Η αδερφή μου φτερνίζεται συχνά και έχει και λίγο βήχα το βράδυ.

In Greek, unstressed possessive words like μου usually come after the noun:

• η αδερφή μου = my sister
• το σπίτι μου = my house

So μου here is the normal possessive form. Grammatically, it comes from the genitive form of the pronoun, but in practice you can think of it as the usual way to say my after a noun.

You may sometimes see different word orders for emphasis in other contexts, but η αδερφή μου is the standard pattern.

Μου is the genitive form of εγώ in this possessive use.

Greek often expresses possession with the genitive, so:

• η αδερφή μου literally works like the sister of me
• natural English meaning: my sister

This is extremely common in Modern Greek with personal possessives:

• μου = my
• σου = your
• του / της = his / her
• μας = our
• σας = your
• τους = their

It looks like a passive/middle form, but here it is not passive in meaning.
Φτερνίζεται means he/she sneezes.

This is one of those Greek verbs that appear in the mediopassive form but have an active meaning. English learners often find this strange because the form looks passive, but the meaning is just a normal action.

So in this sentence:

• φτερνίζεται = she sneezes / is sneezing

The subject is still η αδερφή μου, and she is doing the action herself.

Yes, συχνά can move around more freely than English often.

Here:

• Η αδερφή μου φτερνίζεται συχνά = My sister often sneezes

But Greek can also say:

• Η αδερφή μου συχνά φτερνίζεται

Both are possible. The version in your sentence sounds natural and neutral. Greek word order is often flexible, especially with adverbs, as long as the meaning stays clear.

They do two different jobs.

1. The first και connects two parts of the sentence:

   • φτερνίζεται συχνά και έχει...
   • sneezes often and has...

2. The second και adds the sense of also / too / even:

   • έχει και λίγο βήχα
   • also has a bit of a cough

So this second και is not wrong or repetitive. It adds emphasis or an extra symptom:

• she sneezes often and also has a bit of a cough at night.

Because βήχα is the accusative form, and it is the direct object of έχει.

The dictionary form is:

• ο βήχας = cough

But after έχω (to have), you need the object in the accusative:

• έχει βήχα = she has a cough
• έχει λίγο βήχα = she has a little cough / a bit of a cough

Also, λίγο here means a little / a bit of and stays in the neuter singular form because it is being used as a quantity expression.

Greek often leaves out the article with symptoms, conditions, and general nouns after έχω.

So:

• έχει βήχα = she has a cough
• έχει λίγο βήχα = she has a bit of a cough

This is very natural Greek. Adding an article is possible in some contexts, but it would change the nuance:

• έχει έναν βήχα can sound more like she has this cough / a noticeable cough
• έχει τον βήχα would usually refer to a specific known cough, which would be unusual without context

So in this sentence, no article is the most normal choice.

Το βράδυ is an adverbial time expression meaning in the evening / at night / in the nighttime depending on context.

Formally, βράδυ here is in the accusative, and Greek often uses the accusative for time expressions.

The article το is very common in these fixed time phrases:

• το πρωί = in the morning
• το μεσημέρι = at noon / in the afternoon depending on context
• το απόγευμα = in the afternoon
• το βράδυ = in the evening / at night

So this is a normal expression, not something unusual.

It depends on context.

In a sentence like this, το βράδυ usually means something like:

• at night
• in the evenings
• during the night/evening

Because the sentence is describing a symptom pattern, many learners may interpret it as a habitual idea, something like at night or in the evenings. Greek often lets context tell you whether it is a one-time event or a repeated pattern.

Both exist.

• αδελφή is the more conservative/traditional form
• αδερφή is very common in everyday Modern Greek

The same happens with:

• αδελφός / αδερφός = brother

So if you see αδερφή, don’t worry—it is very natural and common in spoken and informal written Greek.

Yes. Greek often drops subject pronouns and even noun subjects when the subject is already clear from context.

So this would also be possible:

• Φτερνίζεται συχνά και έχει και λίγο βήχα το βράδυ.

Because the verb endings and context can identify the subject.

However, in your sentence, Η αδερφή μου is included because the speaker wants to state clearly who is being talked about.

Yes, the verbs are in the present tense:

• φτερνίζεται
• έχει

In Greek, the present tense can describe:

1. something happening now
2. a habitual/repeated action
3. a general situation

In this sentence, it most naturally sounds habitual or ongoing, because of words like συχνά and το βράδυ:

• she sneezes often
• she has a bit of a cough at night

So the sentence sounds like a description of symptoms, not just one single moment.

A rough pronunciation is:

• φτερνίζεται ≈ fter-nee-ZE-te

A few things to notice:

• φτ at the beginning is a real consonant cluster: ft
• the stress is on -ζί-: φτερνί-
• ζ sounds like z

So the rhythm is roughly:

• fter-ni-ZE-te

That initial φτ- cluster can feel unusual for English speakers, but it is normal in Greek.