Breakdown of Η ανακοίνωση λέει ότι η επιβίβαση αρχίζει σε δέκα λεπτά.
Questions & Answers about Η ανακοίνωση λέει ότι η επιβίβαση αρχίζει σε δέκα λεπτά.
What does Η ανακοίνωση mean exactly?
It means the announcement.
- η = the for a feminine singular noun
- ανακοίνωση = announcement
Ανακοίνωση is a very common word for a public announcement, such as at an airport, station, or on a loudspeaker.
Why is λέει used here?
λέει is the third-person singular present form of λέω, meaning to say.
So:
- η ανακοίνωση λέει = the announcement says
Greek uses the present tense here just like English does.
What is ότι doing in the sentence?
ότι means that and introduces a new clause:
- Η ανακοίνωση λέει ότι...
- The announcement says that...
In English, that is often optional, but in Greek it is very commonly kept.
A useful warning: ότι is different from ό,τι.
- ότι = that
- ό,τι = whatever / anything that
Why is there another η before επιβίβαση?
Because η επιβίβαση is the subject of the second clause.
The sentence has two parts:
- Η ανακοίνωση λέει = The announcement says
- ότι η επιβίβαση αρχίζει... = that boarding begins...
Since επιβίβαση is a feminine singular noun, it also takes η.
What does επιβίβαση mean?
επιβίβαση means boarding.
It is a fairly formal noun and is very common in travel contexts:
- η επιβίβαση = boarding
- κάρτα επιβίβασης = boarding pass
So in this sentence, it refers to passengers starting to get onto the plane, ferry, etc.
Why is αρχίζει in the present tense if the boarding will happen in the future?
This is very normal in Greek.
Greek often uses the present tense for a scheduled or imminent future event, especially when there is a time expression such as σε δέκα λεπτά.
So:
- η επιβίβαση αρχίζει σε δέκα λεπτά = boarding begins in ten minutes
This sounds natural in Greek.
You could also say θα αρχίσει for a more explicit future meaning, but αρχίζει is completely normal here.
What does σε δέκα λεπτά mean literally?
It means in ten minutes.
Here, σε is used for a point in time from now:
- σε δέκα λεπτά = in ten minutes
- σε μία ώρα = in one hour
- σε λίγο = soon / in a little while
This is different from duration:
- για δέκα λεπτά = for ten minutes
So σε δέκα λεπτά does not mean the action lasts ten minutes; it means it starts ten minutes from now.
Why is there no article before δέκα λεπτά?
Because after a number, Greek normally just uses the noun directly:
- δέκα λεπτά = ten minutes
- δύο ώρες = two hours
- τρία άτομα = three people
You do not need an article there.
What case are the nouns in?
In this sentence:
- η ανακοίνωση is in the nominative, because it is the subject of λέει
- η επιβίβαση is also in the nominative, because it is the subject of αρχίζει
- δέκα λεπτά is in the accusative, because it comes after σε
For a learner, the most important thing is to notice that σε is often followed by the accusative.
Could Greek leave out ότι here?
Sometimes Greek can sound less explicit in speech, but in this kind of sentence ότι is very natural and standard.
You may also hear πως instead of ότι:
- Η ανακοίνωση λέει ότι...
- Η ανακοίνωση λέει πως...
Both can mean The announcement says that...
How is the sentence pronounced?
A rough pronunciation is:
ee anakí-nosee léi óti ee epiveevasee ar-khízee se déka leptá
A few helpful notes:
- η sounds like ee
- ει in λέει also sounds like ee
- χ in αρχίζει is like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
- the stress marks show which syllable is stressed:
- ανακοίνωση
- λέει
- ότι
- επιβίβαση
- αρχίζει
- δέκα
- λεπτά
Is the word order fixed?
The sentence as given has a very neutral, natural word order:
- Η ανακοίνωση λέει ότι η επιβίβαση αρχίζει σε δέκα λεπτά.
Greek word order is somewhat flexible, but this version is straightforward and standard.
The key thing is that Greek often keeps the structure:
- main clause
- ότι
- subordinate clause
- ότι
So this sentence is a very good model to learn from.
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