Learn Hardcore Greek: Η βρύση στην κουζίνα στάζει λίγο, αλλά ο παππούς λέει ότι θα την φτιάξει. - The tap in the kitchen drips a bit, but my grandfather says he will fix it.

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.
Βρύση (tap / faucet) is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine article:

η βρύση = the tap (subject, nominative)
της βρύσης = of the tap (genitive)
τη(ν) βρύση = the tap (object, accusative)

The article must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case, so η is required here, not ο (masc.) or το (neuter).

What exactly is στην in στην κουζίνα? Is it one word or two?

Στην is a contraction of two words:

σε = in / at / to
την = the (feminine, accusative singular)

So:

σε + την κουζίνα → στην κουζίνα = in the kitchen

In writing you normally see the contracted form στην. It functions as a single unit, but grammatically it’s still σε + την.

Why is κουζίνα in the accusative after στην?

In modern Greek, the preposition σε (in, at, to) always takes the accusative case.

So even though in English you say “in the kitchen” with no case change, in Greek you must put the noun in the accusative:

η κουζίνα (nominative, subject form)
στη(ν) κουζίνα (accusative after σε)

This is just a fixed rule: σε + accusative.

What tense/aspect is στάζει? Is it like “drips” or “is dripping”?

Στάζει is the present tense, 3rd person singular of σταζω (to drip).

Greek present covers both English:

“The tap drips.”
“The tap is dripping.”

So Η βρύση στάζει λίγο can mean either “The tap drips a bit” or “The tap is dripping a bit,” depending on context. Greek doesn’t need a separate continuous form here.

What is the role of λίγο in στάζει λίγο? Is it an adjective or an adverb? Could we say λίγη instead?

Here λίγο is used adverbially: it modifies the verb στάζει and means “a little / a bit / slightly”.

Η βρύση στάζει λίγο. = The tap drips a little.

As an adverb, λίγο doesn’t change form for gender or number.

Λίγη is the feminine adjective form (“a little [amount of]”), and it must modify a noun:

λίγη ζάχαρη = a little sugar
λίγη υπομονή = a little patience

You cannot say ✱η βρύση στάζει λίγη; that’s ungrammatical. You need the adverb λίγο with the verb.

Could I say Η βρύση στάζει λίγο στην κουζίνα instead of Η βρύση στην κουζίνα στάζει λίγο? Is the word order important?

Both are grammatically correct, but the focus is slightly different.

Η βρύση στην κουζίνα στάζει λίγο.
Emphasis tends to fall on which tap: “The tap in the kitchen is dripping a bit (as opposed to some other tap).”
Η βρύση στάζει λίγο στην κουζίνα.
Here στην κουζίνα is more like a looser location phrase: “The tap is dripping a bit in the kitchen.” It can sound a bit less natural in isolation, but in context it’s fine.

Greek word order is flexible, but moving phrases around can subtly change what is being highlighted. The original version nicely highlights the kitchen tap.

Why is there a comma before αλλά?

Αλλά means “but” and is used here to join two full clauses:

Η βρύση στην κουζίνα στάζει λίγο,
αλλά ο παππούς λέει ότι θα την φτιάξει.

In Greek, when αλλά connects two independent clauses and there’s a clear pause in speech, it’s normal to put a comma before it. If αλλά only connected two short phrases, sometimes the comma is omitted, but here the comma is standard and natural.

Why do we say ο παππούς with an article? In English we usually just say “Grandpa”.

Greek uses the definite article much more than English, especially with:

Family members: ο παππούς, η μαμά, ο μπαμπάς
Personal names: ο Γιάννης, η Μαρία

In this sentence, ο παππούς literally is “the grandpa,” but in context it just means “Grandpa” as a specific person everyone knows.

Leaving the article out (παππούς by itself) can sound more like:

a job or role (“a grandfather” in general), or
a different register / structure.

So ο παππούς λέει… is the natural everyday way to say “Grandpa says….”

Why is there no explicit word for “he” before λέει or θα την φτιάξει?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending shows the person and number.

(Αυτός) λέει = He says
(Αυτός) θα την φτιάξει = He will fix it

The ‑ει ending in λέει and φτιάξει (here, 3rd singular with θα) tells you it’s “he / she / it”. Context (here, ο παππούς) makes clear that it means “he (Grandpa)”, so no extra pronoun is needed.

If I want to address my grandfather directly, do I still say ο παππούς?

No. When you address someone directly, you use the vocative case and drop the article:

Παππού, η βρύση στην κουζίνα στάζει λίγο.
= Grandpa, the tap in the kitchen is dripping a bit.

Notice:

ο παππούς (nominative, as subject)
παππού! (vocative, when talking to him)

So you wouldn’t say ✱ο παππούς, έλα εδώ when speaking to him; you say Παππού, έλα εδώ.

What does λέει ότι mean? Could I use πως or που instead of ότι?

Λέει ότι… means “He says that…” and ότι here is a subordinating conjunction introducing reported speech.

λέει ότι θα την φτιάξει = he says that he will fix it

You can often replace ότι with πως in everyday speech:

λέει πως θα την φτιάξει (very common, natural)

But που is different:

που is mainly a relative pronoun (“who, that, which”), as in:
ο παππούς που μένει εδώ = the grandpa who lives here

In some informal speech you’ll hear που used almost like ότι, but as a learner, it’s safer and more standard to use ότι or πως after λέω for “that”.

In θα την φτιάξει, what does θα do, and why is it φτιάξει and not φτιάχνει?

Θα is the particle that generally marks future or future-like meaning.

With φτιάχνω (“to make / fix”), there are two key forms:

θα φτιάξει → simple future (from the aorist stem)
- a single, complete action in the future
- “he will fix it (once / get it done)”
θα φτιάχνει → continuous future (from the present stem)
- ongoing / repeated in the future, or a guess about the present/future
- can mean “he will be fixing it / he will probably be fixing it”

Here, Grandpa is making a promise about one completed action, so θα φτιάξει (simple future) is the natural choice: “he will fix it.”

Why is it θα την φτιάξει and not ✱θα φτιάξει την?

Την here is a weak object pronoun (“her / it”). In standard Greek, these pronouns usually go in a fixed position:

Before the verb in most tenses and moods:
- την φτιάχνει = he fixes it
- θα την φτιάξει = he will fix it
- την έφτιαξε = he fixed it
After the verb only with positive imperatives:
- φτιάξ’ την = fix it!
- να την φτιάξεις (subjunctive) vs φτιάξ’ την (imperative)

So ✱θα φτιάξει την is wrong if την is a pronoun.
If you want to use the full noun instead of a pronoun, you put the noun after the verb:

θα φτιάξει τη(ν) βρύση = he will fix the tap

What does την refer to in θα την φτιάξει? How do we know?

Την is the 3rd person feminine singular object pronoun: “her / it (feminine).”

It refers back to the last relevant feminine singular noun in the discourse, which is η βρύση (the tap). They agree in:

Gender: feminine (η βρύση, την)
Number: singular
Role: direct object of “fix”

So, θα την φτιάξει = “he will fix it (the tap).” Context and the agreement in gender/number tell you what την stands for.

Sometimes I see στην and την written without the final -ν, like στη or τη. When do we keep or drop the -ν?

In modern usage, the final ‑ν of την / στην is:

Kept before:
- vowels: την άλλη, στην αυλή
- the consonants κ, π, τ, γκ, μπ, ντ, ξ, ψ:
  στην κουζίνα, την πόρτα, στην ψυχολογία
Often dropped before other consonants:
- τη βρύση, στη γειτονιά

So:

στην κουζίνα (before κ, we keep ν)
τη βρύση (before β, many people drop ν, but την βρύση is also seen)

In practice:

Keeping ν in writing is always safe and increasingly common.
Native speakers vary; as a learner, follow the rule above, or simply keep ν more often until you feel comfortable.

Could I repeat the noun and say θα φτιάξει τη βρύση instead of θα την φτιάξει? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

ο παππούς λέει ότι θα φτιάξει τη(ν) βρύση.

Both are correct:

θα φτιάξει τη βρύση
- Explicitly mentions the tap again.
- Useful if the listener might not remember what “it” refers to, or you want to be very clear.
θα την φτιάξει
- Uses a pronoun because the referent is already clear.
- Sounds more natural when the object has just been mentioned (η βρύση).

You can also combine both for emphasis or contrast:

Τη βρύση θα την φτιάξει ο παππούς.
= It’s the tap that Grandpa will fix (and maybe not something else).

So θα την φτιάξει is simply the more economical, natural choice in this short context.