Learn Hardcore Greek: Για την υποτροφία πρέπει να κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση στα ελληνικά. - For the scholarship I must make a written statement in Greek.

Για την υποτροφία literally = for the scholarship
But in English we usually say for a scholarship or just for the scholarship depending on context.

Here την (the, feminine accusative singular) is required because:

για takes the accusative case,
υποτροφία is feminine,
and Greek tends to use the article more than English, especially for specific things being talked about (here, some specific scholarship application).

What exactly does πρέπει να κάνω mean? Is it like “I must” or “I have to”?

πρέπει να κάνω is best understood as:

πρέπει = it is necessary / one must
να κάνω = that I do / that I make (subjunctive, 1st person singular)

Together: πρέπει να κάνω ≈ I must do / I have to do.

So πρέπει να + [subjunctive] expresses obligation or necessity:

Πρέπει να φύγω. = I must go / I have to leave.
Πρέπει να διαβάσεις. = You must study.

The English subject (“I”) is included inside the verb ending -ω in κάνω.

Why isn’t there an explicit word for “I” in the Greek sentence?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns (like I, you, he) because the verb ending tells you who the subject is.

κάνω = I do / I make
κάνεις = you (sing.) do
κάνει = he/she/it does

The subject εγώ (I) is only used when you want to emphasize or contrast:

Εγώ πρέπει να κάνω τη δήλωση, όχι εσύ.
I have to make the statement, not you.

In the original sentence, πρέπει να κάνω already clearly means I must do, so εγώ is not needed.

What form is κάνω here? Is it present tense or something else?

κάνω is the present subjunctive, 1st person singular, of the verb κάνω (to do / to make).

After πρέπει να, Greek uses the subjunctive form.
The present subjunctive of κάνω happens to look the same as the simple present indicative (κάνω = I do).

So:

(Εγώ) κάνω = I do / I make (present indicative)
πρέπει να κάνω = I must do / I have to do (present subjunctive used after πρέπει να)

The mood changes (indicative vs. subjunctive), but the written form is identical in this case.

Why is it μια γραπτή δήλωση and not something like έναν γραπτό δήλωση?

The form of the article and adjective depends on the gender, number, and case of the noun.

δήλωση (statement, declaration) is feminine, singular.
In this sentence, it’s the direct object of κάνω, so it’s in the accusative case.

So we need:

Feminine accusative singular article: μια
Feminine accusative singular adjective: γραπτή
Feminine accusative singular noun: δήλωση

Everything agrees:

μια (fem. acc. sg.)
γραπτή (fem. acc. sg.)
δήλωση (fem. acc. sg.)

έναν and γραπτό would be masculine forms, which don’t match the feminine noun δήλωση.

What does γραπτή δήλωση mean exactly? Is it just “written statement”?

Yes, γραπτή δήλωση literally means written statement or written declaration.

γραπτή = written (from the verb γράφω, to write)
δήλωση = statement, declaration

It’s a common collocation, especially in formal or bureaucratic contexts:

γραπτή δήλωση συμμετοχής = written statement of participation
υπογεγραμμένη γραπτή δήλωση = signed written statement

So in this context, it means a formal text (probably something like a personal statement or explanatory letter) that you write and submit.

Why does the sentence use κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση and not γράφω μια γραπτή δήλωση?

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things:

κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση
Literally: I make a written statement.
Focus: on the act of producing/submitting the statement as a requirement or formal step.
γράφω μια γραπτή δήλωση
Literally: I write a written statement.
Focus: more on the physical act of writing it (pen, keyboard, etc.).

In bureaucratic or official language, κάνω μια δήλωση (“make a statement”) is very common. In everyday speech, both could be used depending on what you want to emphasize.

What does στα ελληνικά literally mean, and why is it used for “in Greek (language)”?

στα ελληνικά literally breaks down as:

σε = in / at / to
τα = the (neuter plural accusative)
ελληνικά = Greek (neuter plural form of the adjective ελληνικός)

σε + τα contracts to στα.

So literally: στα ελληνικά = in the Greek (words), but idiomatically it means in Greek (language).

In Greek, names of languages are usually neuter plural:

τα ελληνικά = Greek
τα αγγλικά = English
τα γαλλικά = French

You’ll see:

Μιλάω ελληνικά. = I speak Greek.
Το βιβλίο είναι στα ελληνικά. = The book is in Greek.

Why is ελληνικά in the plural? English just says “in Greek”.

Greek treats languages as neuter plural nouns in many common expressions:

τα ελληνικά = (the) Greek (language)
τα ισπανικά = (the) Spanish
τα ιταλικά = (the) Italian

So ελληνικά is grammatically neuter plural, and with the article τα it becomes τα ελληνικά. When used with prepositions like σε, you get:

στα ελληνικά = in Greek
από τα ελληνικά στα αγγλικά = from Greek into English

This is just a normal pattern of Greek; you don’t feel the “plural” meaning in everyday use.

Could the word order be different, like Πρέπει για την υποτροφία να κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση στα ελληνικά?

Yes, Greek allows flexible word order. For example:

Για την υποτροφία πρέπει να κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση στα ελληνικά.
Πρέπει, για την υποτροφία, να κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση στα ελληνικά.

Both are grammatically correct. The differences are subtle in emphasis:

Starting with Για την υποτροφία highlights the context or reason (regarding the scholarship).
Starting with Πρέπει focuses first on the obligation (“I must…”).

The original order is very natural: “As for the scholarship, I need to…”

What case is υποτροφία in, and why?

υποτροφία in Για την υποτροφία is in the accusative case.

Reasons:

The preposition για (“for”) always takes the accusative.
Feminine noun υποτροφία in the accusative singular stays υποτροφία, but the article changes:
- nominative: η υποτροφία
- accusative: την υποτροφία

So την υποτροφία = the scholarship in the accusative, governed by για.

What case is στα ελληνικά, and why?

στα ελληνικά uses the accusative plural:

σε
- τα ελληνικά → στα ελληνικά
τα ελληνικά is neuter plural accusative (same form as nominative for neuter).

Prepositions like σε (in, at, to) normally take the accusative case, so the phrase σε (τα) ελληνικά is accusative, even though you usually just learn it as a fixed expression meaning “in Greek”.

How would you pronounce the whole sentence, and where are the main stress accents?

Here is a rough phonetic guide (stress in CAPS):

Για την υποτροφία → /ʝa tin ipotroFÍ.a/
πρέπει να κάνω → /PRE.pi na KÁ.no/
μια γραπτή δήλωση → /mɲa ɣrapTÍ ðÍ.lo.si/
στα ελληνικά → /sta eliniKÁ/

Putting it together, with natural rhythm:

Για την υποτροφία πρέπει να κάνω μια γραπτή δήλωση στα ελληνικά.
/ʝa tin ipotroFÍ.a PRE.pi na KÁ.no mɲa ɣrapTÍ ðÍ.lo.si sta eliniKÁ/

Each Greek word has exactly one stressed syllable, marked here with capital letters.