Breakdown of Η πληγή στο χέρι της είναι μικρή, αλλά το δάχτυλο είναι ακόμα πρησμένο.
Questions & Answers about Η πληγή στο χέρι της είναι μικρή, αλλά το δάχτυλο είναι ακόμα πρησμένο.
Why is it η πληγή and not το πληγή?
Because πληγή is a feminine noun in Greek. Greek nouns have grammatical gender, and the article has to match the noun:
- η πληγή = the wound
- not το πληγή
You can also see the feminine gender later in the adjective:
- η πληγή ... είναι μικρή
- μικρή is the feminine form of small
So both the article η and the adjective μικρή agree with πληγή.
Why is it μικρή and not μικρό?
Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.
Here, πληγή is:
- feminine
- singular
- nominative
So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:
- masculine: μικρός
- feminine: μικρή
- neuter: μικρό
That is why the sentence says:
- Η πληγή ... είναι μικρή
What does στο χέρι της literally mean?
Literally, στο χέρι της means in/on her hand.
It breaks down like this:
- σε = in / on / at
- το = the
- στο = contraction of σε + το
- χέρι = hand
- της = her
So:
- στο χέρι της = on her hand / in her hand / on her arm, depending on context
In this sentence, English would naturally say the wound on her hand.
Why is της placed after χέρι?
In Greek, possession is often shown with a weak genitive pronoun placed after the noun.
So:
- το χέρι της = her hand
literally: the hand of her
This is a very common Greek pattern:
- το σπίτι μου = my house
- η μητέρα του = his mother
- το βιβλίο μας = our book
So Greek usually does noun + possessive pronoun, not her hand in the English order.
What case is της here?
της here is in the genitive case and means her.
Greek often uses the genitive for possession. So in:
- το χέρι της
the word της is a genitive pronoun meaning of her.
Be careful: της can also mean to her in other contexts, so the exact meaning depends on the sentence. Here, because it follows a noun, it clearly shows possession:
- το χέρι της = her hand
Why is it το δάχτυλο and not ο δάχτυλος?
Because δάχτυλο is a neuter noun.
So it takes:
- the neuter article το
- the neuter adjective form πρησμένο
That is why the sentence says:
- το δάχτυλο είναι ακόμα πρησμένο
Greek noun gender is something you usually have to learn together with the noun itself:
- η πληγή = feminine
- το χέρι = neuter
- το δάχτυλο = neuter
Why is it πρησμένο?
πρησμένο is the neuter singular form of the adjective swollen.
It agrees with το δάχτυλο, which is neuter singular.
The adjective forms are:
- masculine: πρησμένος
- feminine: πρησμένη
- neuter: πρησμένο
So:
- το δάχτυλο είναι πρησμένο = the finger is swollen
Greek often uses είναι + adjective where English also uses is + adjective.
What does ακόμα mean here?
Here ακόμα means still.
So:
- είναι ακόμα πρησμένο = it is still swollen
Depending on context, ακόμα can also mean even or yet, but here still is the natural meaning.
Examples:
- Είναι ακόμα εδώ. = He/She is still here.
- Δεν έχω φάει ακόμα. = I haven’t eaten yet.
Why is αλλά used here?
αλλά means but.
It connects two contrasting ideas:
- Η πληγή ... είναι μικρή = The wound is small
- αλλά το δάχτυλο είναι ακόμα πρησμένο = but the finger is still swollen
So the contrast is:
- the wound itself is not serious in size,
- but the finger is still swollen.
Why is είναι used twice?
Greek often repeats the verb to be in each clause, just as English often does.
The sentence has two coordinated parts:
- Η πληγή στο χέρι της είναι μικρή
- αλλά το δάχτυλο είναι ακόμα πρησμένο
Each part has its own subject and predicate, so είναι appears in both.
You could think of it as:
- The wound ... is small
- but the finger is still swollen
Does χέρι mean hand or arm?
χέρι can mean hand and can also sometimes cover arm in broader usage, depending on context.
In this sentence, because it later mentions δάχτυλο (finger), the natural interpretation is hand:
- Η πληγή στο χέρι της = The wound on her hand
So even if χέρι can be somewhat broader in other contexts, here hand is the best translation.
Why is there a definite article in both η πληγή and το δάχτυλο?
Greek uses the definite article very frequently, often more often than English.
Here it is completely normal to say:
- η πληγή = the wound
- το δάχτυλο = the finger
Even when English might sometimes omit an article in other contexts, Greek often keeps it. In this sentence, both nouns are specific and known in context, so the articles are expected.
Could Greek say ένα δάχτυλο instead of το δάχτυλο?
Yes, but the meaning would change.
- το δάχτυλο = the finger
a specific finger, understood from context - ένα δάχτυλο = a finger
one finger, less specific
In your sentence, το δάχτυλο sounds natural because it refers to the affected finger already understood as part of the injured hand.
Is πληγή the same as τραύμα?
Not exactly, though they are related.
- πληγή usually means wound
- τραύμα can mean injury, trauma, or wound in a broader sense
In this sentence, πληγή is a good choice because it refers to a wound on the hand. τραύμα would sound broader or more medical/general depending on context.
How would the sentence sound if I translated it more literally word for word?
A more literal version would be:
- The wound on the hand of hers is small, but the finger is still swollen.
That is not natural English, but it helps show the Greek structure:
- Η πληγή = the wound
- στο χέρι της = on her hand
- είναι μικρή = is small
- αλλά = but
- το δάχτυλο = the finger
- είναι ακόμα πρησμένο = is still swollen
So the natural English version is:
- The wound on her hand is small, but the finger is still swollen.
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