Learn Hardcore Greek: Η έκθεση αυτή μου δείχνει πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος την πόλη του τη νύχτα σε κάθε έργο. - This exhibition shows me how the painter sees his city at night in each work.

Αυτή η έκθεση
– This is the more neutral, most commonly taught pattern: demonstrative + article + noun.
– It simply identifies which exhibition you’re talking about: this exhibition (not another one).
Η έκθεση αυτή
– This is article + noun + demonstrative.
– This order is often a bit more emphatic or stylistic in modern Greek, and is quite common in written language.
– It can feel a bit like saying “this exhibition in particular”.

In everyday speech you’ll hear both, but Αυτή η έκθεση is slightly more basic/neutral, while Η έκθεση αυτή can sound a bit more pointed or literary, depending on context.

What does μου in μου δείχνει mean? Is it my exhibition or shows me?

Here μου is not possessive (my). It is an indirect object pronoun meaning to me / for me.

μου δείχνει = (it) shows me or (it) shows to me

So:

Η έκθεση αυτή μου δείχνει…
= This exhibition shows me…

If μου were possessive (my), it would normally come before a noun:

η έκθεσή μου = my exhibition

Why can μου go before the verb (μου δείχνει) and not after it, like in English?

In Greek, unstressed object pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους are clitics and normally appear right before the verb in affirmative sentences:

μου δείχνει = it shows me
σου γράφω = I write to you
τον βλέπω = I see him

You normally cannot say:

✗ Η έκθεση αυτή δείχνει μου (incorrect in normal modern Greek)

In some special cases (imperatives, certain subordinate clauses, etc.) the pronoun can come after the verb, but the default pattern in a simple statement is:

[clitic pronoun] + [verb]
μου δείχνει, σου λέω, τον βλέπω, etc.

Why is it πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος and not πώς ο ζωγράφος βλέπει, like English word order?

Greek word order is more flexible than English. Both:

πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος
πώς ο ζωγράφος βλέπει

are possible, but the first one is much more natural in this context.

In Greek, putting the verb first and the subject after it is very common, especially when the subject is something known or already introduced:

Βλέπει ο ζωγράφος την πόλη του = The painter sees his city.
Λέει η μητέρα την αλήθεια = The mother tells the truth.

So πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος… feels like a smooth, neutral way to say how the painter sees…, while πώς ο ζωγράφος βλέπει… can sound a bit heavier or more marked in everyday language.

What exactly does πώς mean here, and what is the difference between πώς and πως?

In this sentence, πώς means how:

πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος… = how the painter sees…

The accent is important:

πώς (with accent) = how (interrogative or relative)
- Πώς είσαι; = How are you?
- Μου έδειξε πώς το κάνει. = He showed me how he does it.
πως (without accent) = that (conjunction, like ότι)
- Μου είπε πως θα έρθει. = He told me that he will come.

In your sentence, it is clearly πώς = how.

Why is it την πόλη του and not η πόλη του?

Την πόλη του is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb βλέπει (he sees).

Nominative (subject): η πόλη = the city
- Η πόλη είναι μεγάλη. = The city is big.
Accusative (object): την πόλη = the city (object)
- Βλέπει την πόλη. = He sees the city.

In your sentence:

(ο ζωγράφος) βλέπει την πόλη του…
Subject: ο ζωγράφος (nominative)
Object: την πόλη του (accusative)

So we use την, not η, because the city is what he sees, not who does the seeing.

What does του in την πόλη του mean exactly, and who does it refer to?

του here is a possessive pronoun meaning his.

η πόλη του = his city
το σπίτι του = his house
η ιδέα του = his idea

In context, του normally refers back to the painter (ο ζωγράφος), the subject of the verb:

πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος την πόλη του…
→ how the painter sees his city…

If the wider context had mentioned another male person just before this, there could be ambiguity, but usually the listener/reader understands του as referring to the main male person in focus, here the painter.

Why do we have two τη/την in a row: την πόλη του τη νύχτα? Are they the same word?

They look similar but they serve different roles:

την πόλη του
– την is the definite article (feminine singular accusative): the city
– του = his
τη νύχτα
– τη is again the definite article (feminine singular accusative): the night
– The whole phrase τη νύχτα functions like at night / during the night.

So the structure is:

την πόλη του (his city) τη νύχτα (at night)

Greek often uses article + noun to express time:

το πρωί = in the morning
το βράδυ = in the evening
τη μέρα = in the daytime
τη νύχτα = at night

You cannot simply drop the article and say ✗ πόλη του νύχτα in this meaning; that would be ungrammatical.

Why is it written τη νύχτα without ν (not την νύχτα), but την πόλη του has ν?

This is a spelling and pronunciation rule for the feminine article την/τη.

In modern Greek, την often loses its final -ν and is written τη when the next word starts with a consonant that is not a mute stop (π, τ, κ, μπ, ντ, γκ, ξ, ψ):

την πόλη → πόλη starts with π (a stop) → keep the ν: την πόλη
τη νύχτα → νύχτα starts with ν → drop the ν: τη νύχτα

Very informally, modern writers sometimes vary this more, but the standard rule is:

Keep ν before vowels and certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ).
Drop ν in other cases.

That’s why you see την πόλη but τη νύχτα.

What does σε κάθε έργο mean here, and why έργο? I thought έργο was “work” in general.

Σε κάθε έργο literally means in each work.

The noun έργο is quite broad; it means work, piece, creation and can be:

A work of art (painting, sculpture, film, etc.):
- ένα έργο του Πικάσο = a work by Picasso
A literary work, play:
- θεατρικό έργο = a play
A project/public works:
- δημόσια έργα = public works

In your sentence, because we are talking about a painter and an exhibition, κάθε έργο is naturally understood as each artwork / each painting.

So σε κάθε έργο ≈ in each painting / in each of his works.

Why is the verb βλέπει (present tense) used, and not a past tense like είδε?

The present tense in Greek is often used for general, habitual, or characteristic actions, not only for actions happening “right now”.

Here, πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος την πόλη του τη νύχτα σε κάθε έργο is talking about the painter’s way of seeing his city in general, as it is expressed in all his works.

βλέπει = (he) sees / (he) views (in general, characteristically)
είδε = (he) saw (a specific event in the past)

So the present here means:

how the painter (typically) sees his city at night in each work

not:

how he saw his city one particular time.

Can the word order in the sentence change? For example, can I say Αυτή η έκθεση μου δείχνει πώς ο ζωγράφος βλέπει την πόλη του τη νύχτα σε κάθε έργο?

Yes, Greek allows quite a bit of word order variation, and your alternative is natural:

Αυτή η έκθεση μου δείχνει πώς ο ζωγράφος βλέπει την πόλη του τη νύχτα σε κάθε έργο.

Some common, acceptable variants (with slightly different rhythms/emphasis) are:

Αυτή η έκθεση μου δείχνει πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος την πόλη του τη νύχτα σε κάθε έργο.
Η έκθεση αυτή μου δείχνει, σε κάθε έργο, πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος την πόλη του τη νύχτα.

What tends to stay fixed:

The clitic μου stays next to the verb (μου δείχνει).
The article stays with its noun (την πόλη, τη νύχτα, κάθε έργο).
πώς stays right before the clause it introduces (πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος…).

Within those boundaries, you can move phrases around for emphasis or style.

How would I literally break down the sentence into “blocks” with their functions?

You can see the sentence as built from clear chunks:

Η έκθεση αυτή
= This exhibition (subject)
μου δείχνει
= shows me (verb + indirect object)
πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος
= how the painter sees (subordinate clause introduced by πώς)
την πόλη του
= his city (direct object of βλέπει)
τη νύχτα
= at night (time expression)
σε κάθε έργο
= in each work / in each painting (location/context within his work)

Putting it together:

Η έκθεση αυτή (this exhibition)
μου δείχνει (shows me)
πώς βλέπει ο ζωγράφος (how the painter sees)
την πόλη του (his city)
τη νύχτα (at night)
σε κάθε έργο (in each work).