Breakdown of Η μαμά μου λέει ότι το παλιό κάδρο δεν ταιριάζει με τη νέα ταπετσαρία του σαλονιού.
δεν
not
μου
my
με
with
η μαμά
the mom
Questions & Answers about Η μαμά μου λέει ότι το παλιό κάδρο δεν ταιριάζει με τη νέα ταπετσαρία του σαλονιού.
Why is μου after μαμά? Does it mean my or to me?
In this sentence, μου means my, so η μαμά μου = my mom.
Greek usually puts these short possessive words after the noun:
- το σπίτι μου = my house
- ο φίλος μου = my friend
A useful warning: μου can also mean to me, so a phrase like Η μαμά μου λέει... can be ambiguous if you see it without context. Here, since the meaning is already given, it is understood as My mom says....
Why is there an article in η μαμά μου? English does not say the my mom.
Greek uses the definite article much more often than English. So η μαμά μου is the normal Greek way to say my mom.
Also, μαμά is an informal word, like mom or mum. A more formal word would be μητέρα.
Why is the verb λέει used here?
Λέει is the 3rd person singular present form of λέω, which means to say.
So:
- λέω = I say
- λες = you say
- λέει = he/she/it says
In Greek, the present tense can often mean either a simple present or a present-in-progress, depending on context. So λέει can mean says or is saying.