Η μαμά μου αναστενάζει κάθε φορά που αργεί το λεωφορείο.

my

Breakdown of Η μαμά μου αναστενάζει κάθε φορά που αργεί το λεωφορείο.

• η μαμά: the mom
• το λεωφορείο: the bus
• αργώ: to be late

Questions & Answers about Η μαμά μου αναστενάζει κάθε φορά που αργεί το λεωφορείο.

Why does μου come after μαμά in Η μαμά μου?

In Greek, short possessive pronouns like μου (my), σου (your), and του/της (his/her) usually come after the noun:

• η μαμά μου = my mom
• ο αδερφός σου = your brother
• το σπίτι της = her house

So Greek says something closer to the mom my rather than my mom.

With family words especially, this pattern is extremely common and natural.

Why is there an article in Η μαμά μου? Why not just μαμά μου?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English. So η μαμά μου literally contains the:

• η = the for a feminine singular noun
• μαμά = mom
• μου = my

Together: η μαμά μου = my mom

In many everyday contexts, Greek prefers the article with possessive expressions.
So where English says my mom, Greek often says the mom my.

What does αναστενάζει mean exactly, and why does it end in -ει?