Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο φίλος μου είναι χορτοφάγος, γι’ αυτό παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα στο εστιατόριο. - My friend is vegetarian, so he orders only salad at the restaurant.

Ο is the masculine singular definite article in the nominative case, meaning “the.” So Ο φίλος μου literally means “the friend of mine”, understood as “my (male) friend.”

Articles in the nominative singular are:

Masculine: ο (e.g. ο φίλος – the (male) friend)
Feminine: η (e.g. η φίλη – the (female) friend)
Neuter: το (e.g. το παιδί – the child)

If the friend is female, you would say:

Η φίλη μου είναι χορτοφάγος… = My (female) friend is a vegetarian…

Why is μου placed after φίλος in Ο φίλος μου instead of before, like in English “my friend”?

In Greek, the weak (clitic) possessive pronouns normally come after the noun they possess:

ο φίλος μου = my friend
το βιβλίο σου = your book
η μητέρα του = his mother

These little words (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) are unstressed genitive pronouns. Their natural position is post‑nominal: noun + possessive.

You can also use strong forms like δικός μου for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:

Ο φίλος είναι δικός μου. = The friend is mine (not someone else’s).

But in normal, neutral possession, the pattern is [article] + [noun] + [weak possessive]: ο φίλος μου.

Why is there no article before χορτοφάγος in είναι χορτοφάγος?

In Greek, when talking about someone’s profession, religion, nationality, role, or type in a general way, you often omit the article:

Είναι γιατρός. = He/She is a doctor.
Είναι Έλληνας. = He is Greek.
Είναι φοιτήτρια. = She is a student.
Είναι χορτοφάγος. = He/She is a vegetarian.

You would add an article if you are specifying a particular one, or making the noun more definite or contrastive, e.g.:

Είναι ο χορτοφάγος της παρέας. = He is the vegetarian of the group. (the specific one everyone knows)

What kind of word is χορτοφάγος, and does it change for male vs female?

Χορτοφάγος is a noun meaning “vegetarian.” It is built from:

χόρτο = grass/herb/green
-φάγος = eater

So literally, “herb‑eater.”

Forms:

Singular:
- ο χορτοφάγος = the (male) vegetarian
- η χορτοφάγος = the (female) vegetarian
Plural:
- οι χορτοφάγοι = the vegetarians (for a mixed or general group)

So the form is the same for masculine and feminine in the singular; only the article tells you the gender (ο / η).

What does γι’ αυτό mean exactly, and how is it different from γιατί or επειδή?

Γι’ αυτό is a contraction of για αυτό = “for this” / “because of this.” In this sentence:

…είναι χορτοφάγος, γι’ αυτό παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα…
= …he is a vegetarian, *so he orders only salad…
= …he is a vegetarian; that’s why he orders only salad…*

Compare:

γιατί = “why” / “because”
- Γιατί παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα; = Why does he order only salad?
- Γιατί είναι χορτοφάγος. = Because he is a vegetarian.
επειδή = “because” (only as a conjunction, not “why”)
- Παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα επειδή είναι χορτοφάγος.
  = He orders only salad because he is a vegetarian.

So:

γι’ αυτό = so / therefore / that’s why (conclusion/result)
γιατί / επειδή = because (reason)

What is the verb παραγγέλνει, and how is it formed?

Παραγγέλνει is the 3rd person singular, present tense of the verb παραγγέλνω = “to order” (food, items, etc.).

Present tense (active voice):

εγώ παραγγέλνω = I order
εσύ παραγγέλνεις = you order
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό παραγγέλνει = he/she/it orders
εμείς παραγγέλνουμε = we order
εσείς παραγγέλνετε = you (pl./formal) order
αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά παραγγέλνουν(ε) = they order

In this sentence, παραγγέλνει expresses a habitual action:

…γι’ αυτό παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα…
= …so he (normally/typically) orders only salad…

Why is there no article before σαλάτα in παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα?

Here σαλάτα is used in a general / indefinite way, almost like “salad (in general)” or “salad as a kind of dish.” Greek often omits the article for:

indefinite, non‑specific objects, especially with food or countable items in a habitual context.

Compare:

Παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα.
= He only orders salad (as a type of dish; in general, that’s what he chooses).

If you add an article or a numeral, the meaning becomes more specific:

Παραγγέλνει μια σαλάτα. = He orders a salad. (one salad)
Παραγγέλνει τη σαλάτα. = He orders the salad. (a specific one already known in context)

So the absence of an article here matches the idea “he orders salad (as his kind of food).”

What does μόνο do in παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα, and can its position change?

Μόνο means “only” / “just.” In παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα, it restricts what he orders:

Literally: “He orders only salad.”

Usual neutral positions are:

παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα
μόνο σαλάτα παραγγέλνει

Both mean that salad is the only thing he orders. The position affects emphasis:

Μόνο σαλάτα παραγγέλνει. puts extra stress on σαλάτα (the only thing).
Παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα. is slightly more neutral.

But the core meaning “only salad” stays the same.

What exactly is στο in στο εστιατόριο?

Στο is a contraction of:

σε (preposition: at, in, to)
το (neuter singular definite article: the)

So:

σε + το εστιατόριο → στο εστιατόριο = “at the restaurant” / “to the restaurant.”

Other similar contractions:

σε + τον → στον (e.g. στον φίλο – to/at the (male) friend)
σε + την → στη(ν) (e.g. στη μητέρα – to/at the mother)

In everyday Greek, σε + article is almost always written and pronounced as these contracted forms (στο, στον, στη(ν), etc.).

What can we say about εστιατόριο? How do we know its gender and case here?

Εστιατόριο means “restaurant.” It is a neuter noun of a common pattern:

Nominative singular: το εστιατόριο
Accusative singular: το εστιατόριο
Genitive singular: του εστιατορίου

Neuter nouns often have the same form in nominative and accusative singular, typically ending in -ο or -ι.

In στο εστιατόριο:

The preposition σε in modern Greek normally takes the accusative case.
For neuter singular, nominative and accusative look identical (εστιατόριο), so you only see the difference in the article (το in both cases) and in the fact it follows a preposition.

So here it is neuter accusative singular, governed by σε.

Can the word order in the sentence change, or is it fixed?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, and you can move elements for emphasis without changing the basic meaning. For example:

Original:

Ο φίλος μου είναι χορτοφάγος, γι’ αυτό παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα στο εστιατόριο.

Possible variants:

Ο φίλος μου είναι χορτοφάγος, γι’ αυτό μόνο σαλάτα παραγγέλνει στο εστιατόριο.
Ο φίλος μου είναι χορτοφάγος, γι’ αυτό στο εστιατόριο παραγγέλνει μόνο σαλάτα.

All still mean essentially:
“My friend is a vegetarian, so he orders only salad at the restaurant.”

Changes in order mainly highlight different parts:

Fronting μόνο σαλάτα emphasizes that salad is the only thing.
Fronting στο εστιατόριο emphasizes the place (at the restaurant, that’s what he does).

How is γι’ αυτό pronounced, and why is there an apostrophe?

Γι’ αυτό is pronounced approximately:

[ʝafˈto] – something like “yaftó”.

What happens:

για = [ʝa] (“ya”)
αυτό = [afˈto] (“aftó”)
When για is followed by a word starting with a vowel (αυτό), in fast speech the final -α of για is often dropped, and the sounds run together: για αυτό → γι’ αυτό.
The apostrophe ’ shows this elision (omission of a vowel).

So in writing:

για αυτό (full form)
γι’ αυτό (more natural, contracted form – what you actually hear most of the time)