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Οι φοιτητές, τα ονόματα των οποίων είναι στη λίστα, πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα από τη γραμματεία.

Οι φοιτητές, τα ονόματα των οποίων είναι στη λίστα, πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα από τη γραμματεία.
The students, whose names are on the list, have to stop by the office first.
FromLesson 85inHardcore Greek

Questions & Answers about Οι φοιτητές, τα ονόματα των οποίων είναι στη λίστα, πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα από τη γραμματεία.

How do I break this sentence into parts?

A useful breakdown is:

  • Οι φοιτητές = the main subject, the students
  • τα ονόματα των οποίων είναι στη λίστα = a relative clause describing those students
  • πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα από τη γραμματεία = the main verb phrase, must first stop by / go through the office

So the core sentence is:

Οι φοιτητές πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα από τη γραμματεία.

And the middle part gives extra information about which students.

How does τα ονόματα των οποίων mean whose names?

Literally, τα ονόματα των οποίων means the names of whom.

That is how Greek often expresses English whose in more formal language:

  • των οποίων = of whom / whose
  • τα ονόματα = the names

So:

  • τα ονόματα των οποίων είναι στη λίστα = whose names are on the list

It sounds more formal than everyday spoken Greek, but it is completely normal in written Greek.

Why is it των οποίων?

Των οποίων is the genitive plural form of ο οποίος / η οποία / το οποίο.

Here it is in the genitive because it shows possession:

  • the students
  • their names
  • therefore Greek uses of whom = των οποίων

So the idea is:

  • οι φοιτητές = the students
  • τα ονόματα των οποίων = the names of whom = whose names

The genitive is doing the job that English whose does.

Does οποίων agree with φοιτητές or with ονόματα?

It refers back to φοιτητές, not to ονόματα.

So the meaning is:

  • the students
  • whose names...

However, in the plural genitive, των οποίων has the same form for masculine, feminine, and neuter. So even though it refers to φοιτητές (masculine plural), the form would still be των οποίων.

Meanwhile, τα ονόματα is separate: it is the noun inside the relative clause.

Why is it τα ονόματα and not something like των ονομάτων?

Because τα ονόματα is the subject of είναι.

In other words:

  • τα ονόματα = the names
  • είναι στη λίστα = are on the list

So Greek is saying:

  • the names of whom are on the list

The possession is already expressed by των οποίων, so ονόματα itself does not need to be genitive.

Why use των οποίων instead of που?

Because που by itself does not directly mean whose.

Greek often uses που for who / that / which, but possession usually needs a different structure. So for whose names, Greek commonly uses:

  • των οποίων in more formal or careful language

A less formal rewording is possible, but it would need a different structure, for example with a possessive pronoun such as τους.

So των οποίων is a standard, elegant way to say whose here.

What is happening grammatically in πρέπει να περάσουν?

This is a very common Greek structure:

  • πρέπει = it is necessary / must
  • να + verb = subjunctive construction

So:

  • πρέπει να περάσουν = they must pass / they must stop by

The verb περάσουν is the 3rd person plural subjunctive form, matching οι φοιτητές.

Even though English says simply must, Greek uses πρέπει plus να.

Why is the verb περάσουν and not a form meaning are passing?

Because Greek is using the aorist subjunctive here, which is very common after πρέπει να when talking about a single complete action.

So:

  • να περάσουν suggests do this once / complete this step
  • it fits the idea of first stop by the office

If Greek used a present subjunctive instead, it could suggest a repeated or ongoing action, which would not fit as well here.

What does περάσουν από τη γραμματεία mean exactly?

Here περνάω/περνώ από means something like:

  • stop by
  • go by
  • pass through

So να περάσουν από τη γραμματεία does not literally mean pass from the office. It is an idiomatic expression.

It means that the students need to go to the office as a step in the process.

If Greek wanted to say simply go to the office, it could use a different verb, such as να πάνε στη γραμματεία. But περάσουν από is very natural when the sense is stop there first.

Why is it από τη γραμματεία and not στη γραμματεία?

Because the preposition depends on the verb expression.

With περνάω, Greek often uses:

  • περνάω από + place

So:

  • περνάω από τη γραμματεία = I stop by the office

If the verb were πηγαίνω, then you would normally get:

  • πηγαίνω στη γραμματεία = I go to the office

So the choice of preposition here is tied to περάσουν, not just to the idea of location.

What is στη?

Στη is the contracted form of:

  • σε + τη

So:

  • στη λίστα = σε τη λίστα
  • στη γραμματεία would be σε τη γραμματεία

In modern Greek, these contractions are standard and extremely common:

  • στο = σε το
  • στη = σε τη
  • στην = σε την
  • στους = σε τους, etc.
Why do we get τη γραμματεία and not την γραμματεία?

This is about the final -ν on the article.

In modern Greek, την often loses the final -ν before many consonants, so:

  • τη γραμματεία is normal

You will still see την before vowels and before certain consonants, and some speakers/writers keep it more often than others. So this is partly a matter of standard phonetic spelling and usage.

Why are there commas around τα ονόματα των οποίων είναι στη λίστα?

The commas show that this part is inserted as a descriptive relative clause.

In careful punctuation, commas can suggest that the clause is being treated as extra information rather than as a tightly defining restriction.

However, Greek punctuation with relative clauses is sometimes a bit looser than English punctuation. So in real usage, writers may include commas where English would not.

A very common version without that parenthetical feel would be:

Οι φοιτητές των οποίων τα ονόματα είναι στη λίστα πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα από τη γραμματεία.

That version may feel more straightforward to many learners.

Can the word order be changed?

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English, as long as the grammar stays clear.

For example, a very natural version is:

Οι φοιτητές των οποίων τα ονόματα είναι στη λίστα πρέπει πρώτα να περάσουν από τη γραμματεία.

You may also see πρώτα moved around:

  • πρέπει πρώτα να περάσουν
  • πρέπει να περάσουν πρώτα

The meaning stays basically the same. The original sentence is grammatical; it just sounds a bit formal because of των οποίων and the punctuation.

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