Στη βιτρίνα γράφει ότι η έκπτωση είναι δέκα τοις εκατό μέχρι την Κυριακή.

In the shop window it says that the discount is ten percent until Sunday.

Breakdown of Στη βιτρίνα γράφει ότι η έκπτωση είναι δέκα τοις εκατό μέχρι την Κυριακή.

• είμαι: to be
• μέχρι: until
• σε: in
• γράφω: to write
• ότι: that
• την Κυριακή: on Sunday
• δέκα: ten
• η έκπτωση: the discount
• η βιτρίνα: the shop window
• τοις εκατό: the percent

Questions & Answers about Στη βιτρίνα γράφει ότι η έκπτωση είναι δέκα τοις εκατό μέχρι την Κυριακή.

What does Στη mean, and why is it written like that instead of σε τη βιτρίνα or στην βιτρίνα?

Στη is the contraction of the preposition σε (in, at, on) and the feminine accusative singular article τη(ν) (the).

• σε + τη → στη
• The full form is σε τη(ν) βιτρίνα, but in normal speech and writing it almost always contracts to στη βιτρίνα.
• The -ν in την is usually dropped before most consonants. Since βιτρίνα begins with β, we normally write τη and therefore στη, not στην.

So Στη βιτρίνα literally means at/on the shop window.

What case is βιτρίνα in, and what does it mean exactly?

βιτρίνα is in the accusative singular, because the preposition σε always takes the accusative.

• Nominative: η βιτρίνα
• Accusative: τη(ν) βιτρίνα

Meaning:

• βιτρίνα = shop window, display window, or display case in a shop.
• So Στη βιτρίνα = On the shop window / In the display.

Who is the subject of γράφει here? Why can Greek say Στη βιτρίνα γράφει without a subject?

There is no explicit subject; it is understood from context. In English we would say:

• On the shop window it says that…
• or The sign on the shop window says that…

In Greek, the 3rd person singular γράφει can be used impersonally to mean “it says (in writing)” or “it is written” when talking about signs, notices, labels, etc.

So Στη βιτρίνα γράφει… literally is “On the shop window it writes…”, but the natural translation is “On the shop window it says…” or “It says on the shop window…”.

Could you use λέει instead of γράφει? For example Στη βιτρίνα λέει ότι…?

Yes, Στη βιτρίνα λέει ότι… is also used in everyday speech and means almost the same thing.

• γράφει focuses on the written aspect:
  Στη βιτρίνα γράφει… = On the shop window it is written that…
• λέει is more general, like “it says”:
  Στη βιτρίνα λέει… = On the shop window it says that…

Both are idiomatic; γράφει is a bit more clearly connected to written text, which fits a sign in a window.

What is the function of ότι here, and how is it different from πως?

Here, ότι is a conjunction meaning that (introducing a content clause):

• γράφει ότι η έκπτωση είναι…
  = it says that the discount is…

Important points:

• ότι (conjunction, no accent) = that (introducing reported speech or a statement).
• πως can often replace ότι in this usage:
  γράφει πως η έκπτωση είναι… (colloquial, very common).
• This ότι is different from ό,τι (with a comma), which means whatever / anything that.

So here you could say either ότι or πως with the same meaning.

Why is it η έκπτωση είναι… and not something like υπάρχει έκπτωση…?

Both structures are possible but slightly different:

• η έκπτωση είναι δέκα τοις εκατό
  = the discount is ten percent
  (identifies the value of a specific, known discount).
• υπάρχει έκπτωση δέκα τοις εκατό
  = there is a ten percent discount
  (states the existence of a discount of that amount).

In the original sentence, the sign is telling you how big the discount is, so η έκπτωση είναι… is natural: it treats η έκπτωση as a known thing (this sale/discount).

What does the phrase δέκα τοις εκατό mean literally, and how is it built grammatically?

δέκα τοις εκατό means ten percent.

Literally:

• δέκα = ten
• τοις = old dative plural of the article, here functioning like per
• εκατό = hundred

So δέκα τοις εκατό literally is ten per hundred.

Points to note:

• It is a fixed expression; you don’t change τοις or εκατό for gender/number.
• For other percentages, you do the same:
  • είκοσι τοις εκατό = twenty percent
  • πέντε τοις εκατό = five percent

In modern casual speech you may also see 10% written with numerals, but δέκα τοις εκατό is the standard full form.

Why is μέχρι used here, and what case does it take in μέχρι την Κυριακή?

μέχρι means until / up to and here it is a preposition that takes the accusative:

• η Κυριακή (nominative) → την Κυριακή (accusative)
• μέχρι την Κυριακή = until Sunday

Grammatically:

• μέχρι + accusative is standard:
  μέχρι το βράδυ (until the evening), μέχρι την Παρασκευή (until Friday).

You can often replace μέχρι with έως or ως, which are slightly more formal or written:
έως την Κυριακή, ως την Κυριακή.

Does μέχρι την Κυριακή include Sunday or does the discount stop before Sunday?

In everyday Greek, μέχρι την Κυριακή is usually understood as inclusive: the discount lasts through Sunday (you still have Sunday to use it).

However:

• In strict, legal, or very precise contexts, people may specify:
  • μέχρι και την Κυριακή to clearly mean up to and including Sunday.
  • μέχρι το Σάββατο if they want it to stop before Sunday.

In a normal shop-window sign, μέχρι την Κυριακή will almost always be understood as up to and including Sunday.

Why do we say την Κυριακή and not just Κυριακή for “on Sunday”?

In Greek, days of the week are often used with the definite article to express “on [that day]”:

• την Δευτέρα = on Monday
• την Τρίτη = on Tuesday
• την Κυριακή = on Sunday

So:

• η έκπτωση είναι… μέχρι την Κυριακή
  = the discount is… until Sunday (literally until the Sunday).

You can see Κυριακή without the article in some contexts (titles, very short notes), but την Κυριακή is the standard way in a full sentence.

Why is Κυριακή capitalized?

Κυριακή is capitalized because it is the name of a day of the week.

In modern Greek:

• Days of the week: Δευτέρα, Τρίτη, Τετάρτη, Πέμπτη, Παρασκευή, Σάββατο, Κυριακή
  are written with a capital initial letter, like English Monday, Tuesday, etc.

What are the genders of βιτρίνα, έκπτωση, and Κυριακή, and how do you know?

All three nouns here are feminine:

• η βιτρίνα (feminine, -α ending)
• η έκπτωση (feminine, -ση / -ξη / -ψη type; here -ωση/-ωση-like pattern)
• η Κυριακή (feminine, -ή ending, common for many feminine nouns and days of the week)

You can see this from:

• The article η in nominative.
• In the sentence, the accusative form τη(ν):
  στη βιτρίνα, η έκπτωση, μέχρι την Κυριακή.

Is the present tense γράφει used here like English present simple “it says”, even though the writing is static?

Yes. Greek uses the present tense γράφει in the same way English uses “it says” on signs, labels, and notices.

• Στη βιτρίνα γράφει ότι…
  = On the shop window it says that…
• You could also say είναι γραμμένο στη βιτρίνα ότι… = it is written on the shop window that…, but that is longer and less conversational.

So γράφει in the present is perfectly normal for a fixed, currently valid sign.