Learn Hardcore Greek: Τώρα ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου μένει στην Ελλάδα και μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές. - Now an old classmate of mine lives in Greece and we talk only during vacations.

Greek uses ένας here exactly like English uses “a/an” in expressions such as “an old friend of mine”.
Even though you know which person you mean, grammatically you are not identifying a unique, specific person for the listener (you have many classmates; you’re just picking one from that group), so the indefinite article is natural in both languages:

ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου = an old classmate of mine
ο παλιός μου συμμαθητής = my old classmate (a more specific one you both can identify)

Why is it συμμαθητής μου and not μου συμμαθητής?

The normal position of unstressed possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους is after the noun:

ο φίλος μου = my friend
το βιβλίο σου = your book
συμμαθητής μου = my classmate

Putting μου before the noun (μου συμμαθητής) is not normal modern usage and would sound wrong in everyday Greek.

So the pattern you should remember is:

[article] + [adjective(s)] + [noun] + [possessive pronoun]
ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου

What is the difference between ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου and ο παλιός μου συμμαθητής?

Both refer to “an old classmate,” but the nuance is different:

ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου
- Indefinite: one of my old classmates (you probably have several).
- Matches English “an old classmate of mine”.
- You’re introducing him as one example from a group.
ο παλιός μου συμμαθητής
- Definite: the old classmate of mine (the listener is expected to know or easily identify which one).
- Closer to “my old classmate” in English.
- Used when this specific person is already known in the conversation or context.

In the given sentence, the speaker is just telling you about one such classmate somewhere out there, so ένας is the natural choice.

What tense and meaning does μένει have? Why is it translated as “lives” and not “stays”?

μένει is the 3rd person singular, present tense of the verb μένω.

Basic meaning of μένω: to stay, remain, live (reside)

In modern Greek, μένω is very commonly used with the meaning “to live (somewhere)”:

Μένω στην Αθήνα. = I live in Athens.
Ο πατέρας μου μένει στο Παρίσι. = My father lives in Paris.

So in this context:

…συμμαθητής μου μένει στην Ελλάδα
= “…a (former) classmate of mine lives in Greece.”

“Stays in Greece” would suggest a more temporary situation (e.g., a short visit), but in Greek μένει is perfectly natural for permanent residence, so “lives” is the best translation.

Why is it στην Ελλάδα and not just σε Ελλάδα or στη Ελλάδα?

This involves the preposition σε and the feminine article την.

σε + την Ελλάδα contracts to στην Ελλάδα:
- σε = in, at, to
- την Ελλάδα = Greece (feminine accusative with article)
- σε + την → στην
You normally must use the article with country names in Greek:
- η Ελλάδα (nom.)
- της Ελλάδας (gen.)
- την Ελλάδα (acc.)

So:

σε Ελλάδα – wrong/very unnatural in this context
στη Ελλάδα – would be heard in rapid speech but is considered less standard; στην Ελλάδα is the proper form
στην Ελλάδα – correct: “in Greece”

The same pattern appears with many feminine nouns:

σε + την πόλη → στην πόλη (in the city)
σε + την τάξη → στην τάξη (in the classroom)

Why is μιλάμε used without a separate word for “we”? Where is the subject?

In Greek, the verb ending usually shows who is doing the action, so subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός, εμείς, εσείς, αυτοί) are often omitted unless you want to emphasize or clarify.

μιλάω / μιλώ = I speak
μιλάς = you (sg.) speak
μιλάει / μιλά = he/she/it speaks
μιλάμε = we speak
μιλάτε = you (pl.) speak
μιλάνε / μιλούν(ε) = they speak

In the sentence:

…και μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές.

The -με ending on μιλάμε already tells you “we”, so no εμείς is needed:

(Εμείς) μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές. = We speak/talk only during the holidays.

Adding εμείς would add emphasis: we (as opposed to someone else) talk only during the holidays.

Why is it μιλάμε and not μιλάω? Aren’t both forms common?

μιλάω / μιλώ and μιλάμε belong to the same verb, but different persons:

μιλάω / μιλώ = I speak (1st person singular)
μιλάμε = we speak (1st person plural)

The subject here is we (the speaker and that classmate together), so the 1st person plural form is required:

μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές = We speak only during the holidays.

If the sentence were about just the speaker, you would use:

Τώρα μένω στην Ελλάδα και μιλάω μόνο στις διακοπές.
= Now I live in Greece and I speak only during the holidays.

Why is παλιός before συμμαθητής? Could you say συμμαθητής παλιός and would it change the meaning?

The normal order in modern Greek is:

[article] + [adjective] + [noun]

So:

ένας παλιός συμμαθητής = an old classmate
ο καλός φίλος = the good friend
η μεγάλη πόλη = the big city

Putting the adjective after the noun (συμμαθητής παλιός) is only used in special, marked, or poetic contexts, sometimes to emphasize the adjective or create a stylistic effect. In everyday speech, συμμαθητής παλιός would sound odd.

So in standard usage, you should keep:

ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου
not
ένας συμμαθητής παλιός μου (unnatural)

What grammatical case is ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου, and what cases are used in στην Ελλάδα and στις διακοπές?

ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου
- This is the subject of the verb μένει, so it’s in the nominative case (masculine singular).
στην Ελλάδα
- Formally: σε + την Ελλάδα.
- After σε, the noun is in the accusative case.
- So Ελλάδα here is accusative singular.
στις διακοπές
- Formally: σε + τις διακοπές.
- Again, σε governs the accusative, so διακοπές is accusative plural.

In modern Greek, prepositions like σε are typically followed by the accusative, even when the meaning is “in/at” (a role once filled by a separate locative case in Ancient Greek).

Why is it στις διακοπές in the plural? In English we often say “on vacation” (singular).

διακοπές is grammatically plural in Greek, even when it refers to “vacation” in general:

Κάνω διακοπές. = I’m on vacation / I take a holiday.
Πηγαίνουμε διακοπές κάθε καλοκαίρι. = We go on vacation every summer.

So:

στις διακοπές = during the holidays / on vacation (literally “in the vacations”).

The plural is simply the normal way the word is used; it doesn’t necessarily mean multiple separate holiday periods. It’s similar to English expressions like “the holidays” or British “on holidays,” but used even more broadly.

What does μόνο do in μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές? Could its position change?

μόνο means only.

In μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές, it restricts the action:

μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές
= We talk only during the holidays (not at other times).

You can move μόνο a bit, but the meaning can shift slightly depending on what you focus:

Μόνο μιλάμε στις διακοπές. – “We only talk during the holidays” (implies: we don’t do anything else together then, we just talk).
Μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές. – “We talk only during the holidays” (focus on when we talk).

The original sentence wants to say that the time when they talk is restricted to holidays, so μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές is the natural word order.

What is the function of και here? Does it just mean “and”, and how is the sentence structured?

Yes, και means and and connects two clauses:

Τώρα ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου μένει στην Ελλάδα
= Now an old classmate of mine lives in Greece
(και) μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές.
= and we talk only during the holidays.

So the structure is:

[Clause 1] και [Clause 2]

Notice that in Greek you don’t need to repeat the time word Τώρα in the second clause; the overall time frame is clear from the first clause and the use of present tense.

Could I change the word order and say Τώρα μένει ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου στην Ελλάδα? Would that sound natural?

Yes, you can say:

Τώρα μένει ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου στην Ελλάδα και μιλάμε μόνο στις διακοπές.

This is still grammatical and understandable. Word order in Greek is relatively flexible because endings show grammatical roles.

However, the original:

Τώρα ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου μένει στην Ελλάδα…

puts a bit more emphasis on “an old classmate of mine” right after Τώρα, almost like:

“Now, an old classmate of mine lives in Greece…”

The alternative:

Τώρα μένει ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου στην Ελλάδα…

puts a little more emphasis on the verb “lives/stays” (μένει) right after “now.” Both are acceptable; the difference is subtle and often stylistic.

Why does μένει end in -ει and μιλάμε end in -με? What do these endings tell me?

Verb endings in Greek show person and number:

μένει
- Stem: μέν- (from μένω)
- Ending: -ει = 3rd person singular (he/she/it)
- (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) μένει = he/she/it lives
μιλάμε
- Stem: μιλά- (from μιλάω / μιλώ)
- Ending: -με = 1st person plural (we)
- (εμείς) μιλάμε = we speak

So the different endings tell you:

συμμαθητής μου (he) → μένει
εμείς (we, i.e. I + that classmate) → μιλάμε

Is Τώρα (“now”) always placed at the beginning of the sentence? Could it move?

Τώρα is an adverb of time meaning now. Its position is flexible. All of these are possible:

Τώρα ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου μένει στην Ελλάδα…
Ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου τώρα μένει στην Ελλάδα…
Ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου μένει τώρα στην Ελλάδα…

The most neutral and common positions are:

At the start: Τώρα ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου μένει…
Right after the subject: Ένας παλιός συμμαθητής μου τώρα μένει…

The meaning stays the same (“at the present time an old classmate of mine lives in Greece…”). Word order mainly affects emphasis or style, not the basic meaning.