Learn Hardcore Greek: Η φίλη μου έχει σκύλο που φοβάται τη βροχή. - My friend has a dog that is afraid of the rain.

In Greek, when you combine a noun with a possessive pronoun (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους), you almost always use the definite article in front:

η φίλη μου – my (female) friend
ο φίλος μου – my (male) friend
το σπίτι μου – my house

So Η φίλη μου is the normal, grammatically complete way to say “my friend (female)”. Leaving out the article (φίλη μου) is possible but sounds more colloquial / emotional / stylistic and not the neutral default.

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

Greek unstressed possessive pronouns go after the noun, not before it:

η φίλη μου – my friend
το βιβλίο σου – your book
ο αδερφός του – his brother

The possessive pronoun here is an enclitic (it leans on the word before it for stress), so the natural order is:

article + noun + possessive
η φίλη μου, το σπίτι μας, οι γονείς σας

If you want to emphasize “my” specifically, you use a different structure, e.g.:

η δική μου φίλη – my friend (as opposed to someone else’s)

Why is it σκύλο and not σκύλος?

Σκύλος is the nominative form (used for the subject of a sentence, dictionary form).
In έχει σκύλο, σκύλο is the direct object of the verb έχει (has), so it goes into the accusative case:

Nominative: ο σκύλος – the dog (as subject)
Accusative: τον σκύλο / σκύλο – the dog / a dog (as object)

Examples:

Ο σκύλος τρέχει. – The dog runs. (subject → nominative)
Έχω σκύλο. – I have a dog. (object → accusative)

Can I say έχει έναν σκύλο instead of έχει σκύλο? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are correct:

έχει σκύλο – she has a dog (neutral, unspecific; very common)
έχει έναν σκύλο – she has one dog / she has a (particular) dog

Greek has an indefinite article (ένας, μια, ένα), but it is optional in many cases where English requires “a”/“an”. Here:

έχει σκύλο feels like “she has a dog (as a pet)” in general.
έχει έναν σκύλο can slightly highlight the number (one dog) or make it feel a bit more specific, but in everyday speech the difference is often minimal.

What exactly does που do here? Is it “who” or “that”?

In this sentence, που introduces a relative clause and works like English “who” / “that”:

σκύλο που φοβάται τη βροχή – a dog that is afraid of the rain / a dog who is afraid of the rain

Key points about που in this role:

It is invariable (it doesn’t change form for gender, number, or case).
It’s the most common, everyday way to say who/that/which in Greek relative clauses.
More formal or explicit alternatives exist (ο οποίος, η οποία, το οποίο, etc.), but που is by far the most usual choice in speech and informal writing.

How do we know it’s the dog that is afraid, and not my friend?

The relative clause που φοβάται τη βροχή attaches to the closest noun before it, which is σκύλο. So the structure is:

[Η φίλη μου] έχει [σκύλο [που φοβάται τη βροχή]].
My friend has a [dog [who is afraid of the rain]].

The subject of φοβάται is understood to be σκύλο:

ο σκύλος φοβάται τη βροχή → σκύλο που φοβάται τη βροχή

If we meant that the friend is afraid of the rain, we would say something like:

Η φίλη μου, που φοβάται τη βροχή, έχει σκύλο.
(My friend, who is afraid of the rain, has a dog.)

Here the commas and the position of που make it clear that it refers to η φίλη μου.

What kind of verb is φοβάται? Why does it look like a middle / reflexive form?

Φοβάται is the 3rd person singular of the verb φοβάμαι (to be afraid).
Φοβάμαι is a so‑called “deponent” / middle-voice verb in Modern Greek:

It looks like a passive/middle form but has an active meaning:
- φοβάμαι – I am afraid
- φοβάται – he/she/it is afraid

Basic present forms:

(εγώ) φοβάμαι – I am afraid
(εσύ) φοβάσαι – you are afraid
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) φοβάται – he/she/it is afraid
(εμείς) φοβόμαστε
(εσείς) φοβάστε
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) φοβούνται

Don’t confuse it with φοβίζω = to frighten (someone), which is an ordinary active verb:

Η βροντή φοβίζει το σκύλο. – The thunder frightens the dog.

Why is it τη βροχή and not just βροχή, when in English we say “rain” without “the”?

Greek uses the definite article more often than English, especially:

with general concepts: η μουσική, η τεχνολογία
with abstract nouns: η αγάπη, ο φόβος
with natural phenomena: η βροχή, ο αέρας, ο ήλιος

So:

φοβάται τη βροχή – literally is afraid of the rain
→ translated naturally as is afraid of rain.

Leaving out the article (φοβάται βροχή) is possible but sounds more like a bare substance noun (is afraid of [some] rain), and is not the neutral way to say it here. Τη βροχή is the standard form.

Why do we write τη βροχή and not την βροχή?

The feminine accusative singular article is historically την.
In Modern Greek spelling, the final -ν is often dropped before certain consonants, to reflect everyday pronunciation.

A common rule: keep the -ν before vowels and certain consonant sounds (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ). Before most other consonants, the ν is usually dropped in writing.

Before β (as in βροχή), the ν is dropped:
τη βροχή

You will also see people write την βροχή; it’s not wrong, just more conservative. The form τη βροχή follows the modern orthographic convention.

Can the word order change inside or around που φοβάται τη βροχή?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, so several variations are possible, especially for emphasis. For example:

Η φίλη μου έχει έναν σκύλο που φοβάται τη βροχή. (neutral)
Η φίλη μου έχει έναν σκύλο που τη βροχή φοβάται. (emphasis on the rain)
Η φίλη μου έχει έναν σκύλο που πολύ φοβάται τη βροχή. (adding very)

But you cannot separate που from the clause it introduces, and you cannot drop που altogether. You can move τη βροχή around within its clause, but:

✗ Η φίλη μου έχει σκύλο τη βροχή που φοβάται. – feels awkward / wrong
✓ Η φίλη μου έχει σκύλο που τη βροχή φοβάται. – unusual but grammatical, with emphasis

How would the sentence change if the friend were male, or if there were more than one dog?

Male friend instead of female friend

Only the article and the noun for friend change:

Ο φίλος μου έχει σκύλο που φοβάται τη βροχή.
My (male) friend has a dog that is afraid of the rain.

More than one dog

You need the plural of σκύλος and of the verb φοβάται:

Η φίλη μου έχει σκύλους που φοβούνται τη βροχή.
My (female) friend has dogs that are afraid of the rain.

Or with an article:

Η φίλη μου έχει τους σκύλους που φοβούνται τη βροχή.
My friend has the dogs that are afraid of the rain. (more specific group)

What do the accent marks in words like φίλη, βροχή, φοβάται indicate?

Modern Greek uses a single accent mark (΄) to show word stress:

φίλη – stress on the first syllable: ΦΙ‑λη
βροχή – stress on the second syllable: βρο‑ΧΗ
φοβάται – stress on the second syllable: φο‑ΒΑ‑ται

The accent does not change the basic vowel quality, only which syllable is pronounced with more stress. Getting stress right is crucial in Greek, because:

Stress can distinguish words:
- γέρος (old man) vs γερός (strong, robust)
It also helps native speakers understand you more easily.