Breakdown of Η δασκάλα μας ανακοινώνει στην τάξη ότι την άλλη εβδομάδα δεν θα έχουμε μάθημα.
έχω
to have
δεν
not
θα
will
σε
in
Questions & Answers about Η δασκάλα μας ανακοινώνει στην τάξη ότι την άλλη εβδομάδα δεν θα έχουμε μάθημα.
What exactly does μας mean in Η δασκάλα μας, and why does it go after δασκάλα?
Μας here is a weak possessive pronoun meaning our.
- Η δασκάλα μας = our teacher
- Literally: the teacher our
In Greek, these short possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) normally come after the noun:
- το βιβλίο μου = my book
- ο φίλος σου = your friend
- η δασκάλα μας = our teacher
So μας is not the object of the verb; it just shows that the teacher belongs to "us" (our class, our group).
Could the sentence be Η δασκάλα ανακοινώνει… without μας? What would change?
Yes, you can say Η δασκάλα ανακοινώνει στην τάξη…
The difference is:
- Η δασκάλα μας… = our teacher (the one who teaches us)
- Η δασκάλα… = the teacher (some teacher already known from context, but not necessarily "ours")
In a school context, η δασκάλα μας clearly means the specific teacher of our class. Without μας, it’s less personal and could be any teacher that everyone already knows about.
Why is ανακοινώνει in the present tense when in English we might say “announced”?