Η φίλη μου βάζει λάχανο στο σάντουιτς, αλλά εγώ προτιμώ μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί.

In Greek, possessive words like μου (my) usually come after the noun, not before it.

• η φίλη μου = my friend
• literally: the friend my

This is very normal Greek word order. English says my friend, but Greek usually says the friend my.

Greek often uses the definite article where English does not.

So:

• η φίλη μου = my friend

The article η is feminine singular nominative, matching φίλη.

You can sometimes hear φίλη μου without the article, but that often sounds more direct, emotional, or vocative depending on context. In a neutral statement, η φίλη μου is the standard choice.

Βάζει is the 3rd person singular present form of βάζω, which usually means:

• to put
• to place
• in food contexts, often to add or to put in/on

So:

• Η φίλη μου βάζει λάχανο στο σάντουιτς
  = My friend puts/adds cabbage in the sandwich

The subject is η φίλη μου, so Greek uses the he/she/it form: βάζει.

Greek often leaves out the article with foods or ingredients when speaking in a general way.

So:

• βάζει λάχανο = she puts cabbage
• προτιμώ μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί = I prefer only tomato and cheese

This is similar to English, where we often say I eat cheese, not necessarily I eat the cheese.

If you said το λάχανο, it would sound more like a specific cabbage or a specific portion already known in the conversation.

Yes, λάχανο normally means cabbage.

A learner might expect lettuce in a sandwich, and in Greek that is usually μαρούλι. So if the sentence says λάχανο, it really does mean cabbage, not lettuce.

Depending on context, it could be shredded cabbage, like in a salad-style sandwich or slaw.

Στο is a contraction of:

• σε = in / to / at
• το = the

So:

• σε το → στο

This is extremely common in Greek.

So:

• στο σάντουιτς = in the sandwich

You should learn these contractions as normal forms:

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

After σε, Greek uses the accusative case.

So in στο σάντουιτς, the noun is functioning as an accusative object of the preposition.

A useful thing here is that σάντουιτς is an indeclinable loanword, so its form does not visibly change. Even though the case is accusative, the word itself stays σάντουιτς.

Many borrowed words in Greek are treated as neuter, especially words like σάντουιτς.

That is why the article is:

• το σάντουιτς
• στο σάντουιτς

So even if the word comes from English, Greek assigns it a grammatical gender, and here that gender is neuter.

Yes, grammatically εγώ is not necessary, because the verb προτιμώ already tells you the subject is I.

But Greek often includes pronouns for emphasis or contrast.

So:

• αλλά εγώ προτιμώ...
  means something like
  but I prefer... or even
  but as for me, I prefer...

The εγώ creates a contrast with η φίλη μου.

Προτιμώ is the 1st person singular present of προτιμώ, meaning I prefer.

So:

• εγώ προτιμώ = I prefer

This verb belongs to a group of verbs often ending in -ώ in the I form.

Again, Greek often omits articles when talking about ingredients or foods in a general sense.

So:

• μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί = only tomato and cheese

This sounds natural in Greek, just like English often says:

• I want tomato and cheese rather than
• I want the tomato and the cheese

If you added articles, it could sound more specific, as if referring to particular tomato and cheese already known.

Μόνο means only, and here it applies to the foods that follow:

• μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί = only tomato and cheese

In other words, the speaker prefers just those ingredients and nothing else, at least in this context.

In Greek, when talking about sandwich ingredients or food preferences, you do not always need a separate word for with.

Greek can simply list the ingredients:

• προτιμώ μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί

The idea of in my sandwich / as fillings / as ingredients is understood from the context.

English often does something similar:

• I like just tomato and cheese

Here is a simple breakdown:

• Η φίλη μου: nominative
  
  • the subject of βάζει
• λάχανο: accusative
  
  • the direct object of βάζει
• στο σάντουιτς: accusative after σε
• εγώ: nominative
  
  • the subject of προτιμώ
• ντομάτα and τυρί: accusative
  
  • the things preferred

So the sentence mainly uses:

• nominative for the subjects
• accusative for the objects and after σε

Not completely. Greek word order is more flexible than English, but the given order is very natural.

This sentence:

• Η φίλη μου βάζει λάχανο στο σάντουιτς, αλλά εγώ προτιμώ μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί.

sounds neutral and clear.

You could change the order for emphasis, but then the focus would shift. For example:

• Εγώ όμως προτιμώ μόνο ντομάτα και τυρί.
  = I, however, prefer only tomato and cheese.

So the original word order is not the only possible one, but it is a very good standard version.

Both exist, but ντομάτα is very common in everyday Modern Greek.

So in this sentence:

• ντομάτα = tomato

A learner may also encounter τομάτα, which is a variant. Ντομάτα is perfectly normal and very widely used.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Ee FEE-lee moo VAH-zee LA-ha-no sto SAN-doo-its, a-LA e-GHO pro-ti-MO MO-no do-MA-ta ke ti-REE.

A few useful points:

• η φίλη μου → stress on φί-
• βάζει → stress on βά-
• σάντουιτς → stress on σάν-
• προτιμώ → stress on the last syllable
• τυρί → stress on the last syllable

The γ in εγώ is not like English g in go; it is softer.