Learn Hardcore Greek: Στο μάθημα συζητάμε αν τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς στην πόλη μας είναι αρκετά ασφαλή. - In class we discuss whether the public means of transport in our city are safe enough.

What is the nuance of συζητάμε? Is it “we talk”, “we discuss”, or “we are discussing”? Why is English progressive (are discussing) but Greek is just present?

συζητάμε is the 1st person plural present tense of συζητάω / συζητώ (to discuss).

It can mean:

we discuss
we are discussing
sometimes we talk (about something in a more detailed/serious way)

Greek doesn’t have a separate present continuous form the way English does. The simple present in Greek covers both:

Στο μάθημα συζητάμε…
can be translated as either:
- In class we discuss… (habitual/general)
- In class we’re discussing… (right now / at this time)

The context decides which English form is best. Grammatically, it’s just present tense in Greek.

I’ve also seen συζητούμε. What’s the difference between συζητάμε and συζητούμε?

Both are correct and mean the same thing: we discuss / we are discussing.

They come from two slightly different “styles” of the same verb:

συζητάμε – more colloquial / everyday
συζητούμε – a bit more formal or “standard”

In modern spoken Greek, συζητάμε is extremely common. You can use either, and native speakers will understand both perfectly:

Στο μάθημα συζητάμε…
Στο μάθημα συζητούμε…

No change in meaning here.

How does αν work in this sentence? Is it “if” or “whether”? Could I also say εάν?

In this sentence, αν introduces what we’re discussing:

συζητάμε αν… = we discuss whether / if…

In English, whether fits best because we are considering a question: whether public transportation is safe enough.

About αν and εάν:

αν = the common, everyday form
εάν = more formal; often used in writing or formal speech

In most modern contexts they are interchangeable. You could say:

Στο μάθημα συζητάμε αν…
Στο μάθημα συζητάμε εάν…

with the same meaning. αν is what you’ll hear most in normal conversation.

What exactly does τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς mean word-by-word, and why is μεταφοράς in the genitive?

τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς is literally:

τα = the (neuter plural)
δημόσια = public (neuter plural)
μέσα = means (neuter plural; here: means/vehicles)
μεταφοράς = of transport / of transportation (genitive singular)

So word‑for‑word: the public means of transport → idiomatically: public transportation / public transport.

Why μεταφοράς (genitive)?

Greek often forms noun + noun combinations where the second noun is in the genitive, similar to English “means of transport”:

μέσα μεταφοράς = means of transport
καθηγητής αγγλικών = teacher of English

So μεταφοράς is genitive because it is specifying what the means are used for: means of transport.

Why are τα, δημόσια, and μέσα all neuter plural? How does adjective–noun agreement work here?

Greek adjectives and articles must agree with the noun in:

gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
number (singular / plural)
case (nominative / accusative / etc.)

Here the main noun is μέσα (means), which is:

gender: neuter
number: plural
case: nominative (subject of the verb)

So the article and adjective also take neuter plural nominative:

τα (the – neuter, plural, nominative)
δημόσια (public – neuter, plural, nominative)
μέσα (means – neuter, plural, nominative)

Structure:

τα (article) + δημόσια (adjective) + μέσα (noun)
= the public means

All three match each other in gender, number, and case.

Why is it στην πόλη μας and not something like σε την πόλη μας? And where does μας go?

στην is another contraction like στο:

σε + την = στην

So:

στην πόλη μας = in our city

About μας:

μας here is a clitic possessive pronoun = our
It usually comes after the noun it modifies:
- η πόλη μας = our city
- το σπίτι μας = our house
- οι φίλοι μας = our friends

So the structure is:

στην (σε + την)
- πόλη
  - μας
    = in + the + city + our
    → in our city

You don’t say σε την πόλη μας in normal speech; it’s always contracted to στην πόλη μας.

Why is it ασφαλή and not ασφαλής or ασφαλές? What form of the adjective is this?

The base adjective is ασφαλής = safe.

Its forms in the nominative are:

masculine singular: ασφαλής
feminine singular: ασφαλής
neuter singular: ασφαλές
neuter plural: ασφαλή

In the sentence, ασφαλή is describing τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς:

μέσα = neuter plural
so the adjective must also be neuter plural nominative: ασφαλή

Hence:

τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς είναι αρκετά ασφαλή
= the public means of transport are safe enough

So ασφαλή is the correct form because it agrees with μέσα (neuter plural).

What exactly does αρκετά mean here? Is it “enough” or “quite/pretty”? How does it work with ασφαλή?

αρκετά can mean:

enough / sufficiently
quite / rather / pretty (as a degree adverb)

Here:

αρκετά ασφαλή = safe enough or quite safe

It functions as an adverb of degree modifying the adjective ασφαλή:

αρκετά + ασφαλή = sufficiently safe / quite safe

Some examples:

Είμαι αρκετά κουρασμένος. = I’m quite tired / tired enough.
Έχει αρκετά λεφτά. = He/She has enough money.

So in this sentence, you can understand it as:

whether public transportation in our city is safe enough / quite safe.

Where is the word “we” in Greek? Why is there no separate word like εμείς?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

The verb συζητάμε ends in -με, which marks:

1st person plural → we

So:

Στο μάθημα συζητάμε…
literally: In the lesson discuss‑we…
→ In class we discuss…

You can add εμείς for emphasis:

Εμείς στο μάθημα συζητάμε…
= We (as opposed to others) in class discuss…

But normally, εμείς is dropped if there’s no emphasis needed.

Could we use μιλάμε instead of συζητάμε? What’s the difference between μιλάμε and συζητάμε?

Yes, you could say μιλάμε, but there is a nuance:

μιλάμε = we talk / we speak
συζητάμε = we discuss (usually more focused, about a topic, often with pros/cons, opinions, etc.)

In this context, since the class is considering whether public transport is safe enough, συζητάμε is more precise:

Στο μάθημα συζητάμε αν…
= In class we discuss whether…

If you say:

Στο μάθημα μιλάμε για το αν…

it’s still correct and understandable, but συζητάμε sounds more like a structured discussion or debate, which fits a classroom setting.

Can the word order be changed? For example, can I say Συζητάμε στο μάθημα αν… instead of Στο μάθημα συζητάμε αν…?

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially for adverbial phrases like στο μάθημα.

Both are fine:

Στο μάθημα συζητάμε αν…
(In class we discuss whether…)
Συζητάμε στο μάθημα αν…
(We discuss in class whether…)

The meaning is the same; you’re just emphasizing slightly different parts:

Starting with Στο μάθημα stresses where this happens.
Starting with Συζητάμε stresses the action (the fact that you’re discussing).

In everyday speech, both word orders are natural.

Why is the verb είναι singular form “is” in Greek but translated as “are” in English?

In Greek, είναι is actually:

3rd person singular and 3rd person plural:
it can mean he/she/it is or they are.

So:

είναι καλός = he is good
είναι καλοί = they are good

In our sentence:

Subject: τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς (they – plural)
Verb: είναι
Adjective: ασφαλή (neuter plural)

So είναι here corresponds to English are, because the subject is plural:

τα δημόσια μέσα μεταφοράς είναι αρκετά ασφαλή
= public transportation (they) are quite safe

Greek uses the same form είναι for is and are; the subject and adjective endings show whether it is singular or plural.