Ο δάσκαλος λέει ότι η πρόοδος είναι πιο σημαντική από το τέλειο αποτέλεσμα στην αρχή.

to be

Breakdown of Ο δάσκαλος λέει ότι η πρόοδος είναι πιο σημαντική από το τέλειο αποτέλεσμα στην αρχή.

• σε: at
• πιο: more
• ότι: that

Questions & Answers about Ο δάσκαλος λέει ότι η πρόοδος είναι πιο σημαντική από το τέλειο αποτέλεσμα στην αρχή.

Why is it Ο δάσκαλος and not Ένας δάσκαλος at the beginning?

Greek uses the definite article ο / η / το more often than English uses the.

• Ο δάσκαλος literally means the teacher, but in context it can also mean a/the teacher in general.
• If the speaker has a specific, known teacher in mind, ο δάσκαλος is exactly like the teacher.
• If the teacher is more generic (e.g. in a story or as a role), Greek still prefers ο δάσκαλος, whereas English might say a teacher.

You can say Ένας δάσκαλος λέει ότι…, but that shifts the meaning to A teacher says that…, emphasizing that it’s just some (unspecified) teacher, not one we already know about.

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What does λέει ότι mean exactly, and why do we use ότι here?

• λέει = he/she says (3rd person singular of λέω = to say).
• ότι here is a conjunction meaning that, introducing a content clause.

So λέει ότι … = (he) says that …

Greek often uses:

• ότι or πως (both mean that in this context):
  
  • Ο δάσκαλος λέει ότι…
  • Ο δάσκαλος λέει πως…

Both are normal in modern Greek. πως sounds slightly more informal or conversational, but the difference is small.