Breakdown of Ο κτηνίατρος μας είπε να αλλάξουμε τροφή και να περιμένουμε δύο μέρες.
και
and
να
to
δύο
two
περιμένω
to wait
Questions & Answers about Ο κτηνίατρος μας είπε να αλλάξουμε τροφή και να περιμένουμε δύο μέρες.
Why does Greek use να αλλάξουμε and να περιμένουμε instead of an infinitive like to change / to wait?
Modern Greek generally doesn’t use an infinitive the way English does. Instead, it uses να + subjunctive:
- να αλλάξουμε = to change (literally that we change)
- να περιμένουμε = to wait (literally that we wait)
After many verbs of saying, advising, ordering, etc. (like είπε he said/told), Greek commonly uses να
- a verb form.
What exactly does μας mean here, and why is it placed before είπε?
μας here means to us (indirect object). With verbs like λέω (I say/tell), Greek often uses a weak (clitic) pronoun for to me/to you/to us, placed before the verb:
- μας είπε = he/she told us It’s not our in this sentence; it’s us as the people receiving the message.
Why is it Ο κτηνίατρος with the article Ο? Is it “a vet” or “the vet”?