Breakdown of Ο πιλότος είπε ότι η απογείωση θα αργήσει λίγο λόγω ομίχλης.
λίγο
a little
θα
will
ότι
that
λέω
to say
Questions & Answers about Ο πιλότος είπε ότι η απογείωση θα αργήσει λίγο λόγω ομίχλης.
What does είπε mean here, and what tense is it?
Είπε means said. It is the 3rd person singular aorist form of λέω (to say / to tell).
So:
- ο πιλότος = the pilot
- είπε = said
Together: Ο πιλότος είπε = The pilot said
The aorist here gives a simple past action: the pilot said it at a particular moment.
Why is ότι used in the sentence?
Ότι means that and introduces a reported statement.
So:
- Ο πιλότος είπε ότι... = The pilot said that...
Just like in English, that can sometimes be omitted in translation, but Greek commonly keeps ότι in this kind of sentence.
You may also see πως used in the same role:
- Ο πιλότος είπε πως...
In this sentence, ότι is completely natural.
How does θα αργήσει work?