Learn Hardcore Greek: Η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια, αλλά θυμάμαι εύκολα καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις. - My memory is not perfect, but I easily remember new Greek words.

Η μνήμη = the memory
It is capitalized simply because it is the first word of the sentence.
If it appeared in the middle of a sentence, it would be η μνήμη (lowercase).

So Η μνήμη μου means “my memory”, literally “the memory of-me”.

Why is μνήμη feminine, and how does that affect the rest of the sentence?

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). Μνήμη happens to be feminine.

This affects the sentence in these ways:

The article must match the noun:
- η μνήμη (fem. sg. nom.) – not ο μνήμη or το μνήμη.
Adjectives that describe it must also be feminine singular:
- η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια
  - τέλεια is the feminine singular form of τέλειος (perfect).

A small mini‑pattern:

Masculine: ο τέλειος φίλος (the perfect friend – m.)
Feminine: η τέλεια μνήμη (the perfect memory – f.)
Neuter: το τέλειο σχέδιο (the perfect plan – n.)

What exactly does μου mean here, and why does it come after μνήμη?

Μου is the unstressed (clitic) possessive pronoun meaning “my” (literally “of me”).

Greek often expresses possession as:
- η μνήμη μου = the memory of-me = my memory

Key points:

Position: In this use, μου comes after the noun:
- η μνήμη μου, το βιβλίο μου, ο φίλος μου
It is normally unstressed in speech and never written with an accent in this possessive use.
For emphasis, you can also say:
- η δική μου μνήμη = my own memory (more emphatic)

So η μνήμη μου is the natural Greek way to say “my memory.”

Why is the negation written as δεν είναι and not something like είναι δεν?

In modern Greek, the basic negation for verbs (in most tenses) is δεν, and it almost always goes directly before the verb:

δεν είναι = is not
δεν θυμάμαι = I don’t remember
δεν θέλω = I don’t want

Putting δεν after the verb (είναι δεν) is ungrammatical in modern Greek.

Also:

Before vowels or some consonant clusters, δεν is often pronounced and written as δε:
- δε θυμάμαι (same as δεν θυμάμαι) – more informal.

Is τέλεια an adjective or an adverb here, and why that form?

In this sentence, τέλεια is an adjective agreeing with η μνήμη:

η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια
→ my memory is not perfect

Adjective forms of τέλειος (perfect):

Masculine: τέλειος
Feminine: τέλεια
Neuter: τέλειο

So we use τέλεια (feminine singular) to match η μνήμη (feminine singular).

Note: Τέλεια can also be used as an adverb in other contexts, meaning “perfectly / great”, e.g.

Πέρασα τέλεια! = I had an amazing time!
But in your sentence it’s clearly an adjective after είναι.

Why is there a comma before αλλά, and what does αλλά mean?

Αλλά means “but”.

The comma before αλλά works similarly to English:

Η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια, αλλά θυμάμαι εύκολα…
→ My memory isn’t perfect, but I remember easily…

You normally put a comma before αλλά when it connects two clauses (two parts with their own verb):

Δεν έχω χρόνο, αλλά θέλω να έρθω.
→ I don’t have time, but I want to come.

If αλλά is between very short words or phrases, you might sometimes see it without a comma, but in this sentence the comma is standard and natural.

Why is there no word for “I” before θυμάμαι? How do we know it means “I remember”?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

θυμάμαι = I remember (1st person singular)
θυμάσαι = you remember (singular, informal)
θυμάται = he/she/it remembers

So θυμάμαι alone is enough to mean “I remember”.

You can add εγώ for emphasis or contrast:

Εγώ θυμάμαι εύκολα, αλλά εσύ όχι.
→ I remember easily, but you don’t.

But in neutral statements like this one, it’s more natural without εγώ.

What kind of verb is θυμάμαι, and why does it end in -μαι?

Θυμάμαι is a deponent / middle‑voice verb in modern Greek: it has a passive‑looking ending (-μαι) but an active meaning.

θυμάμαι = I remember
Not “I am remembered”.

Some key forms:

εγώ θυμάμαι – I remember
εσύ θυμάσαι – you remember
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό θυμάται – he/she/it remembers
εμείς θυμόμαστε – we remember
εσείς θυμάστε – you (pl./formal) remember
αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά θυμούνται – they remember

Compare:

θυμάμαι το όνομά σου. – I remember your name.
θυμίζω κάτι σε κάποιον. – I remind someone of something.

So θυμάμαι is the usual verb for “to remember”.

What does εύκολα mean, and why does it end in -α?

Εύκολα here is an adverb meaning “easily”.

It comes from the adjective εύκολος (easy):

εύκολος (m.), εύκολη (f.), εύκολο (n.) = easy
εύκολα = easily

Greek often forms adverbs from adjectives with an -α ending:

γρήγορος (fast) → γρήγορα (quickly)
σωστός (correct) → σωστά (correctly)
εύκολος (easy) → εύκολα (easily)

So θυμάμαι εύκολα… = I remember (things) easily…

Why are καινούριες, ελληνικές, and λέξεις all in the same form? What case and gender is this?

Λέξεις is the plural of λέξη (word), which is a feminine noun.

In καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις, all three words are:

feminine
plural
accusative

because together they form the direct object of the verb θυμάμαι (what you remember).

Breakdown:

λέξη → λέξεις (fem. plural)
καινούρια ελληνική λέξη (sg. fem. nom./acc.)
καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις (pl. fem. acc.)

Greek adjectives must agree with the noun in:

gender (feminine)
number (plural)
case (accusative here, as the object).

So:

θυμάμαι λέξεις – I remember words
θυμάμαι ελληνικές λέξεις – I remember Greek words
θυμάμαι καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις – I remember new Greek words

What is the difference between καινούριες and νέες (both “new”)?

Both can translate as “new”, but there’s a nuance:

καινούριες λέξεις
– new to me, recently learned, fresh; often emphasizes novelty or lack of previous use.
νέες λέξεις
– more neutral “new words”, often recently created or recently introduced in the language, or simply “not old”.

Examples:

Έμαθα καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις.
→ I learned new (to me) Greek words.
Μπήκαν πολλές νέες λέξεις στο λεξικό φέτος.
→ Many new words were added to the dictionary this year.

In your sentence, καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις nicely suggests new Greek words that I’m learning.

Could we change the word order to ελληνικές καινούριες λέξεις? Does the order of adjectives matter?

Yes, you can say ελληνικές καινούριες λέξεις, and it is still grammatical, but the default and more natural order here is:

καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις

Typical tendencies:

When two adjectives come before a noun, the first one often feels “closer to the speaker’s main focus”:
- καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις
  – the main idea is that the words are new and they happen to be Greek.
- ελληνικές καινούριες λέξεις
  – can sound a bit like new words that are Greek (slightly more marked focus on their being Greek).

In everyday speech, καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις is what you would most naturally hear in this context.

Is there another common way to say “Greek words”, like λέξεις στα ελληνικά? What’s the difference from ελληνικές λέξεις?

Yes, both are used, with slightly different flavors:

ελληνικές λέξεις
- Literally “Greek words” (adjective ελληνικές).
- Focus on the words belonging to the Greek language.
λέξεις στα ελληνικά
- Literally “words in Greek” (prepositional phrase στα ελληνικά).
- Focus more on the language of expression (in Greek).

Often they are interchangeable:

Μου αρέσει να μαθαίνω ελληνικές λέξεις.
Μου αρέσει να μαθαίνω λέξεις στα ελληνικά.
Both: I like learning Greek words.

In your sentence, καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις is compact and natural, especially in a written example.