Η γιαγιά μου μένει πολύ μακριά από εδώ.

A rough pronunciation is:

ee ya-YA moo ME-nee po-LEE ma-kree-A a-PO e-THO

More accurately in IPA:

/i ʝaˈʝa mu ˈmeni poˈli makriˈa aˈpo eˈðo/

A few helpful notes:

• η sounds like ee
• γιαγιά sounds roughly like ya-ya
• δ in εδώ is like the th in this, not in think
• The accent marks show the stressed syllable:
  • γιαγιά
  • μένει
  • πολύ
  • μακριά
  • από
  • εδώ

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• η γιαγιά = the grandmother / the grandma

In Greek, you normally keep the definite article even when a possessive like μου (my) is present. So Greek says:

• η γιαγιά μου
  literally: the grandmother my
  natural English: my grandmother

This is completely normal Greek structure.

Because Greek possessive words like μου (my), σου (your), του / της (his / her) usually come after the noun.

So:

• η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
• το σπίτι μου = my house
• ο φίλος μου = my friend

For an English speaker, this can feel backward at first, but it is one of the most basic patterns in Greek.

Μου is the weak possessive form meaning my.

In this sentence, it shows possession:

• η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother

The same form μου can also mean to me or for me in other contexts, so learners often notice that it has more than one job. But here it is clearly possessive.

Μένει is the third person singular present tense of the verb μένω.

So:

• μένω = I live / I stay
• μένεις = you live / you stay
• μένει = he/she/it lives / stays

In this sentence:

• η γιαγιά μου μένει = my grandmother lives

Greek verb endings often show the subject clearly, which is why Greek can leave out subject pronouns.

Because Greek usually does not need a subject pronoun when the verb ending already tells you the person.

Here, μένει already means he/she/it lives. Since the subject η γιαγιά μου is stated, adding she would be unnecessary.

English:

• My grandmother lives far away.

Greek:

• Η γιαγιά μου μένει πολύ μακριά.

If you added αυτή (she), it would usually sound emphatic, like she herself or she, in particular.

It can mean both, depending on context.

The verb μένω can mean:

• live / reside
• stay
• sometimes remain

In this sentence, the natural meaning is lives, because we are talking about where your grandmother is based:

• Η γιαγιά μου μένει πολύ μακριά από εδώ.
  = My grandmother lives very far from here.

If the context were about a temporary visit, μένει could mean is staying.

Πολύ μακριά means very far.

Breakdown:

• πολύ = very
• μακριά = far / far away

Here, μακριά works adverbially, describing how far away she lives.

So:

• μένει πολύ μακριά = lives very far away

This is similar to English:

• She lives far away
• She lives very far away

Because μακριά από means far from.

So:

• μακριά από εδώ = far from here

Breakdown:

• από = from
• εδώ = here

This is a very common Greek pattern:

• κοντά σε / κοντά στο = near
• μακριά από = far from

So the full phrase:

• πολύ μακριά από εδώ = very far from here

Εδώ means here.

It refers to the place where the speaker is, or the place the speaker is talking from.

Examples:

• Είμαι εδώ. = I am here.
• Μένει κοντά εδώ. = He/She lives near here.
• Μένει μακριά από εδώ. = He/She lives far from here.

It is an adverb, so it does not change form.

Not completely. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, natural order here is:

• Η γιαγιά μου μένει πολύ μακριά από εδώ.

But Greek could move things around for emphasis, for example:

• Πολύ μακριά από εδώ μένει η γιαγιά μου.
• Η γιαγιά μου πολύ μακριά από εδώ μένει.
  (less neutral, more marked)

For learners, the original sentence is the best standard pattern:

• subject + verb + adverbial phrase

Because γιαγιά means grandmother / grandma, so it is naturally a feminine noun.

That is why it takes:

• the feminine article η
• feminine agreement when needed

Compare:

• η γιαγιά = grandmother / grandma
• ο παππούς = grandfather / grandpa

So the sentence starts with feminine grammar because the subject is feminine.

Γιαγιά is the normal everyday word for grandmother / grandma.

It is very common and natural in speech. Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• grandmother if you want to sound neutral or slightly more formal
• grandma if you want a warmer, more everyday tone

So η γιαγιά μου could be understood as either:

• my grandmother
• my grandma

The exact English choice depends on tone, not on a grammar difference in Greek.

In standard Greek, with a normal possessive phrase like this, you usually keep the article:

• η γιαγιά μου
• ο αδερφός μου
• το σπίτι μου

So for learners, the safe rule is:

article + noun + possessive

Without the article, it would usually sound incomplete or non-standard in ordinary usage.

Very literally, it is:

The grandmother my lives very far from here.

Natural English would be:

My grandmother lives very far from here.

This kind of literal translation is useful because it shows two important Greek patterns:

• the article is kept: η
• the possessive comes after the noun: γιαγιά μου