Questions & Answers about Το φαγητό μου είναι έτοιμο τώρα.
Why is there το before φαγητό?
Because Greek normally uses the definite article much more often than English.
- το = the for a neuter singular noun
- φαγητό is a neuter singular noun, so it takes το
So Greek says το φαγητό μου literally like the food/my food, not just my food without an article as in English.
Why is μου after φαγητό, not before it?
In Greek, the unstressed possessive forms like μου usually come after the noun.
- το φαγητό μου = my food
- literally: the food of me
This is very normal Greek word order. English puts my before the noun, but Greek often uses this short genitive form after it.
What exactly is μου here?
μου is the weak form meaning my / of me.
Grammatically, it is the genitive form of εγώ (I). In sentences like this, Greek uses the genitive pronoun to show possession:
- το βιβλίο μου = my book
- η φίλη μου = my friend
- το φαγητό μου = my food / my meal
So even though the English meaning is my, the Greek structure is closer to of me.