Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη.

Today it is very hot in the city.

Breakdown of Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη.

• πολύς: much
• έχω: to have
• σήμερα: today
• σε: in
• η πόλη: the city
• η ζέστη: the heat

Questions & Answers about Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη.

Why do we say έχει πολλή ζέστη instead of using είναι to mean it is hot?

In Greek, weather is very often expressed with έχει (has) or κάνει (does/makes), not with είναι (is).

• έχει πολλή ζέστη literally means it has a lot of heat, which corresponds to English it is very hot.
• You will commonly hear:
  • Σήμερα έχει ζέστη.
  • Σήμερα κάνει ζέστη.
• You do not say ✱είναι ζέστη for the weather.
  If you want to use είναι, you usually talk about ο καιρός (the weather):
  • Ο καιρός είναι ζεστός σήμερα. – The weather is warm/hot today.

So in weather expressions, Greek prefers έχει / κάνει + noun instead of είναι + adjective.

What exactly does πολλή mean here, and why is it in the feminine form?

πολλή means a lot of / much and is an adjective that agrees with the noun it modifies.

• The noun ζέστη (heat) is:
  • feminine
  • singular
  • accusative (as the object of έχει)

So the adjective πολύς, πολλή, πολύ has to match that:

• masculine: πολύς
• feminine: πολλή
• neuter: πολύ

Because ζέστη is feminine singular accusative, you get πολλή ζέστη.

What is the difference between πολλή and πολύ? I often see πολύ used with adjectives.

They are related but used slightly differently.

1. As an adjective (agreeing with a noun – many/much):

   • masculine: πολύς
   • feminine: πολλή
   • neuter: πολύ

   Example:

   • πολλή ζέστη – much heat / a lot of heat
   • πολλά χρήματα – a lot of money

2. As an adverb (invariable – very/much):

   • πολύ is used before adjectives and verbs:
     • πολύ ζεστός – very hot
     • δουλεύω πολύ – I work a lot

In Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη, πολλή is an adjective modifying the noun ζέστη.

In actual speech, you may also hear Σήμερα έχει πολύ ζέστη, treating πολύ more like an invariable adverb. Standard grammar, however, favors πολλή ζέστη here.

Is ζέστη a noun or an adjective here, and how is it different from ζεστός?

ζέστη is a noun, meaning heat / hot weather.

• ζέστη – heat, warmth, hot weather (noun)
• ζεστός / ζεστή / ζεστό – hot, warm (adjective)

Compare:

• Έχει πολλή ζέστη. – There is a lot of heat / It is very hot.
• Η σούπα είναι ζεστή. – The soup is hot.

For weather, Greek normally uses the noun ζέστη with έχει or κάνει, not the adjective alone. You do not say ✱είναι ζέστη for it is hot.

Why is there no word for it at the beginning of the sentence?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the verb ending, and weather expressions are impersonal.

• In English: It is hot.
• In Greek: Έχει ζέστη. (literally: has heat)

There is no separate word for it here. You do not say ✱Αυτό έχει ζέστη for the weather.
The verb έχει functions impersonal­ly, so the whole sentence works without an explicit subject.

What does στην consist of grammatically, and why is it written as one word?

στην is a contraction of:

• σε – a preposition meaning in / at / to
• την – the feminine singular accusative definite article the

So:

• σε + την πόλη → στην πόλη – in the city

These combinations are almost always written as one word in Modern Greek:

• σε + τον → στον (στον δρόμο – in/on the street)
• σε + το → στο (στο σπίτι – at home)
• σε + τις → στις (στις πόλεις – in the cities)

In στην πόλη, στην tells you both the preposition and the gender/case of the noun that follows.

Why is πόλη in that form, and what case is it in?

The noun is η πόλη (the city), which is feminine.

Its basic singular forms are:

• nominative: η πόλη – the city (as subject)
• genitive: της πόλης – of the city
• accusative: την πόλη – the city (as object, or after many prepositions)

After the preposition σε, Greek uses the accusative case.
So:

• σε + την πόλη → στην πόλη – in the city

The noun itself appears as πόλη in both nominative and accusative; the article (hidden inside στην) tells you it is accusative here.

Can we change the word order, for example say Σήμερα στην πόλη έχει πολλή ζέστη? Is that still correct?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially with adverbs and prepositional phrases.

All of these are grammatical and natural:

• Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη.
• Σήμερα στην πόλη έχει πολλή ζέστη.
• Στην πόλη σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη.
• Έχει πολλή ζέστη σήμερα στην πόλη.

They all mean essentially Today it is very hot in the city, but the order can slightly change what is emphasized (for example, stressing στην πόλη vs σήμερα in spoken Greek).

For a learner, your original sentence Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη is perfectly normal and clear.

Are there other common ways to say it is hot today in the city in Greek, and how do they differ from έχει πολλή ζέστη?

Yes, some very common alternatives:

1. Σήμερα κάνει ζέστη στην πόλη.

   • Very natural, possibly the most common everyday way.
   • Literally: Today it makes heat in the city.

2. Σήμερα έχει ζέστη στην πόλη.

   • Similar to your sentence but without πολλή.
   • Means simply it is hot today in the city, without stressing very.

3. Using ο καιρός with είναι:

   • Ο καιρός σήμερα στην πόλη είναι ζεστός.
   • More formal/neutral, literally The weather today in the city is warm/hot.

έχει πολλή ζέστη emphasizes that there is a lot of heat, so it sounds a bit stronger than just έχει ζέστη.

Why is there no article like η or μια before πολλή ζέστη?

Because ζέστη here is treated as a mass/uncountable noun, referring to an indefinite amount of heat.

• When you talk about an unspecified amount of a mass noun, Greek often drops the article:
  • πολλή ζέστη – a lot of heat
  • λίγο νερό – a little water

If you add an article, you change the meaning:

• η πολλή ζέστη – the great / excessive heat
  (a specific or previously mentioned heat, or heat as a general phenomenon)

μια πολλή ζέστη is not normal Greek; μια (one/a) is rare with mass nouns in this sense.

How do you pronounce each word in Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη, and where is the stress?

Approximate pronunciation with stressed syllables in capitals:

• Σήμερα – SEE-me-ra
  (stress on the first syllable)
• έχει – E-chi
  (χ as in German Bach, not like English k)
• πολλή – po-LEE
  (double λ just lengthens the l slightly; stress on the last syllable)
• ζέστη – ZES-tee
  (stress on the first syllable)
• στην – steen
  (before π, μ, β, φ, θ, etc., it is often pronounced stin; here before π it sounds like stim in fast speech: stim póli)
• πόλη – PO-li
  (stress on the first syllable)

So the rhythm is roughly:

SEE-me-ra E-chi po-LEE ZES-tee steen PO-li.

Should there be a comma after Σήμερα, like Σήμερα, έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη?

In this short sentence, a comma after Σήμερα is generally not necessary and is usually omitted:

• Σήμερα έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη. ✅ (most common)

You might see a comma if the writer wants to create a stronger pause or emphasis, for example in more literary or rhetorical style:

• Σήμερα, έχει πολλή ζέστη στην πόλη. (slight extra pause)

For everyday writing and for learners, it is simpler and more natural to write it without the comma.