Η γιαγιά μου είναι συνταξιούχος, αλλά κρατάει συχνά τα παιδιά της θείας μου και τα πηγαίνει στην παιδική χαρά με το καρότσι.

My grandmother is retired, but she often looks after my aunt’s children and takes them to the playground with the stroller.

Breakdown of Η γιαγιά μου είναι συνταξιούχος, αλλά κρατάει συχνά τα παιδιά της θείας μου και τα πηγαίνει στην παιδική χαρά με το καρότσι.

• είμαι: to be
• και: and
• πάω: to go
• μου: my

Questions & Answers about Η γιαγιά μου είναι συνταξιούχος, αλλά κρατάει συχνά τα παιδιά της θείας μου και τα πηγαίνει στην παιδική χαρά με το καρότσι.

Why does the sentence say Η γιαγιά μου with the article Η? In English we just say “my grandmother”, not “the my grandmother”.

Modern Greek normally uses the definite article with specific people, even when there is a possessive:

• η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
• ο πατέρας μου = my father
• η φίλη μου = my (female) friend

Leaving out the article (γιαγιά μου) is possible, but it’s much less neutral:

• γιαγιά μου! – sounds more like direct address (“grandma!”), or a more emotional / poetic style.

As the subject of a normal sentence, the idiomatic form is Η γιαγιά μου είναι…, with the article. Greek and English just differ here: Greek keeps the article; English drops it.

Why does the possessive μου come after the noun (γιαγιά μου, θείας μου) instead of before it like in English (my grandmother, my aunt)?

The short possessive forms in Greek (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) are unstressed clitics and almost always come after the noun they modify:

• η γιαγιά μου – my grandmother
• η θεία μου – my aunt
• τα παιδιά της θείας μου – my aunt’s children

You cannot say *μου γιαγιά or *μου θεία in normal Greek. The order is always:

article + noun + (other modifiers) + possessive clitic

When you want to stress the possessor (e.g. my grandmother, not someone else’s), you can use the “strong” possessive:

• η δική μου γιαγιά – my own grandmother

But even there, the possessive still follows the noun.