιβλίο μου = my book
• το σπίτι σου = your house
• η μύτη μου = my nose

Word order article + noun + possessive is the normal pattern for this type of possession.

Why is it η μύτη and not something like το μύτη? How do I know the gender?

Μύτη (nose) is a feminine noun in Greek, so it takes the feminine definite article η in the nominative singular:

• η μύτη = the nose

Many body parts in Greek are feminine, but not all. You simply need to learn the gender along with the noun:

• η μύτη (feminine) – the nose
• το χέρι (neuter) – the hand / arm
• το πόδι (neuter) – the leg / foot
• το στόμα (neuter) – the mouth
• το αυτί (neuter) – the ear

The form το μύτη would be incorrect because the article το is neuter, and μύτη is feminine.

What does κλειστή mean here, and why does it end in -ή?

Κλειστή comes from the adjective κλειστός – κλειστή – κλειστό, which means closed.

In this sentence, κλειστή is describing η μύτη (the nose), which is:

• feminine
• singular
• in the nominative (subject of the verb είναι)

So the adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• masculine: κλειστός
• feminine: κλειστή
• neuter: κλειστό

Since η μύτη is feminine singular, you use κλειστή.

In context, η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή usually means my nose is blocked/stuffy, not literally shut like a door. This is the normal way to describe a blocked nose in Greek.

Why is είναι used twice: η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή … τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά? Could Greek leave the second είναι out?

Grammatically, you could omit the second είναι in very casual or fast speech:

• Σήμερα η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή και … τα αυτιά μου καλά.

However, in normal, clear written or spoken Greek, it is more natural and stylistically better to repeat είναι:

• η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή και … τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά.

Repeating είναι:

• keeps the structure clear (each clause is complete)
• avoids any slight ambiguity or heaviness
• sounds more natural in standard Greek

So the sentence as given is the most natural form.

What is the difference between βήχω and έχω βήχα? Could I say … και έχω βήχα instead?

Both are used, but they are slightly different in feel:

• βήχω = I cough (verb)

  • βήχω λίγο = I cough a little / I’m coughing a bit.

• έχω βήχα = I have a cough (literally: I have cough – βήχας is the noun)

  • έχω λίγο βήχα = I have a bit of a cough.

In your sentence, βήχω λίγο focuses more on the action of coughing.
If you said:

• Σήμερα η μύτη μου είναι κλειστή και έχω λίγο βήχα…

that would also be correct; it just shifts the emphasis to the condition of “having a cough” rather than the act of coughing. Both are natural in Greek.

What exactly does λίγο do in βήχω λίγο, and why does it come after the verb?

Λίγο literally means a little / a bit. Here it functions adverbially, modifying the verb βήχω:

• βήχω = I cough
• βήχω λίγο = I cough a little / a bit

It tells you how much or to what extent the person coughs.

Position:

• It is very common in Greek for adverbs like λίγο to follow the verb they modify:
  • κουράστηκα λίγο = I got a little tired
  • πονάω λίγο = I hurt a bit
  • βήχω λίγο = I cough a little

You could sometimes move λίγο for emphasis, but verb + λίγο is the normal, neutral order in this kind of sentence.

Why is the plural τα αυτιά and not something like τα αυτία? The spelling looks irregular.

The singular is:

• το αυτί = the ear (neuter)

Its usual plural is:

• τα αυτιά = the ears

This is one of a group of nouns where the plural ends in -ιά instead of a more predictable -ια spelling. It’s still neuter, just with this particular plural form.

So you get:

• το παιδί → τα παιδιά (child → children)
• το αυτί → τα αυτιά (ear → ears)

You need to learn the plural together with the noun, because the spelling change is not always obvious from the singular. Pronunciation-wise, αυτιά is pronounced like af-TYÁ (with the typical αυ = af before a voiceless consonant).

Why is it καλά with τα αυτιά? Shouldn’t it be something like καλές if it’s describing plural “ears”?

Καλός – καλή – καλό is the adjective good, and it changes form to agree with the noun:

• masculine plural: καλοί
• feminine plural: καλές
• neuter plural: καλά

Αυτί (ear) is neuter, so:

• singular: το αυτί → καλό αυτί
• plural: τα αυτιά → καλά αυτιά

In the sentence τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά, καλά is the neuter plural form of the adjective, agreeing with τα αυτιά.

So καλές would be wrong here because that’s the feminine plural form.

Could I change the word order, for example … αλλά είναι καλά τα αυτιά μου? Does that sound natural?

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially with the verb είμαι.

All of these are grammatically correct:

• … αλλά τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά. (neutral, very natural)
• … αλλά είναι καλά τα αυτιά μου. (slight emphasis on καλά)
• … αλλά τα αυτιά μου καλά είναι. (can sound more emphatic or contrastive)

The sentence given, … αλλά τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά, is the most neutral and typical word order: subject – verb – complement. The variations can be used for stylistic or emphasis reasons.

What is the role of αλλά here, and is there any difference from using μα?

Αλλά is a coordinating conjunction meaning but, introducing a contrast with what came before:

• first clause: something is wrong (nose blocked, coughing)
• second clause: but the ears are fine

So:

• … βήχω λίγο, αλλά τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά.
  = … I cough a bit, but my ears are fine.

You can sometimes hear μα used instead of αλλά, especially in more informal or expressive speech:

• … βήχω λίγο, μα τα αυτιά μου είναι καλά.

Differences:

• αλλά is the standard, neutral conjunction for but in modern Greek.
• μα can sound more colloquial, emotional, or literary, depending on context.

In a simple, neutral sentence like this, αλλά is the best and most common choice.

How is μύτη pronounced, and what does the accent on μύτη and αυτιά tell me?

Pronunciation:

• μύτη → MEE-tee (both υ and η here are pronounced like ee)
• αυτιά → approximately af-TYÁ
  
  • αυ before a voiceless consonant (τ) is pronounced af
  • τιά becomes TYÁ (with a palatalized t before ι)

Accent marks:

• μύτη: the accent on the first syllable (μύ‑τη) tells you that this is stressed MÝ‑ti, not my‑TÍ.
• αυτιά: the accent on the last syllable (αυ‑τιά) tells you it is stressed af‑TYÁ.

In modern Greek’s monotonic system, a single accent (´) marks the stressed syllable in words with two or more syllables. Correct stress is essential for sounding natural and also sometimes for distinguishing between words that are spelled the same but stressed differently.