Στο πορτοφόλι μου είχα μόνο ένα χαρτονόμισμα και λίγα κέρματα.

Στο is the contraction of σε + το.

• σε = in / at / to
• το = the (neuter singular)

So:

• σε το πορτοφόλι → στο πορτοφόλι

This contraction is very common in Greek:

• σε + τον → στον
• σε + την → στη(ν)
• σε + το → στο

In this sentence, στο πορτοφόλι μου means in my wallet.

After σε (and therefore after στο), Greek normally uses the accusative.

So in στο πορτοφόλι μου, πορτοφόλι is accusative singular.

A useful thing to know: with many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative look the same. So although it is accusative here, it has the same form as the dictionary form:

• nominative: το πορτοφόλι
• accusative: το πορτοφόλι

That is why you do not see a change in the noun itself.

In Greek, possessive words like μου (my) are very often placed after the noun:

• το πορτοφόλι μου = my wallet
• literally: the wallet my

This is the normal, everyday pattern in Greek.

You can sometimes put the possessive in a different position for emphasis, but the standard neutral order is:

• article + noun + possessive pronoun

So στο πορτοφόλι μου is the natural way to say in my wallet.

είχα is the imperfect of έχω (to have).

• έχω = I have
• είχα = I had / I used to have / I was having

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a past situation, so είχα is correct.

Here it most naturally means:

• I had only one banknote and a few coins in my wallet.

The imperfect is often used in Greek to describe a situation or state in the past, not just a single completed action.

The Greek imperfect often has a range of meanings depending on context. είχα can mean:

• I had
• I used to have
• I was having (less common in English for this verb)

In this sentence, the context is a simple past state: what was in the wallet at that time. So the most natural English translation is just:

• I had

Greek uses the imperfect here because it presents the contents of the wallet as a past situation or state.

μόνο means only.

In this sentence it limits what the speaker had:

• είχα μόνο ένα χαρτονόμισμα = I had only one banknote

Its position is natural because it comes right before the phrase it is affecting:

• μόνο ένα χαρτονόμισμα
• only one banknote

Greek word order is flexible, but this placement is very common and clear.

Because the sentence talks about:

• one banknote → singular
• a few coins → plural

So:

• ένα χαρτονόμισμα = one banknote
• λίγα κέρματα = a few coins

Both χαρτονόμισμα and κέρμα are neuter nouns.

Their forms here are:

• singular neuter: ένα χαρτονόμισμα
• plural neuter: λίγα κέρματα

The adjective/quantifier must agree with the noun:

• ένα matches singular neuter
• λίγα matches plural neuter

They are in the accusative, because they are the direct objects of είχα (I had).

The speaker had what?

• ένα χαρτονόμισμα
• λίγα κέρματα

So both are direct objects.

Again, because these are neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are identical:

• το χαρτονόμισμα / ένα χαρτονόμισμα
• τα κέρματα / λίγα κέρματα

So the case is accusative, even though the form does not visibly change.

λίγα means few / a few / not many, and it fits the idea of having a small amount of money.

• λίγα κέρματα = a few coins

You could also hear μερικά κέρματα (some coins / a few coins), but the nuance is a little different:

• λίγα emphasizes small quantity
• μερικά is more like some / several

Since the sentence suggests the speaker had very little money, λίγα κέρματα is especially appropriate.

Because λίγα already functions as a determiner-like word here, similar to a few in English.

Greek often does not use the article with words like:

• λίγα = a few
• μερικά = some
• πολλά = many

So:

• λίγα κέρματα = a few coins

not

• τα λίγα κέρματα unless you specifically mean the few coins, with a more definite or special sense

In this sentence, the coins are indefinite, so no article is needed.

This is a very common neuter noun pattern in Greek.

Many neuter nouns ending in -μα form the plural in -ματα:

• το χαρτονόμισμα → τα χαρτονομίσματα
• το κέρμα → τα κέρματα
• το γράμμα → τα γράμματα

So:

• singular: χαρτονόμισμα
• plural: χαρτονομίσματα

and

• singular: κέρμα
• plural: κέρματα

This is an important pattern to recognize because it appears in many common Greek nouns.

Yes, the word order is natural, but it gives a bit of emphasis to where the money was.

Starting with Στο πορτοφόλι μου sets the scene first:

• In my wallet, I had only one banknote and a few coins.

A more neutral order could also be:

• Είχα μόνο ένα χαρτονόμισμα και λίγα κέρματα στο πορτοφόλι μου.

Both are correct, but the original sentence foregrounds in my wallet.

Greek allows more flexibility in word order than English, so speakers often move parts of the sentence to the front for focus or emphasis.

Yes. μέσα στο πορτοφόλι μου means inside my wallet, and it is slightly more explicit.

So you could say:

• Μέσα στο πορτοφόλι μου είχα μόνο ένα χαρτονόμισμα και λίγα κέρματα.

That sounds perfectly natural too.

The version without μέσα is also completely normal, because στο πορτοφόλι μου already clearly means in my wallet from the context.

Yes. και is the standard Greek word for and.

Here it simply joins the two things the speaker had:

• ένα χαρτονόμισμα
• λίγα κέρματα

So:

• ένα χαρτονόμισμα και λίγα κέρματα
• one banknote and a few coins

It is straightforward and works much like English and in this sentence.

Yes, Greek stress is written, and it matters for pronunciation. In this sentence, notice forms like:

• πορτοφόλι
• μόνο
• χαρτονόμισμα
• κέρματα

The written accent shows which syllable is stressed.

For example:

• πορ-το-ΦΟ-λι
• ΜΟ-νο
• χαρ-το-ΝΟ-μι-σμα
• ΚΕΡ-μα-τα

This is helpful because Greek spelling usually tells you where the stress goes, unlike English, where stress is often unpredictable.

Yes, it sounds completely natural.

It is a very ordinary, everyday kind of sentence, with common vocabulary and normal grammar:

• στο πορτοφόλι μου = in my wallet
• είχα = I had
• μόνο = only
• ένα χαρτονόμισμα = one banknote
• λίγα κέρματα = a few coins

A native speaker would understand it immediately, and it does not sound overly formal or unnatural.