Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.

I live here, but the others live in the village.

Breakdown of Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.

• εδώ: here
• εγώ: I
• μένω: to live
• αλλά: but
• σε: in
• το χωριό: the village
• οι άλλοι: others

Questions & Answers about Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.

Why do we say Εγώ μένω εδώ instead of just Μένω εδώ?

In Greek, the subject pronoun (like εγώ, εσύ, αυτός) is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Μένω εδώ = I live here (perfectly correct and very common)

We add Εγώ when we want emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.
  = I live here, but the others live in the village.

So Εγώ here highlights the contrast between me and the others. Without εγώ, the sentence is still correct, just a bit less emphatic:

• Μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.

What is the difference between μένω and ζω for “to live”?

Both can translate as to live, but they are used a bit differently:

• μένω

  • basic meaning: to stay / to remain
  • very commonly: to live / reside (somewhere)
  • e.g. Μένω στην Αθήνα. = I live in Athens.

• ζω

  • basic meaning: to live, to be alive
  • also: to live (one’s life), to experience life
  • e.g. Ζω στην Αθήνα. = I live in Athens.
    Ζω μια δύσκολη ζωή. = I live a difficult life.
    Ακόμα ζει. = He/She is still alive.

In the sentence Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό, μένω is natural because we’re talking about place of residence. Using ζω would be understood but slightly less neutral for this everyday “I live here” idea.

What is the difference between μένω and μένουν?

They are different persons of the same verb in the present tense.

Verb: μένω (to live, stay) – Present simple:

• Εγώ μένω – I live / stay
• Εσύ μένεις – You (singular) live / stay
• Αυτός / Αυτή / Αυτό μένει – He / She / It lives / stays
• Εμείς μένουμε – We live / stay
• Εσείς μένετε – You (plural or polite) live / stay
• Αυτοί / Αυτές / Αυτά μένουν(ε) – They live / stay

So:

• Εγώ μένω = I live
• οι άλλοι μένουν = the others live

Note: the final -ε in μένουνε is optional in speech and informal writing. Both μένουν and μένουνε are correct.

Why is it οι άλλοι and not just άλλοι?

Greek often uses the definite article (ο, η, το, οι, οι, τα) where English does not.

• άλλοι (without article) is more like other people / some others in general, indefinite.
• οι άλλοι (with article) is more like the others, a specific group in contrast to some known group (here: me vs the others).

In your sentence:

• Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.
  = I live here, but the others live in the village.

This clearly contrasts me with the others (my family, my friends, my classmates, etc. – a known group in context).

Without the article:

• … αλλά άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.

would sound more like “but other people live in the village” in a looser, less specific way, and is less natural in this kind of direct contrast.

What is the grammar of άλλοι here (gender, number, case)?

άλλοι in this sentence is:

• Gender: masculine
• Number: plural
• Case: nominative

So οι άλλοι = the other (people), masculine nominative plural.

It works like a noun meaning “the others / other people”. The masculine plural is also used for mixed groups (men + women), so οι άλλοι can mean “the rest of them” regardless of gender, similar to English “the others”.

What exactly is στο in στο χωριό?

στο is a contraction of:

• σε (preposition “in / at / to”)
• το (neuter singular definite article: “the”)

So:

• σε + το χωριό → στο χωριό

Literally: in/at the village. Greek normally fuses σε + article:

• σε + το → στο
• σε + τα → στα
• σε + τον → στον
• σε + την → στη(ν)
• σε + τους → στους

Does στο χωριό mean “in the village”, “at the village”, or “to the village”?

The preposition σε is flexible; it can mean in, at, on, to depending on context.

• With a verb of location like μένω (I live), it describes a static place, so στο χωριό here means:
  • in the village
  • or in/at the village (as a place of residence)

With a verb of movement, στο χωριό can mean to the village:

• Πάω στο χωριό. = I’m going to the village.
• Μένω στο χωριό. = I live in the village.

So the meaning is decided by the verb, not by στο alone.

Why is χωριό neuter, and how does that affect στο?

χωριό (village) is a neuter noun in Greek. The neuter singular article is το.

• Nominative: το χωριό – the village
• Accusative: το χωριό – the village (same form in neuter)

Because σε combines with the article, and we need σε + το, we get στο.

If the noun were masculine or feminine, the forms would change:

• στον δρόμο – on the road (masc.)
• στην πόλη – in the city (fem.)
• στο χωριό – in the village (neut.)

Could the word order be different, like Εγώ εδώ μένω or αλλά οι άλλοι στο χωριό μένουν?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible, and you can move elements for emphasis. Some possibilities:

• Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό. (neutral/basic)
• Εγώ εδώ μένω, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό. – emphasizes εδώ (“here is where I live”)
• Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι στο χωριό μένουν. – emphasizes στο χωριό (the place where the others live)
• Μένω εδώ εγώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό. – strong emphasis on εγώ

The original word order is the most ordinary and natural. Moving words usually adds some nuance or emphasis rather than changing the basic meaning.

What is the role of αλλά here, and could I use όμως instead?

αλλά is the normal conjunction meaning but.

• Εγώ μένω εδώ, αλλά οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.
  = I live here, but the others live in the village.

όμως also means but / however, but it behaves a bit differently:

• It usually appears after the comma, inside the second clause:
  • Εγώ μένω εδώ, όμως οι άλλοι μένουν στο χωριό.
• It can sound slightly more like however / though than simple “but”.

Both are correct here, but αλλά is the straightforward “but” conjunction joining the two clauses directly.

How do you pronounce χωριό, and why does γ sound different here?

χωριό is pronounced approximately:

• [xorˈʝo] – kho-ryó (with a soft “y” sound)

Breakdown:

• χ = like German ch in Bach, or Spanish j in José.
• ω here just gives the o sound (like ο).
• ρ = rolled or tapped r.
• γ before ι (and ε) becomes a soft palatal sound, similar to an English y but a bit stronger.
• ιο here is pronounced as [ʝo], roughly “yo”.

So you do not pronounce γ like a hard g in “go” here; it’s closer to the “y” in “yes”, merged with the following vowel: ryó, not grio.

Does Greek distinguish between “I live” and “I am living” like English does?

No. Greek normally uses the same present tense for both:

• Μένω εδώ.
  
  • can mean I live here (generally, permanent)
  • or I am living here (now) (temporary), depending on context.

Greek can form a periphrastic progressive with είμαι + present participle (e.g. είμαι μένοντας), but in modern everyday Greek this is not how you express the normal English continuous. It’s rare and stylistically marked.

So in your sentence, Εγώ μένω εδώ easily covers both “I live here” and “I am living here” – the context decides.

Why is Εγώ capitalized? Is the pronoun “I” always capitalized in Greek like in English?

Εγώ is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence, not because it means “I”.

In Greek, subject pronouns are not capitalized in the middle of a sentence:

• Εγώ μένω εδώ. (start of sentence → capital Ε)
• Λέω ότι εγώ μένω εδώ. (middle of sentence → εγώ in lowercase)

So unlike English, Greek does not always capitalize εγώ. The rule is the same as for other words: capitalize the first word of a sentence and proper names, not ordinary pronouns.