Breakdown of Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος από εμένα.
Questions & Answers about Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος από εμένα.
In Greek, you almost always use the definite article with family members when they have a possessive:
- Ο αδερφός μου = literally “the brother of‑me”, but it means “my brother.”
- Η μητέρα μου = “my mother”
- Ο πατέρας μου = “my father”
So:
- Greek: Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος…
- English: My brother is younger…
The definite article Ο (masculine nominative singular) is required here; it sounds incomplete or wrong without it:
✗ Αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος… (unnatural as a full sentence in modern Greek)
In modern Greek, possessive pronouns like μου (my), σου (your), του (his), etc. usually come after the noun:
- ο αδερφός μου = my brother
- το βιβλίο σου = your book
- η φίλη του = his friend
Putting μου before the noun (μου αδερφός) is not standard; it sounds wrong in modern Greek.
You can, however, emphasize possession in another way:
- ο δικός μου αδερφός = my brother (as opposed to someone else’s)
But the neutral, normal form is:
- ο αδερφός μου
They are essentially the same word with two different spellings/pronunciations.
- αδερφός is the more colloquial/modern everyday spelling and pronunciation.
- αδελφός is a bit more formal/archaic and closer to the ancient spelling.
In speech, most people say something close to [aðerˈfos] (αδερφός).
For everyday modern Greek, you can safely use αδερφός.
μικρός means “small / young.”
To make a comparative (“smaller / younger”), Greek often adds -τερος:
- μικρός → μικρότερος = smaller / younger
- μεγάλος → μεγαλύτερος = bigger / older
- γρήγορος → γρηγορότερος = faster
So μικρότερος is the comparative form of μικρός.
In this sentence:
- είναι μικρότερος από εμένα = is younger than me
Yes, both are correct and very common:
- Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος από εμένα.
- Ο αδερφός μου είναι πιο μικρός από εμένα.
Both mean “My brother is younger than me.”
Notes:
- μικρότερος = “younger/smaller” with the -τερος comparative ending.
- πιο μικρός = “more small/young,” using πιο (more) + adjective.
In everyday speech, πιο μικρός is extremely common and often feels a bit more conversational, but μικρότερος is also completely natural. There is no real change in meaning here.
You’re right that από primarily means “from”, but in modern Greek it’s also used after comparatives to mean “than”:
- είμαι ψηλότερος από εσένα = I am taller than you
- είναι καλύτερη από μένα = she is better than me
So in:
- μικρότερος από εμένα → younger than me
Greek doesn’t use a special word like English “than”; instead it reuses από in this comparative structure.
You may also see παρά used in comparisons:
- μικρότερος παρά εμένα
This is also correct but sounds a bit more stylistic or emphatic; από is more neutral and common.
εγώ and εμένα are both forms of the pronoun “I / me”, but they are used in different roles:
- εγώ = subject form (“I”)
- εμένα = stressed object form (“me”)
After a preposition like από, Greek requires the object form:
- από εμένα = from/than me
- για εμένα = for me
- σε εμένα = to me
So:
- ✗ από εγώ (incorrect)
- ✓ από εμένα (correct)
In everyday speech, people often shorten εμένα to μένα:
- από μένα = also “than me”; very common and natural.
So both:
- μικρότερος από εμένα
- μικρότερος από μένα
are correct. από μένα sounds slightly more colloquial.
Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun in:
- gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
- number (singular / plural)
- case
Here the noun is ο αδερφός (masculine, singular, nominative), so the adjective is:
- μικρότερος (masculine, singular, nominative)
If you were talking about a sister (η αδερφή), you’d use the feminine form:
- Η αδερφή μου είναι μικρότερη από εμένα.
Basic forms of this adjective:
- Masculine: μικρότερος
- Feminine: μικρότερη
- Neuter: μικρότερο
Plural examples:
- Οι αδερφοί μου είναι μικρότεροι από εμένα. (my brothers are younger than me)
- Οι αδερφές μου είναι μικρότερες από εμένα. (my sisters are younger than me)
Yes, grammatically you can say:
- Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος.
By itself, this means “My brother is younger / smaller.”
But younger/smaller than whom or what? It’s incomplete unless the context makes it obvious:
- If the previous sentence is “Είμαι τριάντα χρονών.” then
Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος. clearly means younger than me.
In the standalone sentence you gave, από εμένα is included to explicitly say “than me,” which makes it clear without extra context.
Normal, neutral word order is:
- Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος από εμένα.
Greek word order is fairly flexible, so:
- Ο αδερφός μου είναι από εμένα μικρότερος.
is possible and understandable, but it sounds a bit marked or emphatic, as if you’re stressing the “than me” part.
For a learner, it’s best to stick to the standard, most natural order:
- [subject] + είναι + [adjective] + από + [pronoun]
→ Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος από εμένα.
Approximate pronunciations (stressed syllable in bold):
- Ο → /o/ (like “o” in “or,” short)
- αδερφός → a‑ðer‑FÓS
- α = “a” in “father”
- δ = th in “this” (voiced)
- ος → “os”
- μου → /mu/ (like “moo”)
- είναι → Í‑ne (EE‑neh)
- μικρότερος → mi‑KRÓ‑te‑ros
- ι = “ee”
- ο = “o” as in “not”
- από → a‑PÓ
- εμένα → e‑MÉ‑na
Full sentence:
Ο αδερφός μου είναι μικρότερος από εμένα.
→ /o aðerˈfos mu ˈine miˈkroteros apo eˈmena/