Κράτα το συμβόλαιο στην τσάντα σου, μην το χάσεις στον δρόμο.

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Breakdown of Κράτα το συμβόλαιο στην τσάντα σου, μην το χάσεις στον δρόμο.

• μην: not
• σε: on
• σε: in
• χάνω: to lose
• το: it
• η τσάντα: the bag
• ο δρόμος: the road
• κρατάω: to keep
• το συμβόλαιο: the contract

Questions & Answers about Κράτα το συμβόλαιο στην τσάντα σου, μην το χάσεις στον δρόμο.

How do I know this sentence is talking to one person, and not to several people?

Because the forms are second person singular:

• κράτα = singular informal imperative, keep
• χάσεις in μην το χάσεις = singular form
• σου = your for one person

So this is addressed to one person informally.

If you were speaking to more than one person, or using the polite plural, you would say something like:

• Κρατήστε το συμβόλαιο στην τσάντα σας, μην το χάσετε στον δρόμο.

What exactly does κράτα mean here, and why is it not κράτησε?

Κράτα is the present imperative of κρατάω / κρατώ.

Here it means something like:

• keep
• hold on to
• keep it with you

Greek often uses the present imperative when the idea is about an ongoing state or continued action. In this sentence, the point is not just take the contract once, but keep it in your bag.

By contrast, κράτησε is the aorist imperative, which often sounds more like a single, complete action. In some contexts it could work, but κράτα fits very naturally for the idea of keep it there / keep hold of it.

Why is το used twice? Does it mean the same thing both times?

No. The two το forms do different jobs.

• In το συμβόλαιο, το is the definite article: the contract
• In μην το χάσεις, το is the object pronoun: don’t lose it

They look the same because both are neuter singular accusative forms.

So:

• το συμβόλαιο = the contract
• το χάσεις = lose it

Why do we use μην and not δεν for don’t lose it?

Because Greek uses μη(ν) for negative commands and other subjunctive-type structures.

• δεν is used to negate statements:
  • Δεν το χάνεις = You are not losing it or You don’t lose it
• μην is used for commands like:
  • Μην το χάσεις = Don’t lose it

So in a command, δεν would be wrong here.

Why is the verb χάσεις in μην το χάσεις?

Χάσεις is the form Greek uses here after μην. It is the aorist subjunctive form of χάνω.

That sounds technical, but the important idea is simple:

• μην το χάσεις means don’t lose it as a single event
• the focus is on preventing one completed action: the moment when it gets lost

If you said μην το χάνεις, that would usually sound more like:

• don’t keep losing it
• don’t lose it repeatedly
• or a more habitual/general warning

So χάσεις is the natural choice here.

What is στην?

Στην is a contraction of:

• σε
  • την = στην

Here:

• σε is a preposition that can mean in, at, to, on, depending on context
• την is the feminine singular article in the accusative

So:

• στην τσάντα = in the bag

This is extremely common in Greek:

• στο = σε + το
• στον = σε + τον
• στη or στην = σε + τη(ν)

Why does Greek say την τσάντα σου? In English we just say your bag, not the your bag.

That is a normal Greek pattern. With possessed nouns, Greek usually keeps the definite article:

• η τσάντα μου = my bag
• το σπίτι σου = your house
• ο φίλος της = her friend

So την τσάντα σου literally looks like the bag your, but in natural English it simply means your bag.

This is one of the big differences between Greek and English: Greek often uses article + noun + possessive clitic.

What exactly is σου here?

Σου is a weak genitive pronoun. In this sentence it means your:

• την τσάντα σου = your bag

The same form can also mean to you, depending on the sentence. For example:

• Σου μιλάω = I am speaking to you

So σου does not always mean the same thing by itself. Its role depends on the structure around it. Here, next to τσάντα, it shows possession.

What does στον δρόμο mean here? Is it literally on the road?

Literally, yes:

• στον δρόμο = on the road / in the street / on the way

But in this sentence it is best understood more naturally as something like:

• on the way
• while you’re out
• in the street / on the road

Also, στον is:

• σε + τον = στον

And δρόμο is the accusative of ο δρόμος.

So grammatically it is a prepositional phrase with σε.

If I replaced το συμβόλαιο with it, would I say Κράτα το? Why would the pronoun come after κράτα, but before χάσεις?

Yes, Κράτα το is correct for Keep it.

This is an important Greek rule:

• With an affirmative imperative, weak object pronouns usually come after the verb:
  • Κράτα το
• With μην and similar finite-verb structures, weak pronouns usually come before the verb:
  • Μην το χάσεις

So Greek changes pronoun position depending on the type of verb form.

That is why:

• Κράτα το συμβόλαιο = full noun, no issue
• Κράτα το = pronoun after the affirmative imperative
• Μην το χάσεις = pronoun before the verb after μην

Is the word order fixed, or could I move parts of the sentence around?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but not completely free.

The given sentence is a very natural, neutral order:

• Κράτα το συμβόλαιο στην τσάντα σου, μην το χάσεις στον δρόμο.

You could change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Μην το χάσεις στον δρόμο, κράτα το συμβόλαιο στην τσάντα σου.

That puts the warning first.

But some things are still constrained by grammar. For example, in the second clause the weak pronoun naturally stays before the verb:

• μην το χάσεις is correct
• μην χάσεις το is not correct

So Greek allows movement for emphasis, but not random movement.