Συγκατοικώ με τον φίλο μου κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο.

I live with my friend (male) near the university.

Breakdown of Συγκατοικώ με τον φίλο μου κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο.

• μου: my
• ο φίλος: the male friend
• με: with
• σε: to
• κοντά: near
• το πανεπιστήμιο: the university
• συγκατοικώ: to live with / to cohabit

Questions & Answers about Συγκατοικώ με τον φίλο μου κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

Greek often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject. Συγκατοικώ ends in -ώ, which marks 1st person singular in the present tense, so (εγώ) = I is understood. You can add εγώ for emphasis or contrast, but it’s usually unnecessary.

What exactly does συγκατοικώ mean grammatically, and what form is it?

Συγκατοικώ is the present tense, active voice, 1st person singular form of συγκατοικώ (to cohabit / to live with someone as housemates).
It’s built from συν-/συγ- (together) + κατοικώ (I live/reside). The γ appears before κ (a common spelling/phonetic adjustment).

Why is it με τον φίλο μου and not another case (like nominative)?

The preposition με (with) takes the accusative case.
So ο φίλος (nominative) becomes τον φίλο (accusative). That’s why you see:

• nominative: ο φίλος
• accusative: τον φίλο

How do I know τον is masculine, and what would it be for feminine/neuter?

τον is the masculine accusative singular form of the definite article (the).
For comparison (accusative singular):

• masculine: τον (τον φίλο)
• feminine: τη(ν) (τη(ν) φίλη)
• neuter: το (το παιδί)

The (ν) in τη(ν) is used depending on the next sound (common in careful speech/writing).

Why is μου placed after φίλο instead of before it?

Greek possessive pronouns like μου (my) commonly come after the noun: ο φίλος μου.
Putting it before the noun is generally not the normal pattern for possessives in Modern Greek (unlike English). Post-nominal possessives are the default: το σπίτι μου, η φίλη μου, etc.

Does ο φίλος μου necessarily mean “my boyfriend,” or just “my friend”?

By itself, ο φίλος μου most commonly means my (male) friend. It can mean my boyfriend depending on context, tone, and what’s already known. If someone wants to be explicit, they might clarify (e.g., by context or with additional wording), but ο φίλος μου is often just my friend.

What does κοντά do here, and what is the full construction?

κοντά means near/close by, and it typically goes with σε (to/at) + a noun phrase:

• κοντά σε + [noun] = near [noun]

So the underlying structure is: κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο = κοντά σε το πανεπιστήμιο (with contraction—see next question).

Why is it στο πανεπιστήμιο instead of σε το πανεπιστήμιο?

Greek commonly contracts σε + το into στο (and similarly σε + τον → στον, σε + την → στη(ν)).
So:

• σε το πανεπιστήμιο → στο πανεπιστήμιο

This is extremely common in everyday Greek.

Why is πανεπιστήμιο neuter, and how does that affect the sentence?

πανεπιστήμιο is a neuter noun. Neuter affects the article and adjective agreement:

• nominative/accusative singular article: το So you get το πανεπιστήμιο and, after contraction with σε, στο πανεπιστήμιο.

Is the word order fixed? Could I move κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο?

Greek word order is flexible. This sentence is very natural, but you could move the location phrase for emphasis or style:

• Συγκατοικώ κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο με τον φίλο μου.
• Κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο συγκατοικώ με τον φίλο μου. (more emphasis on location)

The meaning stays basically the same; the focus can shift.

How would this change if I lived with more than one friend?

You’d switch to plural forms:

• Συγκατοικώ με τους φίλους μου κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο.

Here τους φίλους is accusative plural masculine, required after με, and μου stays the same.

Is συγκατοικώ interchangeable with μένω με?

Often, yes, but there’s a nuance:

• συγκατοικώ (με...) strongly suggests sharing a home as housemates/cohabitants.
• μένω με... simply means I live with... and can be more general (family, temporary stay, etc.).

So συγκατοικώ is slightly more specific and “housemate-like.”