Η συνεργάτιδα που κάθεται δίπλα μου είπε ότι ο συνεργάτης της ξέρει καλά το πρόγραμμα.

που is the relative word meaning who, that, or which in a sentence like this.

In Η συνεργάτιδα που κάθεται δίπλα μου..., it introduces extra information about η συνεργάτιδα:

• η συνεργάτιδα = the female colleague
• που κάθεται δίπλα μου = who is sitting next to me

So που connects the noun to the relative clause.

A useful point: in Modern Greek, που is very common and does not change form for gender, number, or case here. English learners often expect something like who/whom/which, but Greek usually just uses που.

Because που κάθεται δίπλα μου is identifying which colleague we mean. This is called a restrictive relative clause.

So:

• Η συνεργάτιδα που κάθεται δίπλα μου... = the colleague who is sitting next to me...

This tells us exactly which colleague. In Greek, restrictive clauses like this normally do not take a comma.

If the clause were just extra parenthetical information, then a comma could appear.

Because the verb is κάθομαι = I sit / I am sitting.

This is one of those Greek verbs that has a middle/passive-style form but an active meaning. So:

• κάθομαι = I sit / I am sitting
• κάθεσαι = you sit
• κάθεται = he/she/it sits

So που κάθεται δίπλα μου literally means who is sitting next to me.

This is very normal in Greek. Not every verb with passive-looking endings is actually passive in meaning.

Because μου here is the weak genitive pronoun meaning my / to me / of me, depending on context.

With δίπλα, Greek uses this pronoun to mean:

• δίπλα μου = next to me
• δίπλα σου = next to you
• δίπλα της = next to her

So although English uses me, Greek uses the weak form μου after δίπλα.

This is very common with expressions of position:

• μπροστά μου = in front of me
• πίσω σου = behind you
• κοντά μας = near us

They are the feminine and masculine forms of the same basic noun:

• ο συνεργάτης = male colleague / male associate
• η συνεργάτιδα = female colleague / female associate

In this sentence:

• η συνεργάτιδα is a woman
• ο συνεργάτης is a man

Greek nouns usually show grammatical gender quite clearly, and profession/person words often have separate masculine and feminine forms.

Greek uses the definite article more often than English does.

Here:

• Η συνεργάτιδα = the female colleague
• ο συνεργάτης της = her male colleague

In English, sometimes you might say a colleague or drop the article in places where Greek would still use one. Greek is generally more comfortable making nouns definite when the person is identifiable from context.

Also, the article must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• η συνεργάτιδα = feminine singular nominative
• ο συνεργάτης = masculine singular nominative

It means both, depending on how you describe it grammatically.

• της is the weak genitive form of she/her
• in ο συνεργάτης της, it means her colleague
• literally, you can think of it as the colleague of hers

So:

• ο συνεργάτης της = her colleague

This is the normal Greek way to express possession with pronouns.

Compare:

• το βιβλίο μου = my book
• η φίλη σου = your friend
• ο αδερφός της = her brother

In normal reading, yes, that is the most natural interpretation.

The sentence structure strongly suggests:

• the female colleague sitting next to me said that her male colleague knows the program well

So της naturally refers back to η συνεργάτιδα.

In theory, pronouns can sometimes be ambiguous in Greek, just as in English, but here the intended referent is very clear from context.

είπε is the aorist form of λέω (to say / tell), and here it means said.

So:

• λέει = says / is saying
• είπε = said

The Greek aorist is often the normal way to express a simple completed past action.

In this sentence, the speaking happened as a completed event:

• είπε ότι... = she said that...

English learners often want to connect the aorist directly to one English tense, but it is better to think of it as the standard Greek form for a completed past event.

ότι introduces a content clause, meaning that.

So:

• είπε ότι... = said that...

This is very similar to English.

In everyday Greek, ότι is sometimes omitted, especially in speech, but using it is completely correct and often clearer.

Also note: this ότι is different from the question word ό,τι with a comma-like accent mark, which means whatever / anything that.

Here it is simply the conjunction that.

Both word orders are possible, but ξέρει καλά το πρόγραμμα is very natural.

• καλά = well
• it modifies ξέρει = knows

So the sentence means knows the program well.

Greek word order is more flexible than English word order. The placement of καλά can shift depending on rhythm, emphasis, or style.

For example:

• ξέρει καλά το πρόγραμμα = neutral, very natural
• ξέρει το πρόγραμμα καλά = also possible, with slightly different emphasis

Here καλά is an adverb, meaning well.

It modifies the verb ξέρει:

• ξέρει καλά = knows well

This is not the adjective καλός / καλή / καλό in its normal descriptive use. Instead, it is the adverbial form used to describe how someone knows something.

Compare:

• Έχει καλό πρόγραμμα = He has a good program/schedule.
  Here καλό is an adjective.
• Ξέρει καλά το πρόγραμμα = He knows the program well.
  Here καλά is an adverb.

Because it is the direct object of ξέρει.

• ξέρει = he knows
• το πρόγραμμα = the program

The noun πρόγραμμα is neuter, and in the singular it looks the same in the nominative and accusative:

• το πρόγραμμα = nominative singular
• το πρόγραμμα = accusative singular

So even though the form looks unchanged, its role here is accusative because it is what he knows.

Not necessarily. πρόγραμμα is a broad word in Greek, just like program in English.

Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• a plan
• a schedule
• a program
• a computer program
• a course outline
• an agenda

In this sentence, the exact meaning depends on context. It could be:

• a work program
• a software program
• a schedule
• some planned procedure

So the grammar is clear even if the real-world meaning depends on the situation.

They are related, but not always identical in tone or usage.

• ξέρω often means know, especially knowing facts, information, or how something works
• γνωρίζω can also mean know, but often has a slightly more formal feel, and it is also commonly used for be acquainted with / meet

In this sentence, ξέρει καλά το πρόγραμμα sounds very natural for he knows the program well.

You could sometimes hear γνωρίζει καλά το πρόγραμμα, but ξέρει is simpler and very common.

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, although not completely free.

The original sentence is a natural neutral version:

• Η συνεργάτιδα που κάθεται δίπλα μου είπε ότι ο συνεργάτης της ξέρει καλά το πρόγραμμα.

But Greek could move parts around for emphasis. For example:

• Η συνεργάτιδα που κάθεται δίπλα μου είπε ότι το πρόγραμμα ο συνεργάτης της το ξέρει καλά.

That version puts more emphasis on το πρόγραμμα.

Still, for learners, the original word order is a very good model because it is straightforward and idiomatic.

You would change the noun and article accordingly:

• Ο συνεργάτης που κάθεται δίπλα μου είπε ότι...

So:

• η συνεργάτιδα = the female colleague
• ο συνεργάτης = the male colleague

The rest of the grammar would stay mostly the same, unless later pronouns also needed to reflect the change.

For example, if you wanted his colleague, you would use:

• ο συνεργάτης του = his colleague

instead of

• ο συνεργάτης της = her colleague

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Η συνεργάτιδα → ee syner-GA-ti-tha
• που κάθεται → poo KA-the-te
• δίπλα μου → THEE-pla moo
• είπε ότι → EE-pe O-ti
• ο συνεργάτης της → o syner-GA-tis tis
• ξέρει καλά → KSÉ-ri ka-LA
• το πρόγραμμα → to PRO-gram-ma

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• η / ι / υ / ει / οι often sound like ee
• θ sounds like th in think
• δ would sound like th in this
• ξ sounds like ks
• stress matters a lot in Greek, so pay attention to the accented syllables:
  • συνεργάτιδα
  • κάθεται
  • δίπλα
  • είπε
  • ξέρει
  • καλά
  • πρόγραμμα

Here is a breakdown:

• Η συνεργάτιδα = subject of the main verb
• που κάθεται δίπλα μου = relative clause describing η συνεργάτιδα
• είπε = main verb, said
• ότι = that, introducing a subordinate clause
• ο συνεργάτης της = subject of the subordinate clause
• ξέρει = verb of the subordinate clause, knows
• καλά = adverb, well
• το πρόγραμμα = direct object, the program

So structurally, it is:

[Main subject] + [relative clause] + [main verb] + [that-clause]

That is a very common Greek sentence pattern.