Breakdown of Ο γιος της φίλης μου είναι πολύ ζωηρός, αλλά η κόρη της είναι πιο φρόνιμη.
είμαι
to be
πολύ
very
η φίλη
the female friend
μου
my
Questions & Answers about Ο γιος της φίλης μου είναι πολύ ζωηρός, αλλά η κόρη της είναι πιο φρόνιμη.
Why is φίλης and not φίλη?
Because Greek uses the genitive to show possession.
- η φίλη μου = my friend
- της φίλης μου = of my friend / my friend’s
So in Ο γιος της φίλης μου, the phrase literally works like the son of my friend.
φίλη is the basic dictionary form, while φίλης is the genitive singular form.
What does μου mean here, and why does it come after the noun?
μου means my.
In Greek, short possessive words like μου (my), σου (your), της (her) usually come after the noun:
- η φίλη μου = my friend
- ο γιος μου = my son
So της φίλης μου is literally of the friend my, but in natural English it means of my friend.
Why is there a της before φίλης, and another της later? Are they the same thing?