Αυτό το σακάκι είναι πολύ στενό, θέλω άλλο νούμερο.

Breakdown of Αυτό το σακάκι είναι πολύ στενό, θέλω άλλο νούμερο.

είμαι
to be
θέλω
to want
αυτός
this
άλλος
another
πολύ
too
το σακάκι
the blazer
το νούμερο
the size
στενός
tight

Questions & Answers about Αυτό το σακάκι είναι πολύ στενό, θέλω άλλο νούμερο.

Why does Greek say Αυτό το σακάκι with both αυτό and το? Doesn’t αυτό already mean this?

Yes, αυτό means this, but in Greek it is normally used together with the definite article.

So:

  • αυτό το σακάκι = this jacket
  • literally, it is something like this the jacket

That sounds odd in English, but it is standard Greek structure. Both words have to match the noun in gender, number, and case.

Because σακάκι is neuter singular, Greek uses:

  • αυτό = neuter singular form of this
  • το = neuter singular definite article
Why is it σακάκι and not σακάκης or something similar? How do I know what gender it is?

Σακάκι is a neuter noun. Many Greek neuter nouns end in , and σακάκι is one of them.

That matters because the words around it must agree with it:

  • αυτό το σακάκι
  • στενό

All of those are in the neuter singular form.

You often learn noun gender together with the article, so it helps to memorize it as:

  • το σακάκι = the jacket

not just σακάκι by itself.

Why is στενό used here? Is it an adjective, and why does it end in ?

Yes, στενό is an adjective meaning tight or narrow depending on context. Here it means tight.

It ends in because it must agree with σακάκι, which is neuter singular.

Compare:

  • στενός = masculine
  • στενή = feminine
  • στενό = neuter

Since σακάκι is neuter, you say:

  • Το σακάκι είναι στενό. = The jacket is tight.
What exactly is πολύ doing in this sentence?

Here πολύ means very and modifies the adjective στενό.

So:

  • πολύ στενό = very tight

This is one of the most common uses of πολύ.

Be careful: πολύ can also relate to much/a lot, depending on context. But in this sentence, with an adjective, it clearly means very.

Why is there no word for it in είναι πολύ στενό?

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, and in this sentence the subject is already clear:

  • Αυτό το σακάκι = the thing being talked about

Then Greek simply says:

  • είναι πολύ στενό = is very tight

English needs it is, but Greek does not need a separate word for it here because the noun has already been stated.

Why is it θέλω and not something like εγώ θέλω?

Because Greek usually does not need to say the subject pronoun unless it is being emphasized.

  • θέλω already means I want
  • the ending tells you it is first person singular

So:

  • θέλω άλλο νούμερο = I want another size

If you say εγώ θέλω, that adds emphasis, something like:

  • I want another size
  • As for me, I want another size

In a normal shopping situation, just θέλω is the natural choice.

Why does άλλο mean another here? Isn’t it just other?

Άλλος / άλλη / άλλο can mean other, another, or different, depending on context.

Here, θέλω άλλο νούμερο means:

  • I want another size
  • or I want a different size

Since νούμερο is neuter singular, the form is άλλο.

Compare:

  • άλλος = masculine
  • άλλη = feminine
  • άλλο = neuter
Why is it νούμερο? Doesn’t that literally mean number?

Yes. Νούμερο literally means number, but in clothing-shop context it commonly means size.

So:

  • άλλο νούμερο = another size

This is very natural Greek in a shop. In English we usually say size, but Greek often uses number for clothing and shoe sizes.

Could you also say θέλω ένα άλλο νούμερο?

Yes, absolutely.

Both are possible:

  • θέλω άλλο νούμερο
  • θέλω ένα άλλο νούμερο

The version without ένα is very natural and a bit more direct, especially in everyday speech.

The version with ένα may sound slightly more explicit:

  • I want another size
  • literally, I want one other size

In a shop, both are fine.

Why is there a comma instead of a word meaning because or so between the two parts?

The sentence has two closely connected parts:

  • Αυτό το σακάκι είναι πολύ στενό
  • θέλω άλλο νούμερο

Greek often links short clauses with just a comma in everyday speech and writing, especially when the relationship is obvious from context.

So the meaning is something like:

  • This jacket is very tight, I want another size.

You could make the connection more explicit in other ways, but this version sounds natural and conversational.

Is στενό only used for clothes, or does it normally mean narrow?

Its basic meaning is narrow or tight, and the exact translation depends on context.

For example:

  • στενός δρόμος = narrow road
  • στενό παντελόνι = tight trousers
  • το σακάκι είναι στενό = the jacket is tight

So the word is flexible. In clothing contexts, tight is usually the best translation.

How would this sentence sound if the noun were feminine or masculine instead of neuter?

The words that agree with the noun would change.

For example, with a feminine noun like μπλούζα:

  • Αυτή η μπλούζα είναι πολύ στενή.
    = This blouse is very tight.

With a masculine noun like πουκάμισο is actually neuter, so let’s use σοφέρ? Better to use a clothing noun like παλτό, but that is also neuter. A clearer masculine example is less common in clothing, so the main point is the pattern:

  • masculine: αυτός ο ..., στενός
  • feminine: αυτή η ..., στενή
  • neuter: αυτό το ..., στενό

Your original sentence is neuter throughout because σακάκι is neuter.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

  • Αυτό το σακάκι είναι πολύ στενό, θέλω άλλο νούμερο.
  • af-TO to sa-KA-ki EE-ne po-LEE ste-NO, THE-lo AL-lo NOU-me-ro

A few useful points:

  • Stress matters in Greek.
  • The stressed syllables here are:
    • αυτό
    • σακάκι
    • είναι
    • πολύ
    • στενό
    • θέλω
    • άλλο
    • νούμερο

Listening and repeating whole chunks like αυτό το σακάκι and άλλο νούμερο is especially helpful.

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