Breakdown of Στην τράπεζα κάνω δήλωση ότι η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει.
Questions & Answers about Στην τράπεζα κάνω δήλωση ότι η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει.
Σε is the basic preposition “in / at / to”.
Την is the feminine accusative article “the”.
In front of a definite article, σε usually contracts:
- σε + τον → στον
- σε + την → στην
- σε + το → στο
So σε την τράπεζα becomes στην τράπεζα, written as one word in standard spelling.
Also, because τράπεζα starts with τ, the final -ν in στην is kept (it is usually kept before κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ, and vowels).
In Greek, every noun has grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and it’s largely arbitrary. Η τράπεζα happens to be a feminine noun.
It has two main meanings:
- η τράπεζα = the bank (financial institution)
- η τράπεζα (more dated / formal) = the table (you’ll more often see το τραπέζι for “table” in modern Greek)
Context tells you which meaning is intended. In Στην τράπεζα κάνω δήλωση…, it clearly means “bank”.
Yes, you can say:
- Στην τράπεζα κάνω δήλωση…
- Κάνω δήλωση στην τράπεζα…
Both are grammatically correct and natural.
Word order in Greek is relatively flexible. Putting Στην τράπεζα first slightly emphasizes the location (“At the bank, I make a declaration…”), as if contrasting it with other places. Starting with Κάνω δήλωση is more neutral: “I make a declaration at the bank…”.
The basic meaning doesn’t change.
Greek often uses a “light verb + noun” construction:
- κάνω δήλωση = make a declaration / submit a statement
- κάνω ερώτηση = ask a question
- κάνω μήνυση = file a complaint / press charges
There is a simple verb δηλώνω = I declare / I state. You could say:
- Δηλώνω στην τράπεζα ότι…
However:
- κάνω δήλωση sounds more like a formal, specific act, “I file/submit a (formal) declaration”.
- δηλώνω is a bit broader: “I declare / I state / I say officially”.
At a bank counter, κάνω δήλωση is very natural because you’re performing a particular official action.
In this sentence, ότι is a conjunction meaning “that”, introducing a clause:
- κάνω δήλωση ότι η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει
= I make a declaration that my address has changed.
You could also use πως here:
- κάνω δήλωση πως η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει
In modern Greek:
- ότι and πως are usually interchangeable when they mean “that” (introducing reported speech or thought).
- Some speakers feel ότι is a bit more neutral or formal, πως a bit more colloquial, but both are common.
Important: this ότι (no comma) is not the same as ό,τι (with a comma), which means “whatever / anything that”.
The base noun is:
- η διεύθυνση = the address
When you add a clitic (an unstressed little word) such as μου, the accent often shifts to the last syllable of the word to keep the stress pattern correct. So:
- η διεύθυνση
- η διεύθυνσή μου (“my address”)
This shift happens with many words when an enclitic is attached:
- το σπίτι → το σπίτι μου
- η πόλη → η πόλη μας
- η διεύθυνση → η διεύθυνσή μου
So the accent on -σή is due to the presence of μου.
Greek normally places these weak possessive pronouns after the noun:
- η διεύθυνσή μου = my address
- το βιβλίο σου = your book
- το αυτοκίνητό μας = our car
They behave almost like clitics attached to the noun, not like separate adjectives in front of it.
If you want to strongly emphasize whose something is, you use a different structure with δικός/δική/δικό:
- η δική μου διεύθυνση = my own address / my address (not someone else’s)
But the neutral, everyday form is noun + μου, not *μου διεύθυνση.
Έχει αλλάξει is the present perfect:
- έχει (present of “have”) + αλλάξει (perfect stem of “change”).
It emphasizes the current result of a past change:
- η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει
= my address has changed (and is now different from before).
Άλλαξε is the aorist (simple past):
- η διεύθυνσή μου άλλαξε
= my address changed (at some point in the past, event-focused)
Both can be correct, but:
- έχει αλλάξει → focuses on the present state (relevant for the bank now).
- άλλαξε → focuses on the past event of changing (often with a time expression: “πέρσι”, “πρόσφατα”, etc.).
In the context of informing a bank, έχει αλλάξει fits very well.
No. In έχει αλλάξει, the verb phrase is:
- auxiliary έχει
- invariable perfect form αλλάξει.
The form αλλάξει does not change with gender or number; it is the same for:
- η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει (feminine singular)
- οι διευθύνσεις μου έχουν αλλάξει (feminine plural)
- το όνομά μου έχει αλλάξει (neuter singular)
Agreement shows on the auxiliary (έχει / έχουν) and on the subject, not on αλλάξει itself.
In standard Greek, you normally keep ότι/πως when you introduce a clause like this. So:
- ✔ Κάνω δήλωση ότι η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει.
- ✔ Κάνω δήλωση πως η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει.
Spoken Greek sometimes drops it in very informal contexts, but here—especially in a somewhat formal context (a bank)—it’s better and more natural to include ότι (or πως).
By itself, the present tense κάνω can mean either:
Right now / currently (progressive):
- At the bank, I am making a declaration that my address has changed.
Habitual / general fact:
- At the bank, I (typically) file a declaration that my address has changed (whenever that situation arises).
Without extra context, both readings are possible. In isolation, learners often interpret it as a description of what you are doing in a particular situation (or what one does in that situation in general).
The most straightforward past version (simple, completed event) is:
- Στην τράπεζα έκανα δήλωση ότι η διεύθυνσή μου είχε αλλάξει.
= At the bank I made a declaration that my address had changed.
Points to notice:
- έκανα δήλωση = I made a declaration (aorist of κάνω).
- είχε αλλάξει = had changed (pluperfect), because the change of address happened before you made the declaration.
If you didn’t need that clear “before” relationship, many speakers might still say:
- …ότι η διεύθυνσή μου είχε αλλάξει. (more precise)
or, in everyday speech, sometimes - …ότι η διεύθυνσή μου έχει αλλάξει. (still focusing on the result, even when narrating past events).