Η κουμπάρα λέει ότι χωρίς καλή ανθοδέσμη και ήρεμη νύφη, ούτε ο καλύτερος φωτογράφος δεν μπορεί να κάνει θαύματα.

In this sentence, κουμπάρα most likely refers to a woman with an important ceremonial role in a wedding. Depending on context, it can be translated as something like matron of honor, wedding sponsor, or a close female figure connected with the ceremony.

This is a culturally loaded Greek word, so there is not always one perfect English equivalent.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

Greek uses the definite article more often than English, especially with sentence subjects. So η κουμπάρα λέει... is the natural way to say the κουμπάρα says...

Grammatically:

• η = feminine singular nominative article
• κουμπάρα = feminine singular noun

Ότι introduces a clause and means that:

• λέει ότι... = says that...

It connects the main clause to what is being said.

In many similar sentences, Greek can also use πως instead of ότι:

• λέει ότι...
• λέει πως...

Both are common.

Because the sentence is speaking in a general, indefinite way:

• χωρίς καλή ανθοδέσμη = without a good bouquet
• και ήρεμη νύφη = and a calm bride

Greek often leaves out the article in this kind of indefinite phrase, just as English uses a rather than the.

If the speaker meant specific ones, Greek could use articles:

• χωρίς την καλή ανθοδέσμη
• και την ήρεμη νύφη

But here the meaning is general, not specific.

Χωρίς normally takes the accusative in Modern Greek.

So in this sentence:

• καλή ανθοδέσμη
• ήρεμη νύφη

are accusative phrases.

They look the same as the nominative because many feminine singular nouns and adjectives in -η have identical nominative and accusative forms.

So even though the case is accusative, the forms do not change visibly here.

They agree with the nouns they describe.

• ανθοδέσμη is feminine singular
• νύφη is feminine singular

So the adjectives must also be feminine singular:

• καλή ανθοδέσμη
• ήρεμη νύφη

This is standard adjective agreement in Greek: adjectives match the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here ούτε means not even.

So:

• ούτε ο καλύτερος φωτογράφος = not even the best photographer

Greek ούτε can do both jobs:

1. neither/nor
2. not even

In this sentence, it is the second meaning.

Yes, it is a kind of double negative on the surface, but in Greek this is normal. Greek often uses negative concord, where more than one negative word works together to express a single negation.

So:

• ούτε ο καλύτερος φωτογράφος δεν μπορεί...

means:

• not even the best photographer can...

It does not cancel itself out. Instead, it makes the negation stronger and more emphatic.

Because in Greek, the comparative form with the article often expresses a superlative meaning.

So:

• καλύτερος = better
• ο καλύτερος = the best

This is very common in Greek.

Literally, it looks like the better, but in actual usage it often means the best, especially when no explicit comparison between just two things is being made.

Greek does not use an infinitive the way English does.

So where English says:

• can do

Greek says:

• μπορεί να κάνει

After μπορεί (can / is able to), the next verb normally appears in a να-clause.

So:

• μπορεί να κάνει = can do
• literally something like is able that he/she do

You do not say μπορεί κάνει in standard Greek.

Yes. Κάνει θαύματα is a common expression.

Literally:

• does miracles

Idiomatic English:

• works miracles
• does wonders

It usually means that someone achieves amazing results, often in difficult circumstances. In this sentence, the point is that even an excellent photographer cannot produce amazing results if important conditions are missing.

Greek word order is more flexible than English word order, and here the structure is used for emphasis.

The sentence first gives the condition:

• without a good bouquet and a calm bride

and then gives the main point:

• not even the best photographer can work miracles

This ordering sounds natural and highlights the idea that those missing conditions matter a lot.