Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου.

In the big drawer I keep my pyjamas and my socks.

Breakdown of Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου.

• και: and
• μου: my
• μεγάλος: big
• σε: in
• κρατάω: to keep
• το συρτάρι: the drawer
• η πιτζάμα: the pyjamas
• η κάλτσα: the sock

Questions & Answers about Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου.

What exactly does στο mean here, and how is it formed?

Στο means roughly in the or at the.

It is a contraction of:

• σε (in, at, on) + το (the, neuter singular)

So:

• σε το μεγάλο συρτάρι → στο μεγάλο συρτάρι (in the big drawer)

In modern Greek, these contractions are almost always used in speech and writing:

• σε + το → στο
• σε + τα → στα
• σε + την → στη(ν)
• σε + τις → στις

Why is μεγάλο in this form, and how does it agree with συρτάρι?

Συρτάρι (drawer) is a neuter noun in Greek.

Adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here we have:

• το συρτάρι – neuter, singular, accusative (because it follows σε)
• so μεγάλος (big) must become:
  • μεγάλο – neuter, singular, accusative

That is why we say:

• στο μεγάλο συρτάρι (in the big drawer)

Compare:

• ο μεγάλος άντρας (the big man – masculine)
• η μεγάλη πόρτα (the big door – feminine)
• το μεγάλο συρτάρι (the big drawer – neuter)

Why is συρτάρι in the accusative after σε? I thought prepositions often use a special case.

In modern Greek, the preposition σε (in, at, on, to) is followed by the accusative case.

So we say:

• σε ποιο συρτάρι; – in which drawer? (accusative)
• στο μεγάλο συρτάρι – in the big drawer (accusative)

Unlike some other languages, Greek does not switch to dative or another case after σε; the standard pattern is:

• σε + accusative

What is the difference between κρατάω and έχω here? Why say κρατάω and not just έχω?

Both can be translated with to have in English, but they are not the same.

• έχω: I have, I possess.
  • Έχω πιτζάμες. – I have pyjamas.
• κρατάω: I hold, I keep, I store somewhere.

In this sentence:

• Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου…

  means something like:

• In the big drawer I keep/store my pyjamas…

It emphasizes where you are keeping them, rather than just the fact that you own them.

Also note: κρατάω and κρατώ are two forms of the same verb. Κρατάω is more common in everyday speech.

Why do we repeat τις before both πιτζάμες and κάλτσες?

Greek typically repeats the definite article when you have two separate nouns:

• τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου
  = my pyjamas and my socks

This makes it very clear that:

• you are talking about two distinct sets of things
• both are definite, specified items.

You will also often see the article not repeated in fast, informal speech:

• τις πιτζάμες και κάλτσες μου

This is understood, but the fully repeated form with τις in both places is the clearest and most standard.

Why is μου (my) after the noun and not before it, like in English?

In Greek, possessive pronouns like μου (my), σου (your), του (his), etc., normally:

• come after the noun phrase
• are written as separate words
• do not take an article themselves

So you say:

• η μητέρα μου – my mother
• το σπίτι σου – your house
• οι φίλοι μας – our friends
• τις πιτζάμες μου – my pyjamas
• τις κάλτσες μου – my socks

Putting μου before the noun (μου πιτζάμες) is incorrect in standard modern Greek.

If τις πιτζάμες μου already means my pyjamas, why do we need the article τις at all?

Greek almost always uses the definite article with possessive pronouns.

Structure:

• article + noun + possessive
• τις πιτζάμες μου – literally: the pyjamas my

So:

• τις πιτζάμες μου – my pyjamas
• το βιβλίο σου – your book
• η τσάντα της – her bag

Leaving the article out (for example πιτζάμες μου) sounds incomplete or stylistically very marked; in everyday speech you should include the article.

Can I drop the second μου and just say τις πιτζάμες και τις κάλτσες μου?

Yes, you can, and it is common and natural:

• Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι κρατάω τις πιτζάμες και τις κάλτσες μου.

In this case, μου is understood to apply to both πιτζάμες and κάλτσες.

Subtle nuance:

• τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου – a bit more explicit, maybe slightly more careful or emphatic.
• τις πιτζάμες και τις κάλτσες μου – more compact, very natural in speech.

Both are correct.

What genders and plurals are πιτζάμες and κάλτσες?

Both nouns here are:

• feminine
• plural
• accusative

Details:

• η πιτζάμα – the pyjama (singular)
  • plural: οι πιτζάμες (nominative)
    accusative: τις πιτζάμες
• η κάλτσα – the sock (singular)
  • plural: οι κάλτσες (nominative)
    accusative: τις κάλτσες

So in the sentence:

• τις πιτζάμες μου – my pyjamas
• τις κάλτσες μου – my socks

Is there any difference between πιτζάμες and πυτζάμες?

You may see both spellings:

• πιτζάμες
• πυτζάμες

They represent the same word, borrowed from a foreign language (ultimately from English pyjamas). Pronunciation is essentially the same, and both forms are understood. Modern dictionaries and textbooks often prefer πιτζάμες, but you will encounter both.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου στο μεγάλο συρτάρι?

Yes, you can. Both orders are correct:

• Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου.
• Κρατάω τις πιτζάμες μου και τις κάλτσες μου στο μεγάλο συρτάρι.

The difference is mainly in emphasis:

• Starting with Στο μεγάλο συρτάρι puts focus on the location (in the big drawer…).
• Starting with Κρατάω is more neutral, like normal English word order.

Greek word order is relatively flexible, and speakers often move phrases to the front for emphasis or to connect more smoothly with the previous sentence.

Could I say μέσα στο μεγάλο συρτάρι instead of στο μεγάλο συρτάρι?

Yes:

• μέσα στο μεγάλο συρτάρι – inside the big drawer
• στο μεγάλο συρτάρι – in the big drawer

Μέσα adds the idea of inside, making it a bit more explicit that the items are inside the drawer, not just at or near it. In practice, for a drawer, both are very natural, and speakers often just say στο μεγάλο συρτάρι.

How do you pronounce this sentence, especially the stress?

Syllable division and stress (stressed syllables in capitals):

• Στο με-ΓΑ-λο συρ-ΤΑ-ρι κρα-ΤΑ-ω τις πι-ΤΖΑ-μες μου και τις ΚΑΛ-τσες μου.

Approximate pronunciation:

• Στο – stoh
• μεγάλο – meh-GAH-lo
• συρτάρι – seer-TAH-ree
• κρατάω – kra-TAH-o (often sounds like kra-TA-o)
• τις – tees
• πιτζάμες – pee-DZAH-mes
• μου – moo
• και – keh (often like ke)
• κάλτσες – KAL-tses

Each word has one stress mark in writing (except short unstressed words like στο, τις, μου, και), and that stress falls exactly where the accent mark appears.