Η φίλη μου προτιμάει ρούχα από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα, αλλά εγώ κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή.

My friend prefers clothes from a specific brand, but I mainly look at the price.

Breakdown of Η φίλη μου προτιμάει ρούχα από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα, αλλά εγώ κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή.

• εγώ: I
• η φίλη: the female friend
• μου: my
• αλλά: but
• από: from
• προτιμάω: to prefer
• το ρούχο: the garment
• κοιτάω: to look at
• κυρίως: mainly
• συγκεκριμένος: specific
• η μάρκα: the brand
• η τιμή: the price

Questions & Answers about Η φίλη μου προτιμάει ρούχα από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα, αλλά εγώ κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή.

Why is it Η φίλη μου and not something like μου φίλη or η μου φίλη, like English my friend?

Greek possessive pronouns normally come after the noun as enclitics (unstressed short forms), not before it.

The usual pattern is:

• ο/η/το + noun + μου / σου / του / της / μας / σας / τους

So:

• η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
• ο αδελφός σου = your brother

Putting μου before the noun (μου φίλη or η μου φίλη) is not standard Modern Greek.

Also, because η φίλη μου is the subject of the sentence, it needs the definite article η. If you drop the article (φίλη μου προτιμάει…), it sounds more like a vocative (addressing someone: Friend, you prefer…), not a normal subject.

What is the role of η in Η φίλη μου?

Η is the feminine singular nominative definite article (“the”).

• η = the (feminine, singular, subject form)
• φίλη = female friend
• Together η φίλη means the (female) friend.

Because η φίλη μου is the subject of the sentence (“My friend prefers…”), the noun takes the nominative case and so the article must be η.

If you changed it to another case, the article would change:

• της φίλης μου = of my (female) friend (genitive)
• τη φίλη μου = my (female) friend as an object (accusative)

Why do we use μου instead of a separate word like δικιά μου or εμένα for “my”?

Greek has two ways to show possession:

1. Weak (enclitic) possessive pronouns – very common, short, unstressed:

   • μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους
   • Example: η φίλη μου = my friend

2. Strong / stressed forms – used for emphasis or contrast:

   • δικός μου / δικιά μου / δικό μου, etc.
   • Example: η δικιά μου φίλη = my friend (as opposed to someone else’s)

In neutral sentences like this one, Greek prefers the enclitic μου:

• Η φίλη μου προτιμάει… = straightforward “My friend prefers…”
• Η δικιά μου φίλη προτιμάει… = “My friend prefers…” (with emphasis on “my”)

Why is the verb προτιμάει and not προτιμά or something like προτιμάει η?

The verb is προτιμάει = she prefers (3rd person singular present).

• The basic verb is προτιμάω or προτιμώ = to prefer.
• In the 3rd singular you can commonly see two forms:
  • προτιμάει
  • προτιμά

Both προτιμάει and προτιμά are correct in modern speech. προτιμά and προτιμώ are slightly more formal/literary, while προτιμάει and προτιμάω feel a bit more colloquial, but all are widely used.

You do not add an extra η at the end; η in Η φίλη μου is the article, not part of the verb.

Why is there no article before ρούχα? Why not τα ρούχα?

Ρούχα means clothes (neuter plural) and here it is used in a general, non‑specific sense:

• προτιμάει ρούχα = she prefers clothes (in general), clothes of that type.

Greek often omits the article when talking about things in a general or indefinite way, similar to English when we say I like music (not the music).

You would use τα ρούχα when you mean specific clothes:

• Προτιμάει τα ρούχα αυτής της μάρκας.
  She prefers the clothes of this brand.
  (specific clothes you have in mind)

In the original sentence, ρούχα is generic, so no article is needed.

How does από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα work? Why από and why no μια before συγκεκριμένη?

Από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα literally means from (a) specific brand.

• από = from (preposition, always followed by accusative case)
• συγκεκριμένη = specific, particular (feminine, singular, accusative, agreeing with μάρκα)
• μάρκα = brand (feminine, singular, accusative)

About από:

• It often means from, but also by / of in contexts like:
  • ρούχα από βαμβάκι = clothes made of cotton
  • καφές από αυτή τη μάρκα = coffee from this brand

About the missing μια:

• You can say από μία συγκεκριμένη μάρκα = from a specific brand.
• In everyday speech, μια is often dropped when it’s not important to stress the indefiniteness.
  So από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα already feels like “from a specific brand” in context, even without μια.

Why is συγκεκριμένη in this form? What is it agreeing with?

Συγκεκριμένη is an adjective meaning specific / particular.

Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here it describes μάρκα:

• μάρκα = brand
  
  • Gender: feminine
  • Number: singular
  • Case: accusative (object of από)

So the adjective must also be:

• feminine, singular, accusative → συγκεκριμένη

That’s why we have από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα, not από συγκεκριμένο μάρκα or συγκεκριμένος μάρκα.

Why do we explicitly say εγώ in αλλά εγώ κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή, when Greek often drops subject pronouns?

Greek is a pro‑drop language, so normally you could just say:

• …αλλά κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή.

The verb ending -ω already shows that the subject is I.

However, here εγώ is used for contrast and emphasis:

• Η φίλη μου προτιμάει… → one way of thinking.
• αλλά εγώ κοιτάω… → but I, on the other hand, focus on something else.

So εγώ highlights the contrast between my friend and me, similar to stressing but I mainly look at the price in English.

What exactly does κοιτάω mean here? Is it just “look at”, or something like “consider” or “care about”?

Κοιτάω (also κοιτάζω) literally means to look at, but it also has a more figurative meaning:

• κοιτάω κάτι can mean:
  • to look at something
  • to check something
  • to pay attention to something
  • to consider something as important

In this sentence:

• κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή = I mainly look at / pay attention to / care about the price.

It doesn’t mean physically staring at the price tag; it means that price is the main factor you consider when choosing clothes.

Is κοιτάω different from κοιτάζω?

In everyday Modern Greek, κοιτάω and κοιτάζω are very close in meaning and often interchangeable:

• κοιτάω την τιμή ≈ κοιτάζω την τιμή

Both can mean I look at / check / pay attention to the price.

Small nuances:

• Some speakers feel κοιτάζω can sound a bit more “looking carefully / examining”, but in practice they overlap a lot.
• Both are extremely common; using either here is fine.

What does κυρίως mean exactly, and where can it go in the sentence?

Κυρίως is an adverb meaning mainly, chiefly, primarily.

• κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή = I mainly look at the price.

It usually goes near the verb, but its position is quite flexible. All of these are possible, with slightly different rhythmic emphasis:

• εγώ κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή
• εγώ κυρίως κοιτάω την τιμή
• κυρίως εγώ κοιτάω την τιμή (stresses that I, in particular, mainly look at the price)

The meaning of κυρίως itself doesn’t change; only what feels more emphasized in the sentence shifts a little.

Why do we say την τιμή with the article, and what does τιμή mean here?

Την τιμή is the price (accusative, feminine, singular):

• η τιμή = the price (nominative)
• την τιμή = the price (accusative)

We need the accusative because τιμή is the direct object of κοιτάω.

Greek usually uses the definite article when we’re talking about a specific, identifiable thing in context:

• κοιτάω την τιμή = I look at the (specific) price (of the item I’m considering).

Note: τιμή can mean honour or price; they are spelled and pronounced the same. Here, with a shopping context and ρούχα and μάρκα, it clearly means price.

Why is there a comma before αλλά? Is that always required?

In Greek, a comma before αλλά (but) is very common when joining two clauses, especially if each has its own subject and verb:

• Η φίλη μου προτιμάει ρούχα από συγκεκριμένη μάρκα, αλλά εγώ κοιτάω κυρίως την τιμή.

Both sides are complete clauses:

• Η φίλη μου προτιμάει…
• εγώ κοιτάω…

So the comma helps separate them, just like in English:
My friend prefers clothes from a specific brand, but I mainly look at the price.

In shorter phrases or when αλλά links just two words or short phrases, the comma may not be used, but in sentences like this, it is standard.