Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα σε κάθε μαθητή.

I appreciate the respect that the teacher shows to every student.

Breakdown of Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα σε κάθε μαθητή.

• σε: to
• που: that
• η δασκάλα: the female teacher
• κάθε: every
• ο μαθητής: the student
• δείχνω: to show
• εκτιμώ: to appreciate
• ο σεβασμός: the respect

Questions & Answers about Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα σε κάθε μαθητή.

In this sentence, what exactly does εκτιμώ mean, and how is it different from μου αρέσει or σέβομαι?

Εκτιμώ means “I appreciate / I value”.

• εκτιμώ: I recognize the value or importance of something/someone.
  
  • Εξ.: Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό σου. – I appreciate your respect.
• μου αρέσει: I like something; it pleases me.
  
  • Εξ.: Μου αρέσει η μουσική. – I like the music.
• σέβομαι: I respect someone/something (I behave respectfully toward them).
  
  • Εξ.: Σέβομαι τη δασκάλα μου. – I respect my teacher.

In Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό…, the speaker is not showing respect; they are saying they value the fact that respect exists or is shown.

Why is it τον σεβασμό and not ο σεβασμός?

Because σεβασμό here is the direct object of the verb εκτιμώ.

• The subject (understood) is εγώ (I).
• The verb is εκτιμώ.
• The direct object is τον σεβασμό (the respect).

In Greek, the definite article changes form depending on case:

• Nominative (subject): ο σεβασμός – the respect (as subject)
  
  • Εξ.: Ο σεβασμός είναι σημαντικός. – Respect is important.
• Accusative (direct object): τον σεβασμό – the respect (as object)
  
  • Εξ.: Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό. – I appreciate the respect.

So we use τον because σεβασμό is in the accusative case as the object of εκτιμώ.

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence? Where is the subject?

The subject “I” is implied in the verb form εκτιμώ.

Greek is a pro‑drop language: the personal pronoun (εγώ, εσύ, etc.) is usually omitted when the verb ending already shows the person.

• εκτιμώ = I appreciate
• εκτιμάς = you (singular) appreciate
• εκτιμά = he/she/it appreciates

So:

• Εγώ εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό… and
• Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό…

both mean “I appreciate the respect…”, but the first one sounds more emphatic (stressing “I”).

How does the word που work here? Is it like “that” / “which” in English?

Yes. In this sentence, που is a relative pronoun meaning roughly “that” / “which” / “who” introducing a relative clause:

• τον σεβασμό – the respect
• που δείχνει η δασκάλα – that the teacher shows

So:

• τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα
  = the respect that the teacher shows

Unlike English, Greek usually uses που for most everyday relative clauses where English uses that, which, who. More formal or explicit versions use ο οποίος, η οποία, το οποίο, but που is far more common in speech.

Why is the word order που δείχνει η δασκάλα and not που η δασκάλα δείχνει?

Both orders are grammatically possible, but:

• που δείχνει η δασκάλα is the most natural and common here.
• που η δασκάλα δείχνει is grammatically correct but sounds more marked, slightly heavier or more “bookish”/emphatic in everyday speech.

Greek word order is flexible, and the subject η δασκάλα can appear before or after the verb δείχνει, but:

• δείχνει η δασκάλα is a very typical, neutral pattern.
• Moving η δασκάλα earlier often adds emphasis to η δασκάλα specifically (as if highlighting the teacher more strongly).

In this sentence, the default, smooth version is που δείχνει η δασκάλα.

What does δείχνει literally mean here? Is it “shows” in the sense of “demonstrates”?

Yes. δείχνει is the 3rd person singular of δείχνω = to show / to display / to demonstrate.

In this context, “to show respect” is an idiomatic but also literal use:

• δείχνω σεβασμό = I show respect
• δείχνει σεβασμό = he/she shows respect

So τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα σε κάθε μαθητή is literally “the respect that the teacher shows to each student”.

Why do we use σε κάθε μαθητή? What is the function of σε, and why is κάθε singular?

σε is a preposition that often corresponds to “to” in English.

• σε κάθε μαθητή = to each student

Here:

• σε marks the indirect object / recipient of the respect.
• κάθε means “each / every” and in Greek it always goes with singular:
  • κάθε μαθητής (dictionary form) – each student
  • But in the sentence it becomes κάθε μαθητή (accusative).

So:

• Verb: δείχνει (she shows)
• Direct object: τον σεβασμό (the respect)
• Indirect object (with preposition): σε κάθε μαθητή (to each student)

Why is it μαθητή and not μαθητής after σε?

Because the noun after σε is in the accusative case.

• Nominative (subject): ο μαθητής – the student
  
  • Εξ.: Ο μαθητής μιλάει. – The student is speaking.
• Accusative (object / after prepositions): τον μαθητή – the student
  
  • Εξ.: Βλέπω τον μαθητή. – I see the student.
  • σε κάθε μαθητή – to each student

The preposition σε is followed by the accusative, so μαθητής becomes μαθητή.

Why is the article η used with δασκάλα, but τον with σεβασμό?

Because the article changes according to gender, number, and case.

• δασκάλα is feminine, singular, nominative (subject):
  • Article: η
  • η δασκάλα – the (female) teacher
• σεβασμό is masculine, singular, accusative (direct object):
  • Article: τον
  • τον σεβασμό – the respect (as object)

So we have:

• η δασκάλα – subject (who shows the respect)
• τον σεβασμό – object (what she shows)

Could the sentence mean “I appreciate the respect that the teacher receives from each student”?

No, not with this wording. The Greek clearly means the respect that the teacher shows to each student, not the respect that others show towards the teacher.

• που δείχνει η δασκάλα = that the teacher shows
• σε κάθε μαθητή = to each student

If you wanted “that the teacher receives from each student,” you’d need something like:

• Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό που δείχνει κάθε μαθητής στη δασκάλα.
  = I appreciate the respect that each student shows to the teacher.

What is the difference between εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό and εκτιμώ σεβασμό (without the article)?

Both are possible, but they sound different:

• εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό – I appreciate the respect
  Refers to specific, identifiable respect (here: the particular respect that the teacher shows).
• εκτιμώ σεβασμό – I appreciate (having) respect / I value respect (in general)
  Sounds more general and somewhat less natural in this exact sentence.

Because we are talking about the specific respect that the teacher shows, the definite article (τον σεβασμό) is the natural choice.

Can I say εκτιμάω instead of εκτιμώ? Are both forms correct?

Yes, both forms are correct:

• εκτιμώ
• εκτιμάω

They are two present forms of the same verb, and both are used in modern Greek. In many verbs of this type, the -ώ form is slightly more common in writing, but -άω is very common in speech.

So you can say:

• Εκτιμώ τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα σε κάθε μαθητή.
  or
• Εκτιμάω τον σεβασμό που δείχνει η δασκάλα σε κάθε μαθητή.

with no difference in meaning.