Ο υπάλληλος στην τράπεζα μου δίνει έναν φάκελο και μου λέει να τον κρατήσω ασφαλή.

The clerk at the bank gives me an envelope and tells me to keep it safe.

Breakdown of Ο υπάλληλος στην τράπεζα μου δίνει έναν φάκελο και μου λέει να τον κρατήσω ασφαλή.

• και: and
• να: to
• σε: at
• δίνω: to give
• μου: me
• ένας: one
• λέω: to tell
• κρατάω: to keep
• η τράπεζα: the bank
• ασφαλής: safe
• ο φάκελος: the envelope
• τον: it
• ο υπάλληλος: the clerk

Questions & Answers about Ο υπάλληλος στην τράπεζα μου δίνει έναν φάκελο και μου λέει να τον κρατήσω ασφαλή.

Why does the sentence start with Ο υπάλληλος (definite article) instead of something like “an employee”?

Greek often uses the definite article (ο/η/το) when talking about a specific person in the situation/context, even if English might use a/an. Here Ο υπάλληλος points to “the (specific) employee” you’re dealing with at that moment.
If you wanted to sound more like “an employee (in general)”, you could say Ένας υπάλληλος…, but that changes the nuance.

What does στην τράπεζα consist of, and why is it written as one word?

στην is a contraction of σε + την (“in/at + the”).
So στην τράπεζα literally = “at the bank / in the bank.”
You’ll commonly see:

• στο = σε + το
• στη / στην = σε + τη(ν) The extra -ν is often kept before certain sounds and is very common in standard writing: στην τράπεζα.

Why is τράπεζα feminine, and how do I know?

η τράπεζα is feminine, so it takes feminine articles and forms:

• nominative: η τράπεζα
• accusative: την τράπεζα (which you see inside στην τράπεζα)
  Gender is a property of the noun and must mostly be learned with the article (e.g., memorize η τράπεζα, ο φάκελος, etc.).

What is μου doing here, and why does it appear twice?

μου is an unstressed object pronoun meaning “to me / me” depending on context. Here it functions as an indirect object (“to me”):

• μου δίνει = “gives (to) me”
• μου λέει = “says/tells me”
  It appears twice because there are two verbs (δίνει, λέει) and each one has “me” as its indirect object.

Where does μου go in the sentence—can it move?

Unstressed object pronouns (like μου, σου, του, την, τον) typically go right before the verb:

• μου δίνει
• μου λέει
  In some contexts (especially with imperatives or certain fixed forms) pronoun placement can differ, but in normal statements this “before the verb” position is the default.

Why is it έναν φάκελο and not ένα φάκελο?

Because φάκελος is masculine (ο φάκελος). In the accusative singular, the masculine indefinite article is έναν (often written έναν with final -ν).
Compare:

• neuter: ένα βιβλίο (το βιβλίο)
• feminine: μια/μία τσάντα (η τσάντα)
• masculine: έναν φάκελο (ο φάκελος)

What case is φάκελο in, and why?

φάκελο is accusative singular because it is the direct object of δίνει (“gives”).
Dictionary form is usually nominative: ο φάκελος.
In this sentence it becomes: έναν φάκελο (accusative).

What does να do in μου λέει να τον κρατήσω?

να introduces the subjunctive in Modern Greek, commonly used after verbs like “tell,” “want,” “can,” etc.
The structure λέω σε κάποιον να + verb is how Greek expresses “tell someone to do something.”
So μου λέει να… = “he tells me to…”

Why is the verb κρατήσω (aorist subjunctive) used instead of something like κρατάω?

After να, Greek chooses verb aspect depending on meaning:

• αόριστος υποτακτικής (aorist subjunctive) like κρατήσω often suggests a single, complete action or a clear instruction (“make sure you keep it / keep it (properly)” as a directive).
• ενεστώτας υποτακτικής (present subjunctive) like να τον κρατάω/κρατώ would emphasize ongoing/continuous keeping (“to be keeping it” as a continuing activity).
  Both can be possible depending on nuance, but να τον κρατήσω is very natural for an instruction.

What is τον and what does it refer to?

τον is the unstressed masculine accusative singular pronoun “him/it.” Here it means “it” and refers back to (τον) φάκελο (the envelope).
Greek requires agreement in gender/number/case for these pronouns, so because φάκελος is masculine, the pronoun is τον.

Why is τον placed before κρατήσω?

Like μου, τον is an unstressed object pronoun, and these normally go immediately before the verb:

• να τον κρατήσω
  This clitic placement is a core pattern in Modern Greek.

Why is ασφαλή in that form, and what is it grammatically?

ασφαλή is an adjective meaning “safe/secure,” and here it functions as a predicate complement describing the object (“keep it safe”).
It agrees with what it describes: τον φάκελο / τον = masculine, singular, accusative, so the adjective appears as ασφαλή (masc. acc. sg. for this adjective type).