Η αδερφή μου προτιμάει μια ταινία περιπέτειας, γιατί θέλει κάτι πιο δυναμικό.

to want

Breakdown of Η αδερφή μου προτιμάει μια ταινία περιπέτειας, γιατί θέλει κάτι πιο δυναμικό.

• μου: my
• γιατί: because
• πιο: more

Questions & Answers about Η αδερφή μου προτιμάει μια ταινία περιπέτειας, γιατί θέλει κάτι πιο δυναμικό.

Why is it Η αδερφή μου and not μου αδερφή like “my sister” in English?

Greek usually places the possessive pronoun after the noun as an enclitic (an unstressed little word that leans on the previous word).

• η αδερφή μου = the sister my → my sister
• η – feminine singular definite article “the”
• αδερφή – “sister” (nominative, subject of the verb)
• μου – “my” (unstressed, follows the noun)

Putting μου before the noun (μου η αδερφή) is possible only in very marked, emphatic contexts and sounds unusual in neutral speech. The normal pattern is article + noun + possessive, e.g. το βιβλίο μου (my book), ο φίλος μου (my friend).

Why προτιμάει and not προτιμά? Are both correct?

Both προτιμάει and προτιμά are correct present-tense 3rd person singular forms of the verb προτιμάω/προτιμώ (to prefer).

• προτιμάει – more colloquial/spoken, often heard in everyday conversation.
• προτιμά – slightly shorter and often preferred in writing or more formal styles, but also common in speech.

This pattern appears with many -άω verbs:

• μιλάω → μιλάει / μιλά (he/she speaks)
• ρωτάω → ρωτάει / ρωτά (he/she asks)

So Η αδερφή μου προτιμάει… and Η αδερφή μου προτιμά… mean exactly the same thing.

What is the difference between αδερφή and αδελφή?