Η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια, αλλά θυμάμαι εύκολα καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις.

My memory is not perfect, but I easily remember new Greek words.

Breakdown of Η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια, αλλά θυμάμαι εύκολα καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις.

• είμαι: to be
• δεν: not
• μου: my
• αλλά: but

Questions & Answers about Η μνήμη μου δεν είναι τέλεια, αλλά θυμάμαι εύκολα καινούριες ελληνικές λέξεις.

What is the role of Η at the beginning, and why is it capitalized?

Η is the definite article for feminine, singular, nominative nouns (equivalent to English “the”).

• 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?