Learn Hardcore Greek: Η μαμά μου τακτοποιεί τα πιάτα στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας πιο προσεκτικά από εμένα. - My mom arranges the plates in the kitchen drawer more carefully than I do.

Η μαμά μου = my mum / my mom in an informal, familiar way.
η μαμά alone = the mum (not specific whose, or understood from context). On its own it often means Mum in a very close context (e.g. a child calling Μαμά!), but if you want to say my mum explicitly, you add μου.
η μητέρα μου = my mother, more formal or neutral, less childish or intimate than η μαμά μου.

So:

Η μαμά μου – everyday, affectionate, informal.
Η μητέρα μου – more formal, polite, or neutral.
Both are correct; the choice is about style and tone, not grammar.

Why does the possessive μου come after the noun (η μαμά μου) instead of before, like in English (my mum)?

In Greek, unstressed possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους usually come after the noun:

η μαμά μου – my mum
το σπίτι μας – our house
τα πιάτα της – her plates

Putting μου before the noun (e.g. μου η μαμά) is possible only in very marked, emotional, or poetic speech, and sounds unusual in normal conversation.

So the normal pattern in modern Greek is: > article + noun + possessive clitic
> η μαμά μου, το παιδί σου, ο φίλος του

What exactly does τακτοποιεί mean here? How is it different from just saying βάζει?

Τακτοποιεί comes from τακτοποιώ and means:

to arrange, to put in order, to tidy up, to organize (things into their proper place).

So in this sentence, τακτοποιεί τα πιάτα suggests:

she’s not just putting the plates somewhere,
she’s arranging them neatly / in an orderly way in the drawer.

By contrast:

βάζει τα πιάτα στο συρτάρι = puts the plates in the drawer (more neutral, just placing them there, no extra nuance of order or tidiness).

So τακτοποιεί already contains the idea of careful arrangement / tidying, which fits well with πιο προσεκτικά (more carefully).

Why do we need the article τα in τα πιάτα? Could we omit it and just say πιάτα?

In Greek, the definite article (ο, η, το, οι, οι, τα) is used much more often than in English.

τα πιάτα literally = the plates, but in context it can correspond to the plates or sometimes just plates in English, depending on what sounds natural.

In this sentence, τα πιάτα implies specific plates that are understood from context:

the plates in the kitchen, the family’s plates, the ones being put away, etc.

If you said πιάτα with no article, it would sound:

either incomplete,
or very generic/indefinite (some plates, plates in general), which doesn’t fit as well with a concrete action like putting away the dishes at home.

So τα πιάτα is the normal, natural choice here.

What is στο in στο συρτάρι? Is it one word or two, and what does it literally mean?

Στο is a contraction (combination) of:

σε + το → στο

σε = in, at, on, to (a very general preposition)
το = the (neuter, singular, accusative)

So:

σε το συρτάρι → στο συρτάρι = in the drawer / into the drawer.

You’ll see the same pattern elsewhere:

σε + τον → στον (e.g. στον δρόμο – in/on the road)
σε + την → στη(ν) (e.g. στην κουζίνα – in the kitchen)
σε + τα → στα (e.g. στα πιάτα – on the plates)

Why is it στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας and not στο συρτάρι στην κουζίνα? What’s the difference?

Both are grammatical, but they mean slightly different things:

στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας
- literally: in the drawer of the kitchen
- της κουζίνας is in the genitive, showing possession/association:
  → the kitchen’s drawer / the kitchen drawer
- Implies it’s that specific drawer which belongs to the kitchen (as opposed to a drawer in a bedroom or hallway).
στο συρτάρι στην κουζίνα
- literally: in the drawer in the kitchen
- στην κουζίνα is a location phrase: where the drawer is.
- This highlights that the drawer happens to be located in the kitchen, not necessarily that it’s the kitchen drawer as a concept.

In everyday speech:

στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας sounds more like the kitchen drawer (a specific, known place where things are kept).
στο συρτάρι στην κουζίνα feels more descriptive (a drawer that is in the kitchen), and is a bit less idiomatic for a fixed, known storage place.

How does πιο προσεκτικά work grammatically? How is προσεκτικά formed, and what does πιο do?

προσεκτικός = careful (adjective, masculine)
προσεκτική = careful (feminine)
προσεκτικό = careful (neuter)

To make the adverb (carefully), Greek usually uses the neuter plural form in -α:

προσεκτικά = carefully

Then you add πιο in front to make a comparative:

πιο προσεκτικά = more carefully

So:

προσεκτικά – carefully
πιο προσεκτικά – more carefully
πολύ προσεκτικά – very carefully
πάρα πολύ προσεκτικά – extremely/very very carefully

Why is it από εμένα and not από εγώ? What is the role of εμένα here?

After από in comparisons, Greek uses the accusative (object) form of the pronoun, not the subject form:

Subject form: εγώ = I
Accusative (strong) form: εμένα = me

So:

πιο προσεκτικά από εμένα = more carefully than me

Εμένα is a strong/stressed pronoun:

used for emphasis or contrast, like me in more than me (as opposed to someone else).
a clitic/unstressed form would be με, but you can’t use με after από here; you need the full stressed form.

That’s why από εγώ is incorrect, and από εμένα (or από μένα, a shorter form) is correct.

Can I also say από μένα or παρά εμένα instead of από εμένα? Are there differences?

Yes:

από εμένα and από μένα
- Both are correct.
- μένα is just a shorter, more colloquial form of εμένα.
- Meaning: more carefully than me.
παρά εμένα
- Also possible in many comparative contexts.
- πιο … παρά … is an alternative to πιο … από ….
- πιο προσεκτικά παρά εμένα is understandable and acceptable, but in everyday speech πιο προσεκτικά από μένα/από εμένα is more common here.

So the most natural versions are:

πιο προσεκτικά από εμένα
πιο προσεκτικά από μένα

The choice between εμένα and μένα is mainly about style (slightly more careful vs more casual), not meaning.

Could the word order in this sentence change? For example, can we move πιο προσεκτικά or τα πιάτα to other positions?

Modern Greek allows quite a bit of word-order flexibility, but changes often add emphasis or affect what sounds natural.

Original: > Η μαμά μου τακτοποιεί τα πιάτα στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας πιο προσεκτικά από εμένα.

Some possible variants:

Η μαμά μου τακτοποιεί πιο προσεκτικά τα πιάτα στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας από εμένα.
- Focuses slightly more on the manner (πιο προσεκτικά) before mentioning what she arranges.
Η μαμά μου τα πιάτα τακτοποιεί στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας πιο προσεκτικά από εμένα.
- Emphasizes τα πιάτα (the plates) by placing them before the verb and repeating the object pronoun style (though here it’s just fronting the full noun). This can sound more marked or poetic.
Τα πιάτα τακτοποιεί η μαμά μου στο συρτάρι της κουζίνας πιο προσεκτικά από εμένα.
- Strong focus on τα πιάτα: It’s the plates that my mum arranges…, a bit dramatic or contrastive.

The original order is the most neutral and natural for ordinary speech. Other permutations are possible but usually introduce some kind of focus, contrast, or style effect.