Στο μικρό μαγαζί δεν είχαν ρέστα, οπότε πλήρωσα ακριβώς με τα κέρματα που είχα.

Στο is the contracted form of σε το.

• σε = in / at / to
• το = the (neuter singular)

So:

• σε το μικρό μαγαζί → στο μικρό μαγαζί

This contraction is extremely common in Greek:

• σε + το = στο
• σε + τη = στη / στην
• σε + τον = στον

Here, στο μικρό μαγαζί means in/at the small shop.

Because μαγαζί is a neuter singular noun, the adjective has to match it in gender, number, and case.

The adjective μικρός changes form:

• μικρός = masculine
• μικρή = feminine
• μικρό = neuter

So:

• το μικρό μαγαζί = the small shop

This is normal adjective agreement in Greek.

Μαγαζί is a very common everyday word meaning shop, store, or sometimes business/place depending on context.

• το μαγαζί = the shop/store

It is a bit more colloquial and everyday than κατάστημα, which can sound a little more formal or technical.

In this sentence, μικρό μαγαζί simply means small shop.

This is a very natural Greek way to speak about a business: the verb often refers to the people working there, not the building itself.

So δεν είχαν ρέστα literally means:

• they didn’t have change

But in natural English we usually translate it as:

• the shop didn’t have change
• they didn’t have any change there

Greek often uses plural verbs like this when talking about a store, restaurant, office, etc., because the idea is the staff / the people there.

Είχαν is the imperfect of έχω (to have). The imperfect is often used for:

• ongoing states in the past
• background situations
• descriptions

Here, not having change is the situation at the time. It is background information that explains what happened next.

So:

• δεν είχαν ρέστα = they didn’t have change / they didn’t have any change on hand

If you used an aorist form here, it would sound less natural for this kind of continuing situation.

Because ρέστα often works like an indefinite mass noun in this context, similar to change in English.

• δεν είχαν ρέστα = they didn’t have change
• not necessarily the change

You can use an article with ρέστα in other contexts, but here the article is not needed because the idea is general: they had no change available.

Also note that ρέστα is plural in form, even though in English change is usually singular/uncountable.

Here οπότε means so, therefore, or as a result.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• They didn’t have change, so I paid exactly...

So the logic is:

1. The shop had no change.
2. As a result, I paid the exact amount with the coins I had.

In everyday Greek, οπότε is very common in speech and writing for this kind of consequence.

Πλήρωσα is the aorist of πληρώνω (to pay), and it presents the payment as a single completed action.

• πλήρωσα = I paid
• πλήρωνα = I was paying / I used to pay

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about one finished event, so the aorist is the natural choice:

• οπότε πλήρωσα ακριβώς... = so I paid exactly...

Here ακριβώς means exactly.

So:

• πλήρωσα ακριβώς = I paid the exact amount

It does not mean carefully here.

In context, it means the speaker gave the precise amount of money, probably because there was no change available.

Because the coins are being identified by the relative clause που είχα (that I had).

So we are not talking about coins in general, but about the specific coins I had with me:

• με τα κέρματα που είχα = with the coins that I had

Using the article makes the noun phrase definite and specific.

Που here is a relative word meaning that / which.

So:

• τα κέρματα = the coins
• που είχα = that I had

Together:

• τα κέρματα που είχα = the coins that I had

A useful point for learners: Greek που is very common and does not change form the way English sometimes does.

Examples:

• ο άνθρωπος που είδα = the person that I saw
• το βιβλίο που αγόρασα = the book that I bought

Είχα is already past: it is the imperfect of έχω.

Here it means:

• I had

Greek uses the imperfect because the possession of the coins is treated as an ongoing state in the background at that moment.

So:

• τα κέρματα που είχα = the coins that I had

The idea is not the coins that I got once, but simply the coins that were in my possession at the time.

The sentence as given is very natural, but Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

This version:

• Στο μικρό μαγαζί δεν είχαν ρέστα, οπότε πλήρωσα ακριβώς με τα κέρματα που είχα.

sounds natural and clear.

But Greek could move some parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Δεν είχαν ρέστα στο μικρό μαγαζί, οπότε πλήρωσα ακριβώς με τα κέρματα που είχα.

That still means the same thing, but the emphasis shifts slightly.

So yes, word order can vary, but the original sentence is very idiomatic.

Yes, a few things:

1. δεν είχαν ρέστα
   Greek naturally says they didn’t have change, referring to the people at the shop.

2. ρέστα
   This is the normal word for change in money contexts.

3. πλήρωσα ακριβώς
   A very natural way to say I paid the exact amount.

4. με τα κέρματα που είχα
   Greek often uses a straightforward relative clause here: with the coins that I had.

So even though each part is quite simple grammatically, the sentence as a whole is a very natural everyday Greek sentence.