Η ξαδέρφη μου φτιάχνει γλυκό με φράουλες, αλλά εγώ προτιμώ τα κεράσια χωρίς ζάχαρη.

In Greek, short possessive words like μου, σου, and του/της usually come after the noun.

So:

• η ξαδέρφη μου = my cousin
• το σπίτι μου = my house

Putting μου before the noun is not the normal pattern in everyday Greek.

Also, ξαδέρφη is feminine singular, so it takes η.

μου here means my.

Grammatically, it is the weak form of the first-person pronoun and originally corresponds to the genitive, but in sentences like this you can simply think of it as the normal Greek way to say possession:

• ο φίλος μου = my friend
• η αδερφή μου = my sister

So η ξαδέρφη μου literally works like the cousin of me, but in natural English that is just my cousin.

Greek often leaves out the article when talking about something indefinite or when introducing it as a kind of thing rather than a specific known item.

So:

• φτιάχνει γλυκό = she is making a dessert / something sweet
• φτιάχνει το γλυκό would mean she is making the dessert, referring to a specific one already known in context

In this sentence, γλυκό is not presented as a specific previously mentioned dessert, so no article is very natural.

Here γλυκό means dessert or something sweet.

The word literally comes from the idea of sweet, and depending on context it can mean:

• sweet as an adjective
• dessert / sweet dish as a noun

In this sentence, it is a noun:
φτιάχνει γλυκό = she makes/is making a dessert

με means with, and it is followed by the accusative in Modern Greek.

So:

• με φράουλες = with strawberries
• με ζάχαρη = with sugar
• με φίλους = with friends

This is just the normal prepositional pattern. You do not need a special case ending like in Ancient Greek; in Modern Greek, με + accusative is standard.

Because Greek often uses the plural when talking about fruits or ingredients in a general way.

So:

• με φράουλες = with strawberries
• προτιμώ τα κεράσια = I prefer cherries

This is very natural, just as in English we usually say strawberries or cherries when talking generally.

Yes, εγώ is grammatically unnecessary, because the verb προτιμώ already shows that the subject is I.

However, Greek often includes the pronoun for emphasis or contrast.

So here:

• αλλά εγώ προτιμώ... = but I prefer...

The pronoun adds a contrast with η ξαδέρφη μου:

• My cousin makes dessert with strawberries, but I prefer cherries...

Without εγώ, the sentence would still be correct, but slightly less emphatic.

Greek often uses the definite article when talking about things in a general class, especially after verbs like like, prefer, hate, etc.

So:

• προτιμώ τα κεράσια = I prefer cherries
• μου αρέσει ο καφές = I like coffee
• λατρεύω τα φρούτα = I love fruit

In English, we often omit the in these general statements, but in Greek the article is frequently used.

After χωρίς (without), Greek very often uses a noun without an article when speaking generally.

So:

• χωρίς ζάχαρη = without sugar
• χωρίς γάλα = without milk
• χωρίς αλάτι = without salt

If you said χωρίς τη ζάχαρη, that would usually mean without the sugar, referring to some specific sugar already known in the situation.

Both verbs are in the present tense.

• φτιάχνει = she makes / she is making
• προτιμώ = I prefer / I am preferring though in English we normally say I prefer

In Greek, the present tense can express:

• a habitual action: she makes
• an action happening now: she is making

The exact meaning depends on context.

Because Modern Greek does not usually distinguish these two meanings with separate present forms the way English does.

So:

• φτιάχνει can mean she makes
• or she is making

Context tells you which one fits.

This is very common in Greek. English makes a strong distinction between simple present and present continuous, but Greek often uses the same present form for both.

Not completely. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order, because endings and articles help show the grammatical relationships.

The sentence as given is very natural:

• Η ξαδέρφη μου φτιάχνει γλυκό με φράουλες, αλλά εγώ προτιμώ τα κεράσια χωρίς ζάχαρη.

But some parts could be moved for emphasis. For example:

• Εγώ όμως προτιμώ τα κεράσια χωρίς ζάχαρη.

Still, not every rearrangement sounds equally natural. Greek allows flexibility, but it still has preferred patterns.

Most of the main nouns here are in the accusative when they are objects, and nominative when they are subjects.

• Η ξαδέρφη μου: nominative, because it is the subject
• γλυκό: accusative, because it is the object of φτιάχνει
• φράουλες: accusative, because it follows με
• τα κεράσια: accusative, because it is the object of προτιμώ
• ζάχαρη: accusative, because it follows χωρίς

In Modern Greek, many feminine and neuter nouns look the same in nominative and accusative, so you often identify the case from the role in the sentence and from the article.

Yes. ξαδέρφη means female cousin.

The masculine form is:

• ξάδερφος = male cousin

So Greek makes the cousin’s gender explicit here. English usually just says cousin unless we choose to specify.