Learn Hardcore Greek: Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει να γράψουμε πέντε φράσεις στα ελληνικά για την αγαπημένη μας ταινία. - The teacher asks us to write five phrases in Greek about our favourite movie.

Without an accent (μας): it’s usually unstressed and attached closely to the verb:
- Η δασκάλα μας ζητάει… = Our teacher asks… (here μας could also be possessive: our teacher).
With an accent (μάς): it is stressed and used to avoid ambiguity or to emphasize:
- Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει… = The teacher asks us…

In this sentence, μάς is clearly the object (asks us), not possessive (our teacher), so the accent clarifies its role and adds a bit of emphasis: the teacher is asking us.

Why is μάς placed before the verb ζητάει and not after, like in English?

In Greek, the unstressed object pronouns (like με, σε, τον, την, το, μας, σας, τους) almost always go before the verb in simple sentences:

Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει… = The teacher asks us…
Μου έδωσε ένα βιβλίο. = He/She gave me a book.
Τον βλέπω κάθε μέρα. = I see him every day.

You cannot normally say:

✗ Η δασκάλα ζητάει μάς (ungrammatical in standard Greek).

So the normal position is:

pronoun + verb: μάς ζητάει, τον βλέπω, σας περιμένω, etc.

What’s the difference between ζητάει and ζητά? Are both correct?

Yes, both are correct. They are just two present-tense forms of the same verb:

ζητάει = asks/is asking
ζητά = asks/is asking

They are both 3rd person singular of ζητάω / ζητώ (to ask for, to request).

In everyday modern Greek:

ζητάει sounds a bit more colloquial/spoken.
ζητά sounds a bit more formal or written, but is also used in speech.

So you could also say:

Η δασκάλα μάς ζητά να γράψουμε…

Meaning stays the same.

Why do we have να γράψουμε and not just γράφουμε?

Να + verb introduces what’s called the subjunctive or a dependent action in Greek. After verbs of asking, wanting, ordering, etc., Greek normally uses να + subjunctive:

ζητάω να γράψω = I ask to write
θέλω να γράψω = I want to write
πρέπει να γράψουμε = we must write

So:

Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει να γράψουμε…
literally: The teacher asks us *that we write…
naturally: The teacher asks us **to write…*

If you said:

✗ Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει γράφουμε…

that would be wrong; after ζητάει you need να + subjunctive, not the simple present indicative.

Why is it γράψουμε (aorist) and not γράφουμε (present) after να?

Greek uses two main aspects in the subjunctive:

Aorist subjunctive (γράψουμε): focuses on the action as a single, complete event.
Present subjunctive (γράφουμε): focuses on the action as ongoing or repeated.

In this sentence, the teacher wants you to complete a task once: write five sentences. That’s a single, finished action, so Greek prefers the aorist:

να γράψουμε πέντε φράσεις = to write (and finish writing) five sentences.

If it were about a repeated/ongoing action, you’d use the present:

Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει να γράφουμε περισσότερο.
= The teacher asks us to write more (as a habit / regularly).

Why is it πέντε φράσεις and not πέντε προτάσεις if we mean “sentences”?

Both words exist, but they have slightly different common uses:

φράση: phrase, expression; in school instructions it’s often used like short sentences or phrases you write.
πρόταση: grammatical sentence (has a subject and a verb, etc.).

Teachers often say:

Γράψτε πέντε φράσεις.
meaning “write five short statements/sentences”.

You could also say:

να γράψουμε πέντε προτάσεις = to write five sentences (more technically correct for full sentences).

In practice, many native speakers use φράσεις very loosely to mean little sentences/statements in this school context.

What does στα ελληνικά literally mean, and why do we need στα?

στα ελληνικά literally is:

σε (in) + τα (the, neuter plural) → στα (contracted form)
and ελληνικά is the neuter plural of Greek.

So στα ελληνικά literally = in the Greek (words), but idiomatically = in Greek (language).

Greek often uses the neuter plural with the definite article to refer to a language:

τα ελληνικά = the Greek language
τα αγγλικά = English
μιλάω ελληνικά = I speak Greek
στα αγγλικά = in English

So:

πέντε φράσεις στα ελληνικά = five sentences in Greek.

Why is it για την αγαπημένη μας ταινία and not something like “για η αγαπημένη μας ταινία”?

A few points here:

Preposition + article
After για (about/for), if you refer to a specific noun, you normally use the definite article in the correct case:
- για την ταινία = about the film (feminine, accusative)
So you cannot say:
- ✗ για η ταινία (wrong)
Case
Prepositions like για are followed by the accusative:
- για την ταινία (not η ταινία)
Adjective + noun + pronoun
The phrase is:
- την αγαπημένη μας ταινία
- την (the, fem. acc.)
- αγαπημένη (favorite, fem. acc. to agree with ταινία)
- μας (our)
- ταινία (movie, fem. acc.)

So the correct structure after για is:

για την αγαπημένη μας ταινία = about our favorite movie.

Why does αγαπημένη have a feminine form here?

The adjective αγαπημένος / αγαπημένη / αγαπημένο (favorite, beloved) must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes.

ταινία (movie) is:
- feminine
- singular
- accusative (because of για)

So αγαπημένη is also:

feminine
singular
accusative

That’s why we have:

την αγαπημένη μας ταινία
and not:
✗ τον αγαπημένο μας ταινία (wrong gender).

Why is μας after αγαπημένη and not before, like η δασκάλα μας?

The weak possessive pronoun μας (our) is quite flexible in position, but these are common patterns:

With just a noun:
- η δασκάλα μας = our teacher
- το σπίτι μας = our house
With adjective + noun, μας often comes after the adjective:
- η αγαπημένη μας ταινία = our favorite movie
- η παλιά μας γειτονιά = our old neighborhood

Other orders are sometimes possible, but [article] + [adjective] + μας + [noun] is very natural and common in speech:

την αγαπημένη μας ταινία

Could the sentence also be “Η δασκάλα ζητάει από εμάς να γράψουμε…”? What’s the difference from μάς ζητάει?

Yes, you can say:

Η δασκάλα ζητάει από εμάς να γράψουμε…

Differences:

μάς ζητάει:
- μάς is a weak clitic pronoun.
- More natural and common in everyday speech.
- Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει…
από εμάς:
- εμάς is the strong/stressed form of “us”.
- Adds more emphasis, like from us specifically:
  - The teacher is asking *us (not someone else)…*

So:

Normal, neutral: Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει να γράψουμε…
Emphatic: Η δασκάλα ζητάει από εμάς να γράψουμε…

Can we change the word order, for example: Μάς ζητάει η δασκάλα να γράψουμε…? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is possible and still grammatical:

Μάς ζητάει η δασκάλα να γράψουμε…

However, the most neutral, typical word order is:

Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει να γράψουμε…

Changing the order can add slight emphasis:

Μάς ζητάει η δασκάλα…
puts μάς (us) in a more prominent position:
It’s us that the teacher is asking…

But in standard, unmarked word order, you’ll most often see:

Subject – object pronoun – verb – να + verb – rest
→ Η δασκάλα μάς ζητάει να γράψουμε πέντε φράσεις στα ελληνικά για την αγαπημένη μας ταινία.