Η μεσίτρια μάς έδειξε τρία διαμερίσματα, αλλά μόνο ένα ήταν πραγματικά φωτεινό και ήσυχο.

Greek often uses the definite article much more than English does, especially with specific people and subjects of a sentence.

So Η μεσίτρια literally means the real-estate agent. In English, we might say The agent showed us... or just The agent less often depending on context, but in Greek the article is very natural here.

Also, μεσίτρια is feminine, so the article is η.

μάς means us.

In this sentence, μάς έδειξε = showed us.

Greek object pronouns like με, σε, μας, σας, τον, την, το usually come before the verb when the verb is a normal finite form. So:

• μας έδειξε = showed us
• τον είδα = I saw him
• σας λέω = I am telling you

The accent in μάς is often written to make it clear and avoid confusion, though you may also see μας in many texts.

έδειξε is the simple past form, also called the aorist, of δείχνω = to show.

So:

• δείχνει = he/she shows, is showing
• έδειξε = he/she showed

The sentence is talking about a completed past event: the agent showed some apartments. That is why Greek uses the aorist here.

The ε- at the beginning is a very common past marker in Greek verbs.

Because διαμερίσματα is a neuter plural noun, and the number three must match its gender form.

Greek has different forms for three:

• τρεις for masculine/feminine
• τρία for neuter

Since διαμέρισμα is neuter, the plural is διαμερίσματα, so you say:

• τρία διαμερίσματα = three apartments

Compare:

• τρεις άντρες = three men
• τρεις γυναίκες = three women
• τρία παιδιά = three children

Here ένα means one or one of them.

It refers back to διαμερίσματα, which is a neuter noun, so the form is ένα.

Greek uses:

• ένας for masculine
• μία / μια for feminine
• ένα for neuter

So μόνο ένα means only one (apartment).

Even though the earlier noun is plural (διαμερίσματα), now we are talking about just one item from that group, so singular ένα is correct.

Because the subject of that part of the sentence is no longer διαμερίσματα as a whole. It is μόνο ένα = only one.

So the structure is:

• τρία διαμερίσματα = three apartments
• αλλά μόνο ένα ήταν... = but only one was...

Since ένα is singular, the verb is singular too:

• ένα ήταν
• not ένα ήταν/ήταν? Actually ήταν is the correct singular/plural imperfect form, and in this tense the form looks the same for singular and plural. The important point is that the meaning is singular because of ένα.

So here ήταν means was.

ήταν is the imperfect of είμαι = to be.

In this sentence, ήταν πραγματικά φωτεινό και ήσυχο means was really bright and quiet.

Greek often uses the imperfect of είμαι to describe a state or condition in the past. That fits perfectly here, because the sentence is describing what that apartment was like.

So:

• έδειξε = completed action: she showed
• ήταν = past state/description: it was

This is a very common and natural combination.

Because they agree with ένα, which refers to a neuter singular noun: διαμέρισμα.

Greek adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Since the apartment is:

• neuter
• singular

the adjectives are also neuter singular:

• φωτεινό = bright
• ήσυχο = quiet

If the noun were feminine, you would get different forms, for example:

• μια φωτεινή και ήσυχη γκαρσονιέρα

If masculine:

• ένας φωτεινός και ήσυχος χώρος

Because πραγματικά here is an adverb, meaning really or truly.

It modifies the adjectives φωτεινό and ήσυχο, not the noun directly.

So the meaning is:

• πραγματικά φωτεινό και ήσυχο = really bright and quiet

If it were an adjective, it would need to agree with a noun. But that is not what is happening here.

A useful pattern is:

• πραγματικός / πραγματική / πραγματικό = real, genuine
• πραγματικά = really, genuinely

μόνο means only, and it comes before the word it focuses on.

So:

• μόνο ένα = only one
• μόνο αυτό = only this
• μόνο χτες = only yesterday

Here the emphasis is on the number: out of the three apartments, just one had those good qualities.

Not completely. Greek word order is more flexible than English, but some orders sound more natural than others.

This sentence:

• Η μεσίτρια μάς έδειξε τρία διαμερίσματα, αλλά μόνο ένα ήταν πραγματικά φωτεινό και ήσυχο.

is a very natural, neutral way to say it.

You could move some parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Η μεσίτρια έδειξε σ’ εμάς τρία διαμερίσματα...
• Τρία διαμερίσματα μάς έδειξε η μεσίτρια...

But these versions change the emphasis and may sound more marked or context-dependent.

So the original order is the best one to learn first.

Because αλλά means but, and it connects two contrasting clauses.

The comma helps separate:

1. Η μεσίτρια μάς έδειξε τρία διαμερίσματα
2. αλλά μόνο ένα ήταν πραγματικά φωτεινό και ήσυχο

This is similar to English punctuation before but in many cases.

It usually means quiet, peaceful, or calm, depending on context.

For an apartment, ήσυχο usually suggests:

• not noisy
• peaceful
• in a calm area or building

So it is a very natural adjective in real-estate contexts, just like φωτεινό for bright. Together, φωτεινό και ήσυχο sounds exactly like the kind of thing someone might say when describing a good apartment.