Στο σούπερ μάρκετ βάζω τα ψώνια στο καρότσι, όχι στο καλάθι.

στο is a very common Greek form. It is a contraction of σε + το:

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

So:

• Στο σούπερ μάρκετ = in/at the supermarket
• στο καρότσι = in the cart
• στο καλάθι = in the basket

Greek uses this combination constantly, so it is worth learning as a single chunk.

They are in the accusative case.

In Modern Greek, the preposition σε takes the accusative. Since στο = σε + το, the noun after it is accusative.

In this sentence:

• στο σούπερ μάρκετ
• στο καρότσι
• στο καλάθι

all contain accusative forms.

A useful detail: many neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative and accusative singular, so you do not see a visible change here.

Greek often uses the definite article more often than English does.

• τα ψώνια = the shopping / the groceries / the purchases

In English, we might say I put the groceries in the cart, or just I put my shopping in the cart. In Greek, using the article here sounds very natural.

So τα ψώνια does not necessarily mean some very specific groceries in a heavy English sense; it is just the normal Greek way to say it.

Here τα ψώνια means something like:

• the groceries
• the shopping
• the things I bought / am buying

The singular ψώνιο exists, but in everyday life ψώνια is much more common in this shopping-related meaning.

Be careful: in some contexts ψώνιο or ψώνια can also have slang meanings unrelated to groceries. But in a supermarket sentence like this, it clearly means shopping/groceries.

Yes. βάζω is a very common verb meaning:

• put
• place
• set
• sometimes add

In this sentence, βάζω τα ψώνια στο καρότσι means I put the groceries in the cart.

It is one of those basic high-frequency verbs you will hear all the time in Greek.

Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence starts with the place phrase:

• Στο σούπερ μάρκετ = At/In the supermarket

Then comes the verb:

• βάζω

Then the object:

• τα ψώνια

Then the location phrases:

• στο καρότσι, όχι στο καλάθι

This is perfectly natural. But Greek can often rearrange parts of the sentence for emphasis. For example:

• Βάζω τα ψώνια στο καρότσι στο σούπερ μάρκετ.
• Τα ψώνια τα βάζω στο καρότσι, όχι στο καλάθι.

These versions shift the emphasis slightly, but the original sentence is very normal and clear.

όχι means not / no.

In this sentence it is used to create a contrast:

• στο καρότσι, όχι στο καλάθι
• in the cart, not in the basket

So όχι is not negating the whole sentence. It is specifically correcting or contrasting the second option.

This is a very common pattern in Greek:

• αυτό, όχι εκείνο = this one, not that one
• τώρα, όχι αύριο = now, not tomorrow

They mean two different supermarket containers:

• καρότσι = shopping cart / trolley
• καλάθι = basket

So the sentence contrasts a larger wheeled cart with a hand basket.

This is probably why the speaker says:

• I put the groceries in the cart, not in the basket.

Because their dictionary forms are:

• το καρότσι
• το καλάθι

Both are neuter singular nouns, which is why they use το in the singular, and after σε they become στο.

Many Greek neuter nouns end in:

• -ι
• -ο
• -μα

So καρότσι and καλάθι fit a very common pattern.

It is a borrowing, based on the English expression supermarket.

In Greek it is commonly written:

• σούπερ μάρκετ

It is widely used and feels normal in modern everyday Greek. Greek often keeps some borrowed commercial or modern words in forms that resemble the original language.

Also notice that σούπερ μάρκετ is treated here as neuter:

• το σούπερ μάρκετ
• στο σούπερ μάρκετ

A rough pronunciation guide is:

STO SOO-per MAR-ket VA-zo ta PSO-nya sto ka-RO-tsi, O-hi sto ka-LA-thi

A few helpful notes:

• σ = s
• ού sounds like oo
• ψ sounds like ps
• χ in όχι is like a soft throaty sound, not like English ch
• θ sounds like English th in think

The stress matters:

• σούπερ
• μάρκετ
• βάζω
• ψώνια
• καρότσι
• όχι
• καλάθι

Because νι before another vowel often sounds like ny in pronunciation.

So:

• ψώνια is pronounced roughly PSO-nya

This is very common in Greek. Similar examples include:

• παιδιά ≈ pe-thYA
• έννοια ≈ EN-ya (depending on speech)

So even though you see νι, the sound is often closer to ny before a vowel.

Yes, you could.

• στο καρότσι = in the cart
• μέσα στο καρότσι = inside the cart

Adding μέσα makes the idea of inside more explicit. But in a sentence like this, στο καρότσι already sounds perfectly natural and is what Greek speakers would normally say.

Greek σε can cover several ideas that English often separates:

• in
• at
• to

The exact meaning depends on context.

So:

• στο σούπερ μάρκετ can mean at the supermarket or in the supermarket
• στο καρότσι means in the cart
• in other contexts, στο σπίτι can mean to the house/home or at home, depending on the sentence

This is normal in Greek, and learners get used to interpreting it from context.

βάζω is the imperfective/present form, so depending on context it can mean:

• I put
• I am putting
• I usually put

Greek present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous meanings that English separates.

So this sentence could mean:

• At the supermarket, I put the groceries in the cart, not in the basket.
• or At the supermarket, I’m putting the groceries in the cart, not in the basket.

The broader context tells you which one is intended.