Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.

Stress affects my body and my head.

Breakdown of Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.

• και: and
• μου: my
• το κεφάλι: the head
• το άγχος: the stress
• το σώμα: the body
• επηρεάζω: to affect

Questions & Answers about Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.

Why does Greek use το άγχος when in English we just say stress, not the stress?

In Greek, abstract nouns are very often used with the definite article, especially when we talk about them in a general way.

• το άγχος = stress (as a general state or the person’s stress)
• Greek likes: Το άγχος επηρεάζει…
• English likes: Stress affects… (no article)

So το άγχος here does not mean the particular stress; it just means stress in general. Using the article with abstract ideas (love, fear, stress, etc.) is normal in Greek:

• Η αγάπη είναι σημαντική. = Love is important.

What gender and case is άγχος, and why does it use το?

άγχος is a neuter noun.

• Gender: neuter
• Nominative singular: το άγχος
• Genitive singular: του άγχους

In this sentence, το άγχος is the subject, so it is in the nominative case.

Even though -ος often marks masculine nouns (ο φίλος, ο δρόμος), some -ος nouns are neuter, like:

• το τέλος (end)
• το μέρος (place)
• το άγχος (stress)

You simply have to memorize the gender of each noun. The article το tells you it’s neuter.

What form of the verb is επηρεάζει, and what does it tell us?

επηρεάζει comes from the verb επηρεάζω (= to affect, influence).

• Tense: present
• Person: 3rd person singular
• Voice: active

So επηρεάζει = he/she/it affects or, more generally, affects.

In this sentence:

• Το άγχος (stress) is the subject.
• επηρεάζει is 3rd person singular, matching το άγχος.
• Literally: The stress affects…

Why is there no word for it in the sentence (like It affects…)?

Greek usually does not use a separate subject pronoun when the subject is already expressed.

• English needs: It affects my body…
• Greek has the subject in the noun + verb ending:
  • Το άγχος = the subject
  • επηρεάζει = it affects (the ending -ει already encodes he/she/it)

If you wanted to use a pronoun, that would be αυτό, but you normally don’t say:

• ✗ Το άγχος αυτό επηρεάζει… (only for special emphasis or contrast) In neutral sentences like this, you just say:
• Το άγχος επηρεάζει…

Why are το σώμα and το κεφάλι both with το? Could we drop one of the το’s?

Both σώμα and κεφάλι are neuter nouns, so they take the neuter article το:

• το σώμα (the body)
• το κεφάλι (the head)

In the sentence, you have:

• το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου

You can drop the first το in everyday speech and say:

• Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα και το κεφάλι μου.

Both options are grammatically correct:

• το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου – more balanced and explicit
• το σώμα και το κεφάλι μου – a bit lighter, very common in speech

What you normally don’t say is:

• ✗ το σώμα μου και κεφάλι μου (you almost always keep το before κεφάλι)

Why does μου come after the noun (το σώμα μου) instead of before like English my body?

In Greek, the weak possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun and behave like enclitics:

• το σώμα μου = my body
• το κεφάλι μου = my head

So the natural order is:

• article + noun + possessive
  → το σώμα μου, το κεφάλι μου

Putting μου before the noun (✗ μου σώμα) is not standard modern Greek. To emphasize whose something is, Greek uses a different structure:

• το δικό μου σώμα = my own body

Do we really need to repeat μου twice? Could we just say it once?

You don’t have to repeat μου twice. These are all acceptable:

1. Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.
2. Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα και το κεφάλι μου.

Both mean Stress affects my body and my head.

Differences:

• Repeating μου on both nouns (version 1) makes it very clear that each noun has the same possessor; it can also feel a bit more emphatic or careful.
• Using μου only on the last noun (version 2) is extremely common in everyday speech.

You cannot leave μου off entirely here if you want to say my:

• ✗ Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα και το κεφάλι.
  This sounds like the body and the head (not clearly yours).

What case are το σώμα μου and το κεφάλι μου in, and how do we know?

They are in the accusative case, because they are the direct objects of the verb επηρεάζει.

• Subject (nominative): το άγχος
• Verb: επηρεάζει
• Direct objects (accusative): το σώμα μου, το κεφάλι μου

For neuter nouns, nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• Nominative: το σώμα, το κεφάλι
• Accusative: το σώμα, το κεφάλι

So we recognize the case from the function in the sentence, not from different endings:

• What does stress affect? → the body and the head = direct objects → accusative.

How do you pronounce άγχος, especially the γχ?

άγχος is pronounced approximately:

• [ˈaŋxos] → AH-nghos

Details:

• ά: like a in father, stressed.
• γ before χ forms the cluster γχ, which is pronounced like ngh:
  • γ becomes a nasal [ŋ] (like ng in sing),
  • χ is a voiceless velar fricative , like the ch in German Bach or Spanish j in José.
• ος: like os in boss (but shorter and without an English-style diphthong).

Full sentence (approximate, using English-friendly syllables):

• Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.
  → To Á-nghos e-pee-REH-zee to SÓ-ma mu ke to ke-FÁ-lee mu

Could we say μυαλό instead of κεφάλι? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say μυαλό instead of κεφάλι, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• το κεφάλι = the head (physical part of the body)
• το μυαλό = the mind / brain (your thinking, mental functions)

So:

• Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.
  Focuses more on physical effects, including the head.
• Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το μυαλό μου.
  Sounds more like my body and my mind.

Both are natural; you choose depending on whether you want to emphasize physical head or mental state.

What is the difference between άγχος and στρες?

Both refer to stress, but there are nuances:

• άγχος

  • Native Greek word.
  • Common in everyday speech.
  • Often used for anxiety, worry, or a state of being tense.
  • Can be emotional or psychological: Νιώθω άγχος. = I feel anxiety/stress.

• στρες

  • Borrowed from English stress.
  • Used especially in more medical, psychological, or technical contexts, but also in casual speech.
  • Often refers to stress as a modern-life condition: work stress, chronic stress, etc.

In this sentence, Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου, you could also say:

• Το στρες επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.

That would sound a bit more like Stress (as a modern condition) affects my body and my head.

Can I omit μου after άγχος to say my stress, or do I need Το άγχος μου?

If you specifically want to say my stress (not stress in general), you use:

• Το άγχος μου επηρεάζει το σώμα και το κεφάλι μου.
  = My stress affects my body and my head.

Without μου:

• Το άγχος επηρεάζει…
  usually means stress in general or stress as a general phenomenon.

So:

• Το άγχος επηρεάζει… → talking about stress in general.
• Το άγχος μου επηρεάζει… → talking specifically about my stress.

How would I make this sentence negative or turn it into a question?

To make it negative, add δεν before the verb:

• Το άγχος δεν επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου.
  = Stress does not affect my body and my head.

To make it a yes/no question, you mainly change your intonation (raise your voice at the end) and keep the word order the same:

• Το άγχος επηρεάζει το σώμα μου και το κεφάλι μου;
  = Does stress affect my body and my head?

Greek usually does not need an auxiliary like does to form questions; intonation and context are enough.