Ο μικρός μου ξάδερφος δεν είναι ντροπαλός, αλλά η ανιψιά μου μιλάει λίγο στην αρχή.

to be

Breakdown of Ο μικρός μου ξάδερφος δεν είναι ντροπαλός, αλλά η ανιψιά μου μιλάει λίγο στην αρχή.

• μιλάω: to speak
• λίγο: a little
• δεν: not

Questions & Answers about Ο μικρός μου ξάδερφος δεν είναι ντροπαλός, αλλά η ανιψιά μου μιλάει λίγο στην αρχή.

Why does the sentence start with Ο and η? In English we just say my little cousin or my niece, without the.

In Greek, when you use a possessive pronoun like μου (my), you almost always keep the definite article as well:

• Ο μικρός μου ξάδερφος = literally the my little cousin
• Η ανιψιά μου = literally the my niece

So the normal pattern is:

• ο / η / το + noun + μου
  
  • ο αδερφός μου – my brother
  • η μητέρα μου – my mother
  • το παιδί μου – my child

Leaving out the article (μικρός μου ξάδερφος) is possible in some special, more poetic or stylistic contexts, but in everyday Greek the article is standard.

Why is μου after the noun (ξάδερφος) instead of before it, like in English (my cousin)?

Μου is a clitic pronoun in Greek. That means it usually comes after the noun it belongs to, not before:

• ο ξάδερφός μου – my cousin
• η ανιψιά μου – my niece

The pattern is:

• [article] + [noun] + [μου]

You don’t say μου ξάδερφος the way you say my cousin in English. Putting μου in front of the noun is ungrammatical in standard modern Greek.