Learn Hardcore Greek: Η δασκάλα μας λέει ότι η προφορά μας έχει βελτιωθεί, αλλά η βαθμολογία στο τεστ δεν είναι ακόμα τέλεια. - Our teacher tells us that our pronunciation has improved, but the grading on the test is not perfect yet.

Η is the feminine singular definite article in the nominative case — it means “the” before a feminine noun (here: δασκάλα, “teacher (female)”).

Η δασκάλα = the (female) teacher.
It is capitalized simply because it is the first word in the sentence.
In the middle of a sentence it would be η δασκάλα with a lowercase η.

So Η is not a pronoun; it is the definite article agreeing in gender, number, and case with δασκάλα.

Why δασκάλα and not δάσκαλος? How does gender work here?

Greek nouns have grammatical gender. For “teacher”:

ο δάσκαλος = male teacher (masculine)
η δασκάλα = female teacher (feminine)

In the sentence we have η δασκάλα, so the teacher is specified as female. The article changes with the noun:

Masculine: ο δάσκαλος
Feminine: η δασκάλα

What exactly does μας mean in Η δασκάλα μας λέει and in η προφορά μας?

μας is the 1st person plural weak pronoun and can mean either:

our (possessive)
us (object: to us)

In this sentence:

η προφορά μας clearly means our pronunciation (possessive).
Η δασκάλα μας λέει… is most naturally read as Our teacher says / tells us that…, where μας is possessive (our teacher).

Greek can also use μας as an object:

Η δασκάλα μάς λέει ότι… = The teacher tells us that…

When written, an accent on μάς is often used if the writer wants to make it clearly “us” (object) and not “our”.

Why is λέει used here and not something like είπε? What tense is λέει?

λέει is the 3rd person singular of λέω in the present tense:

λέει = she says / she is saying / she tells

So Η δασκάλα μας λέει ότι… literally means Our teacher says that… (in general / now).

If you used είπε (past tense, aorist):

Η δασκάλα μας είπε ότι… = Our teacher said (once, in the past) that…

The choice of λέει suggests something current or habitual, not a one‑time event in the past.

What does ότι do here, and how is it different from πως or ό,τι?

In λέει ότι η προφορά μας έχει βελτιωθεί, ότι is a conjunction meaning “that” introducing reported speech, just like English that:

λέει ότι… = she says that…

Useful distinctions:

ότι (without comma) = that (conjunction)
- Μου είπε ότι θα έρθει. = He told me that he will come.
πως can often replace ότι in this meaning:
- Μου είπε πως θα έρθει. (very similar)
ό,τι (with comma) means whatever / anything that:
- Φάε ό,τι θέλεις. = Eat whatever you want.

In this sentence, ότι is the normal “reported speech” that.

Why do we say η προφορά μας with the article η, when in English we just say “our pronunciation” without the?

Greek usually keeps the definite article even when a possessive pronoun is present:

η προφορά μας = our pronunciation
(literally: the pronunciation of us)

In Greek it sounds more natural to say:

η προφορά μου / σου / του / μας / σας / τους
(my / your / his / our / your / their pronunciation)

Leaving out the article (προφορά μας) is possible but feels more marked or stylistic; the default everyday form uses the article.

What tense and voice is έχει βελτιωθεί, and how is it formed?

έχει βελτιωθεί is a present perfect passive form:

Auxiliary έχει = has (3rd person singular of έχω)
Past participle βελτιωθεί from βελτιώνομαι / βελτιώνω (to improve / be improved)

So:

έχει βελτιωθεί = has improved / has been improved

In this sentence it means “our pronunciation has improved”, emphasizing a result up to now. Greek does not use the perfect as often as English, but here it closely matches the English present perfect.

Why do we need αλλά and the comma? Can I write the sentence without the comma?

αλλά is the coordinating conjunction “but”:

…, αλλά … = …, but …

The comma before αλλά separates two independent clauses:

Clause 1: Η δασκάλα μας λέει ότι η προφορά μας έχει βελτιωθεί
Clause 2: η βαθμολογία στο τεστ δεν είναι ακόμα τέλεια

Written Greek normally puts a comma before αλλά when it links two full clauses, just like English often does before but in longer sentences. Omitting the comma is not standard in careful writing.

What does στο τεστ mean exactly, and how is στο formed?

στο τεστ means “on the test / in the test”.

στο is a contraction of σε
- το:
  - σε = in / at / on
  - το = the (neuter singular article)

So:

σε το τεστ → στο τεστ

τεστ is an indeclinable neuter noun borrowed from English, meaning test / exam / quiz.

Why is it δεν είναι ακόμα τέλεια and not δεν είναι ακόμα τέλειο? What is τέλεια agreeing with?

τέλεια here is the feminine singular form of the adjective τέλειος, -α, -ο (perfect).

The subject of the clause is η βαθμολογία (the grade / score), which is:

Feminine
Singular
Nominative

So the predicate adjective must agree:

η βαθμολογία … δεν είναι ακόμα τέλεια
= the score is not perfect yet

If the noun were masculine or neuter, the adjective would change accordingly:

ο βαθμός δεν είναι τέλειος (masculine)
το αποτέλεσμα δεν είναι τέλειο (neuter)

Could the word order be η βαθμολογία στο τεστ ακόμα δεν είναι τέλεια? Where can ακόμα go?

Yes, Greek allows some flexibility in adverb placement. All of these are possible, with small differences in emphasis:

η βαθμολογία στο τεστ δεν είναι ακόμα τέλεια (neutral; very natural)
η βαθμολογία στο τεστ ακόμα δεν είναι τέλεια (slightly more emphasis on still not)
ακόμα η βαθμολογία στο τεστ δεν είναι τέλεια (more marked, stronger emphasis)

The basic rule: δεν must come directly before the verb (δεν είναι), but ακόμα (still / yet) can move around that verb phrase to change rhythm or emphasis. The sentence given uses the most standard option.

Why do we say η βαθμολογία στο τεστ and not βαθμολογία στο τεστ without the article?

Greek uses the definite article much more frequently than English, especially with specific, known things. Here we are talking about a specific score on a specific test, so Greek naturally says:

η βαθμολογία στο τεστ = the grade/score on the test

Leaving out the article (βαθμολογία στο τεστ) would sound incomplete or too generic in standard Greek. English often omits “the” in such phrases (“test scores”, “test grade”), but Greek normally keeps it when a specific instance is meant.