Breakdown of Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ, αλλά έχει καλή παρέα.
Questions & Answers about Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ, αλλά έχει καλή παρέα.
Η εστία can indeed mean several things depending on context:
- traditional hearth / fireplace
- home in a more poetic/older sense
- in modern everyday Greek, very often: student dormitory / hall of residence
In this sentence, because we’re talking about noise and company (people), the natural reading is “the dorm” or “the residence hall”.
Greek nouns have grammatical gender:
- η εστία → feminine singular, so it takes the feminine article η in the nominative case.
- ο is the masculine article; το is the neuter article.
You always have to learn the gender with the noun:
- η εστία (fem.)
- η παρέα (fem.)
- ο φοιτητής (masc.)
- το σπίτι (neuter)
So η εστία is just the regular dictionary form: “the dorm / the residence.”
A rough, simple pronunciation guide (stress marked with bold):
- Η εστία → i es-TEE-a
- είναι → EE-ne
- θορυβώδης → tho-ri-VO-this
- το βράδυ → to VRA-thi
- αλλά → a-LA
- έχει → E-chi (the χ is like German Bach or Spanish j in jamón)
- καλή → ka-LEE
- παρέα → pa-RE-a
So, slowly: “i es-TEE-a EE-ne tho-ri-VO-this to VRA-thi, a-LA E-chi ka-LEE pa-RE-a.”
Θορυβώδης is an adjective of the -ης, -ης, -ες type:
- masc./fem. nominative sing.: θορυβώδης
- masc./fem. accusative sing.: θορυβώδη
- neuter nominative/accusative sing.: θορυβώδες
Here, η εστία is the subject (feminine, nominative singular), so the adjective must match it in gender, number, and case:
- η εστία → θορυβώδης
If you used θορυβώδη, that would be accusative and ungrammatical here.
Θορυβώδης literally means “noisy”, “full of noise”:
- θόρυβος = noise
- θορυβώδης = noisy
It usually describes places, situations, or people that create or have a lot of noise.
In English you can often translate it as either “noisy” or “loud”, depending on context:
- Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης. → The dorm is noisy / loud.
Time expressions in Greek often use a bare article + noun, without a preposition:
- το πρωί = in the morning
- το μεσημέρι = at noon
- το βράδυ = in the evening / at night
So το βράδυ already means “in the evening / at night”; you don’t say στο βράδυ in this meaning.
Both refer to “night,” but they’re not identical:
- το βράδυ: evening to early night, more like “in the evening / at night (in general)”
- τη νύχτα: the nighttime hours, usually later at night
In many contexts they overlap, but το βράδυ generally feels a bit broader and more neutral (evening/night), while τη νύχτα emphasizes night proper.
Αλλά means “but”, introducing a contrast:
- Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ, αλλά έχει καλή παρέα.
→ The dorm is noisy at night, but it has good company.
The comma before αλλά is standard written Greek when you connect two clauses that could stand as separate sentences. So:
- [Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ], [αλλά έχει καλή παρέα].
In speech you’d naturally pause there.
Yes, the understood subject is still η εστία:
- (Η εστία) είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ, αλλά (η εστία) έχει καλή παρέα.
Greek doesn’t repeat the subject if it’s clear.
Literally: “The dorm is noisy at night, but (it) has good company.”
Without an article, καλή παρέα is indefinite:
- έχει καλή παρέα → it has good company / there’s nice company there (in general)
If you say έχει την καλή παρέα, it would sound like a specific, known group of people:
- “it has the good company” (a particular group everyone knows about).
In this sentence, we mean “good company in general,” so we omit the article.
Because παρέα (company, group of friends) is:
- feminine, singular: η παρέα
The adjective καλός (“good”) must agree with the noun:
- masculine: καλός φίλος
- feminine: καλή παρέα
- neuter: καλό παιδί
Here, παρέα is the direct object of έχει, so it’s in the accusative case:
- nominative: η καλή παρέα
- accusative: (έχει) καλή παρέα
The form καλή is both nominative and accusative feminine singular.
Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, though you may change the emphasis. Some natural variants:
- Το βράδυ η εστία είναι θορυβώδης, αλλά έχει καλή παρέα.
- Η εστία, το βράδυ, είναι θορυβώδης, αλλά έχει καλή παρέα.
All are grammatical. The original order is very natural and neutral:
- Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ, αλλά έχει καλή παρέα.
In Greek, the simple present (είναι, έχει) is used for:
- general truths / typical situations / habits
- sometimes for current states too
Here it clearly has a habitual / typical meaning:
- Η εστία είναι θορυβώδης το βράδυ → The dorm (typically, usually) is noisy at night.
- αλλά έχει καλή παρέα → but it (generally) has good company.
So we understand this as something that is generally true, not just tonight.