Learn Hardcore Greek: Στην αίθουσα όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών είναι ήδη γραμμένα στις θέσεις τους, σύμφωνα με τη λίστα. - In the room all the students’ names are already written on their seats, according to the list.

σε = a basic preposition meaning in / at / to
When σε is followed by a definite article, it usually contracts:
- σε + την αίθουσα → στην αίθουσα
- σε + τον τοίχο → στον τοίχο
- σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι

So στην is just σε + την (in + the, feminine).

You could say σε την αίθουσα in theory, but in normal Greek it is always contracted to στην αίθουσα.

Why does the sentence start with Στην αίθουσα? Could I say Όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών... στην αίθουσα instead?

Yes, you could change the word order. Both are possible:

Στην αίθουσα όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών είναι ήδη γραμμένα...
Όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών είναι ήδη γραμμένα στην αίθουσα...

Greek word order is more flexible than English. Putting Στην αίθουσα at the beginning emphasizes the location first – “As for what happens in the room…”.

If you move στην αίθουσα later, the focus shifts more to the names being written, and where is just extra information. Meaning doesn’t really change; it’s mostly about emphasis and style.

Why is it όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών and not something like όλα ονόματα φοιτητών, like in English “all students’ names”?

Greek uses the definite article much more than English, especially in noun phrases:

όλα τα ονόματα = all the names
των φοιτητών = of the students

So the natural Greek structure is: > όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών
> literally: all the names of the students

Leaving out the articles (όλα ονόματα φοιτητών) sounds ungrammatical or at least very foreign.

Formally:

ονόματα is in the nominative plural (subject).
των φοιτητών is in the genitive plural showing possession: of the students.

What is the difference between φοιτητών and μαθητών? Could I use μαθητών here?

Both are translated as students, but they refer to different levels:

φοιτητής / φοιτήτρια – φοιτητές
usually = university / college students
μαθητής / μαθήτρια – μαθητές
usually = pupils / school students (primary/secondary)

In this sentence:

όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών

we usually imagine a university lecture hall or classroom.

You could say όλα τα ονόματα των μαθητών if you mean a school classroom instead of a university setting.

Why is it των φοιτητών and not οι φοιτητές?

Because we’re not saying “the students are …”, but “the students’ names are …”.

We need a possessive/genitive form:

οι φοιτητές = the students (nominative, subject)
των φοιτητών = of the students (genitive, possession)

So:

Όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών
= All the names of the students / all the students’ names

Using οι φοιτητές there would break the grammar; we’d suddenly have a second nominative noun group that doesn’t fit the structure.

What exactly is είναι ήδη γραμμένα? Is this a tense, or an adjective, or passive voice?

είναι ήδη γραμμένα is a combination of:

είναι = are (present tense of to be)
γραμμένα = the perfect passive participle of γράφω (to write), used as an adjective

So the structure is “be” + past participle, like English “are written”, but in Greek this usually describes a resulting state:

είναι γραμμένα = are (in the state of being) written

It focuses more on the existing situation (the names are already on the seats), not on the action of writing itself at this moment.

Why is it γραμμένα and not γραμμένοι or γραμμένες?

The participle γραμμένος, -η, -ο behaves like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes.

το όνομα (name) → neuter singular
τα ονόματα (names) → neuter plural

So we need neuter plural:

masculine plural: γραμμένοι
feminine plural: γραμμένες
neuter plural: γραμμένα ✅

Because the subject is όλα τα ονόματα (neuter plural), the correct form is: > είναι ήδη γραμμένα

Could I say γράφονται instead of είναι γραμμένα? What would change?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

είναι ήδη γραμμένα
= are already written
→ emphasizes the resulting state; the writing is finished.
γράφονται (present passive)
= are being written / are written (now)
→ emphasizes the ongoing action.

In this context, we want to say the names are already there, not that someone is currently in the process of writing them.
So είναι ήδη γραμμένα is the natural choice.

What does στις θέσεις τους mean exactly, and how is στις formed?

στις θέσεις τους means “on their seats / in their places”.

Breakdown:

σε = in / at / on
τις θέσεις = the seats/places (feminine accusative plural)
σε + τις → στις

So στις is just the contracted form of σε τις.

The noun:

η θέση = seat / position / place
τις θέσεις = the seats (accusative plural, after σε)

So: > στις θέσεις τους = in/on their seats / places

Who does τους in στις θέσεις τους refer to? The names or the students? Why is it in that form?

τους here refers to the students (των φοιτητών), not to the names.

τα ονόματα (names) are neuter things, not people.
τους is the 3rd person plural genitive pronoun, commonly used for “their”.

Form:

ο φίλος τους = their friend
στις θέσεις τους = on their seats

So the full idea is: > the names of the students are written on the seats belonging to them (the students).

Grammatically, τους:

is in the genitive
agrees only in number (plural); it doesn’t show gender (same form for masculine, feminine, neuter).

What does σύμφωνα με mean, and why do we need με after σύμφωνα?

σύμφωνα με is a fixed expression meaning “according to”.

σύμφωνα by itself is an adverb (from σύμφωνος = in agreement).
In modern Greek, when we mean “according to (someone/something)”, we almost always say:
- σύμφωνα με + accusative

So:

σύμφωνα με τη λίστα = according to the list
σύμφωνα με τον καθηγητή = according to the professor
σύμφωνα με τις οδηγίες = according to the instructions

You normally cannot drop με here; σύμφωνα τη λίστα is wrong in standard modern Greek.

Why is it τη λίστα and not την λίστα? And why do we use the definite article here?

Two separate issues: the final -ν and the use of the article.

τη vs την

The full form is την (feminine accusative singular).
In modern spelling, the final -ν is often dropped before most consonants:
- keep -ν before: κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ and double consonants
- often drop it before others, e.g. λ

So:

την αίθουσα → stays την because it’s before a vowel (α)
τη λίστα → common spelling without -ν before λ

Writing την λίστα is not “wrong”; many people still keep the ν. But τη λίστα follows the modern simplification rules.

Why the definite article?

τη λίστα = the list, not a list.
We are talking about a specific, known list (for example, the class roster, or an official seating list). Greek uses the definite article whenever a noun is specific and identifiable in context.

That’s why we say:

σύμφωνα με τη λίστα = according to the (known) list.

Could the sentence be rephrased with a different structure but the same meaning, and would that change the nuance?

Yes, some natural alternatives with slightly different nuance:

Ήδη είναι γραμμένα όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών στις θέσεις τους, σύμφωνα με τη λίστα.
– Emphasis a bit more on ήδη (already).
Όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών είναι ήδη γραμμένα, σύμφωνα με τη λίστα, στις θέσεις τους.
– Moves σύμφωνα με τη λίστα into the middle; stylistic variation, same meaning.
Στην αίθουσα, σύμφωνα με τη λίστα, όλα τα ονόματα των φοιτητών είναι ήδη γραμμένα στις θέσεις τους.
– Slightly more formal/“written” style, giving prominence to both the place and the fact it follows the list.

The core grammar stays the same:

ονόματα (nominative neuter plural subject)
είναι γραμμένα (state)
στις θέσεις τους (location)
σύμφωνα με τη λίστα (according to what).