Η μικρή τρέμει όταν ακούει βροντή, κι εγώ τρέμω λίγο όταν πίνω πολύ καφέ και δεν έχω φάει.

Yes, literally η μικρή means the small/little one in the feminine singular.

In Greek, an adjective can be used like a noun when the noun is understood from context. So η μικρή often means:

• the little girl
• the young one
• the little one

It does not necessarily have to mean a very small child, but that is a very common interpretation.

• η = the for feminine singular
• μικρή = small / little (feminine singular)

So this is a very natural Greek way to say the little girl without actually saying κορίτσι.

Because the verb changes depending on the subject.

• τρέμει = he/she/it trembles
• τρέμω = I tremble

So:

• Η μικρή τρέμει = The little girl trembles
• εγώ τρέμω = I tremble

This is a basic present-tense verb conjugation:

• (εγώ) τρέμω = I tremble
• (εσύ) τρέμεις = you tremble
• (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) τρέμει = he/she/it trembles

Greek usually does not need subject pronouns, because the verb ending already shows the person. That is why Η μικρή τρέμει does not need αυτή.

Great question. Greek often omits subject pronouns, but speakers include them for emphasis or contrast.

Here, κι εγώ means something like:

• and I too
• and I
• me too

So κι εγώ τρέμω λίγο... adds a contrast or comparison with the first clause:

• The little girl trembles..., and I tremble a little too...

If the sentence only said κι τρέμω λίγο, it would still be grammatical in some contexts, but κι εγώ makes the comparison much clearer and more natural.

κι is a shorter form of και, which means and.

So:

• και εγώ
• κι εγώ

both mean and I.

The shorter form κι is very common in everyday Greek, especially before a vowel, as in κι εγώ.

It is not a different word in meaning here, just a shorter, smoother version.

Because Greek often uses όταν + present for repeated or habitual situations.

In this sentence, the meaning is not about one single event only. It means something like:

• whenever she hears thunder
• whenever I drink too much coffee and haven’t eaten

So the present tense shows things that happen generally or repeatedly.

Examples:

• Τρέμει όταν ακούει βροντή. = She trembles when she hears thunder.
• Τρέμω όταν πίνω πολύ καφέ. = I tremble when I drink too much coffee.

This is very natural in Greek.

Both can be possible, but they are slightly different in feel.

• ακούει βροντή = hears thunder / hears the sound of thunder
• ακούει τη βροντή = hears the thunder / hears a specific thunderclap or the thunder being referred to

Without the article, the noun can sound more general or more like a phenomenon. English does something similar with hear thunder.

Also, βροντή is one of those feminine nouns where nominative and accusative singular look the same, so even though it is the object of ακούει, its form remains βροντή.

It is the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of ακούει.

The base noun is:

• η βροντή = the thunder

For this noun, the nominative singular and accusative singular are the same in form:

• nominative: η βροντή
• accusative: τη βροντή or without article just βροντή

So even though the form looks unchanged, its role in the sentence is the object: she hears thunder.

Here λίγο means a little.

So:

• τρέμω λίγο = I tremble a little

Its position is very natural. Greek adverbs often come after the verb, although word order can shift for emphasis.

Compare:

• τρέμω λίγο = neutral, natural
• λίγο τρέμω = possible, but more marked depending on context

So in this sentence, λίγο simply modifies τρέμω.

Yes. πολύ καφέ literally means a lot of coffee / much coffee.

• πολύ = much / a lot
• καφέ = coffee

Coffee is treated as an uncountable substance here, just like in English:

• I drink a lot of coffee

So Greek says:

• πίνω πολύ καφέ

This is very natural. You could also say something more specific in another context, like cups of coffee, but here the mass noun is enough.

Because καφέ is the accusative singular form, used as the direct object of πίνω.

The noun is:

• nominative: ο καφές = the coffee
• accusative: τον καφέ = the coffee

Without the article, the object form is still καφέ:

• πίνω καφέ = I drink coffee
• πίνω πολύ καφέ = I drink a lot of coffee

So this is a normal masculine noun changing form in the accusative.

Because δεν έχω φάει means I haven’t eaten, while δεν τρώω usually means I am not eating or I don’t eat.

These are different ideas:

• δεν τρώω = I’m not eating / I don’t eat
• δεν έχω φάει = I haven’t eaten

In this sentence, the speaker means that they tremble when they drink too much coffee and they have not eaten beforehand. So δεν έχω φάει is the right choice.

φάει is the perfective form of the verb τρώω used after έχω.

For a learner, the easiest way to understand έχω φάει is as the Greek equivalent of I have eaten.

So:

• έχω φάει = I have eaten
• δεν έχω φάει = I have not eaten / I haven’t eaten

This is a very common Greek structure:

• έχω δει = I have seen
• έχω πάει = I have gone / been
• έχω κάνει = I have done

So you should learn έχω + this form as a standard pattern.

Because Greek, like English, does not always use the definite article with general or non-specific nouns.

Here the speaker is talking about things in a general sense:

• ακούει βροντή = she hears thunder
• πίνω πολύ καφέ = I drink a lot of coffee

If the article were added, it could sound more specific:

• τη βροντή = the thunder
• τον καφέ = the coffee

Without the article, the nouns are more general and natural in this context.

Most of the verbs are in the present tense and have an imperfective sense, showing repeated or ongoing situations:

• τρέμει
• ακούει
• τρέμω
• πίνω
• έχω

But έχω φάει is a perfect construction, meaning have eaten.

So the sentence combines:

• present habitual actions: τρέμει, ακούει, τρέμω, πίνω
• a perfect idea: δεν έχω φάει

That combination is perfectly normal.

Yes, depending on context, though the little girl is the most likely interpretation.

Because μικρή is feminine, it must refer to a feminine noun that is understood, for example:

• η μικρή αδερφή = the little sister
• η μικρή κόρη = the little daughter
• η μικρή = the little one / little girl

So grammatically it is just the little feminine one, and context tells you exactly who that is.

It is natural Greek.

It has several features that sound very normal in everyday usage:

• η μικρή as a shorthand for the little girl
• κι εγώ for contrast: and I too
• τρέμω λίγο = I tremble a little
• πίνω πολύ καφέ = I drink a lot of coffee
• δεν έχω φάει = I haven’t eaten

So this is a good example of real, idiomatic Greek rather than an unnatural textbook construction.