Η δασκάλα διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου στην τάξη.

The teacher (female) reads my statement in class.

Breakdown of Η δασκάλα διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου στην τάξη.

• μου: my
• σε: in
• διαβάζω: to read
• η δασκάλα: the female teacher
• η τάξη: the class
• η δήλωση: the statement

Questions & Answers about Η δασκάλα διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου στην τάξη.

Why is it Η δασκάλα for the teacher? What does the Η tell me?

Η is the feminine singular definite article in the nominative case, equivalent to the in English.

• δασκάλα means (female) teacher. It is a feminine noun.
• Because it is the subject of the sentence, it appears in the nominative case.
• Feminine nominative singular uses the article η (capitalized Η at the beginning of the sentence).

If the teacher were male, you would say:

• Ο δάσκαλος διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου στην τάξη.
  
  • Ο = masculine nominative singular article
  • δάσκαλος = male teacher

What tense is διαβάζει, and does it mean reads or is reading?

διαβάζει is:

• Present tense
• 3rd person singular
• From the verb διαβάζω (to read)

In Greek, the present tense usually covers both:

• English simple present: She reads my statement in class.
• English present continuous: She is reading my statement in class.

Greek normally does not use an extra auxiliary (like English is) to make a continuous form. διαβάζει by itself can mean reads / is reading, and context decides which is more natural.

How is διαβάζει formed, and how can I recognize who the subject is from the verb?

The verb διαβάζει comes from διαβάζω (to read). Present tense, active voice:

• (εγώ) διαβάζω – I read
• (εσύ) διαβάζεις – you read
• (αυτός / αυτή / αυτό) διαβάζει – he / she / it reads
• (εμείς) διαβάζουμε – we read
• (εσείς) διαβάζετε – you (pl./formal) read
• (αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά) διαβάζουν(ε) – they read

Because the ending is -ει, we know the subject is he / she / it (3rd person singular).
In this sentence, the noun Η δασκάλα tells us that she (the teacher) is the one doing the action.

Why is it τη δήλωσή μου and not just δήλωσή μου without τη?

In Greek, when you use a possessive pronoun like μου (my), the noun almost always keeps the definite article:

• η δήλωσή μου – literally the statement of me = my statement
• το βιβλίο σου – your book
• τα κλειδιά μας – our keys

Leaving out the article (δήλωσή μου) is either wrong or very marked/poetic.
So the natural, everyday way to say my statement is η / τη δήλωσή μου, not just δήλωσή μου.

Why is the article τη and not την before δήλωσή?

The full feminine accusative singular article is την.

Modern usage allows the final -ν to drop in many environments, especially:

• Before consonants like δ, θ, λ, μ, ν, ρ, σ, ζ
• So την δήλωση is often written and pronounced τη δήλωση

Therefore:

• την δήλωσή μου – full form (more careful/formal)
• τη δήλωσή μου – very common in everyday writing and speech

Both are understood. Many modern texts (and many teachers) accept or prefer τη δήλωσή μου in this context. You may also see the compromise spelling τη(ν) δήλωσή μου in grammar explanations.

Why does δήλωση get an extra accent and become δήλωσή μου?

The basic noun is δήλωση (statement, declaration) with stress on the third syllable from the end (antepenultimate):

• δήλωση – stress on δή

When you add a one‑syllable enclitic pronoun like μου, special accent rules apply:

• If the word is stressed on the antepenultimate and is followed by a one‑syllable enclitic, it receives a second written accent on the last syllable.

So:

• δήλωση → with μου → δήλωσή μου

You keep the original stress and add another accent on -σή to show the effect of the enclitic.
This is why you see two accents in δήλωσή.

What case is δήλωσή in here, and how can I tell?

In τη δήλωσή μου, the word δήλωσή is in the accusative singular:

• It is the direct object of the verb διαβάζει – What is she reading? → τη δήλωσή μου.
• Feminine nouns ending in -ση often have:
  • Nominative: η δήλωση
  • Accusative: τη δήλωση

Nominative and accusative feminine singular often look the same, so you must use the article and the role in the sentence to recognize the case. Here, the article τη (feminine accusative) and the verb’s structure tell you it is an object, so accusative.

What exactly is μου? Is it like my or mine in English?

μου is a clitic pronoun in the genitive singular, 1st person:

• Literally: of me
• Function: shows possession or close relationship

So:

• η δήλωσή μου = the statement of me → my statement
• το βιβλίο μου = my book
• η δασκάλα μου = my (female) teacher

It behaves more like a weak possessive pronoun than a full word like English mine. It is unstressed and normally follows the noun it belongs to.

Why does μου come after δήλωσή and not before, like English my statement?

Word order with possessives is different:

• English: my statement → possessive before the noun
• Greek: η δήλωσή μου → possessive after the noun

The pattern in Greek is:

• article + noun (+ any adjectives) + possessive clitic

Examples:

• το κόκκινο αυτοκίνητό μου – my red car
• η καινούρια μου τσάντα – my new bag
• η δασκάλα μου – my teacher

So μου naturally follows δήλωσή: τη δήλωσή μου.

What does στην τάξη literally mean, and how is it formed?

στην τάξη = in the class / in class

It is formed from:

• σε = in, at, to (a very common preposition)
• την = feminine accusative singular article
• τάξη = class (either the group of pupils or the classroom itself)

In speech and writing, σε + την usually contract to:

• στην (or στη when the ν drops)

So:

• σε + την τάξη → στην τάξη

Why is τάξη in the accusative case after στην?

In Modern Greek, almost all prepositions (like σε, με, για, από, προς etc.) are followed by the accusative case.

So:

• στην τάξη – in the class (τάξη = accusative)
• με τον δάσκαλο – with the (male) teacher
• για την άσκηση – about/for the exercise

This is different from Ancient Greek, where different prepositions could take different cases (genitive, dative, accusative). For modern learners, the simple rule is:

After a preposition, use the accusative.

Can I change the word order, for example to Η δασκάλα διαβάζει στην τάξη τη δήλωσή μου?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, because the case endings and articles show the grammatical roles.

All of these are grammatically correct:

• Η δασκάλα διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου στην τάξη.
• Η δασκάλα διαβάζει στην τάξη τη δήλωσή μου.
• Στην τάξη η δασκάλα διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου.

The basic, neutral order is usually:

• Subject – Verb – Object – Other information

Changing the order generally changes the emphasis, not the core meaning. For example, putting στην τάξη first may highlight where this is happening.

How do you pronounce διαβάζει and τάξη? The spelling looks tricky.

Approximate pronunciation (IPA and rough English equivalents):

• διαβάζει → /ðjaˈvazi/

  • δ = /ð/ like th in this
  • ια here is /ja/ (like ya in yard) because of the preceding consonant
  • Stress on -βά-: ðya-VÁ-zi

• τάξη → /ˈtaksi/

  • τ = /t/
  • ά = stressed /a/ (like a in father)
  • ξ = /ks/ (like x in box)
  • η at the end = /i/ (like ee in see)
  • Stress on τά: TÁK-si

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• [i ðaˈskala ðjaˈvazi ti ðiˈlosi mu stin ˈtaksi]

If I want to say my teacher is reading my statement in class, how would I change the sentence?

To say my teacher, you add μου after δασκάλα:

• Η δασκάλα μου διαβάζει τη δήλωσή μου στην τάξη.

Now:

• η δασκάλα μου = my (female) teacher
• τη δήλωσή μου = my statement

Both uses of μου follow the same pattern: article + noun (+ adjective) + μου.