Η μαμά φίλησε το παιδί στο μάγουλο πριν φύγει.

In Greek, it is very common to use the definite article with family words and even with people's names in everyday speech. So η μαμά is completely natural.

It does not sound strange to a Greek speaker in the way the mom might in English. Depending on context, η μαμά can mean something like mom, mum, or the mother.

Yes. μαμά is the everyday, affectionate word for mom / mum. It is very common in speech.

A more formal or neutral word is μητέρα. So:

• η μαμά = mom / mum
• η μητέρα = mother

Το παιδί is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb φίλησε.

The sentence tells us who performed the action and who received it:

• Η μαμά = the subject, the one doing the kissing
• το παιδί = the direct object, the one being kissed

With neuter nouns like παιδί, the nominative and accusative forms are the same, so το παιδί looks the same in both cases. You understand its role from the sentence structure and the verb.

Φίλησε is the aorist form of the verb φιλάω / φιλώ.

Here it describes a single completed action: the mother kissed the child once, as a whole event.

Compare:

• φίλησε = kissed, one completed act
• φιλούσε = was kissing / used to kiss, ongoing or repeated in the past

So φίλησε is the natural form if you want to describe one completed kiss.

Στο is a contraction of σε + το.

So:

• σε = in, on, at, to
• το = the
• στο = on the / in the / to the, depending on context

Here στο μάγουλο means on the cheek.

This contraction is extremely common in Greek:

• σε + τον = στον
• σε + την = στην
• σε + το = στο

Greek often uses the singular for body parts in places where English also often uses the singular, especially when referring to the specific place where an action happens.

So στο μάγουλο simply means on the cheek.

It refers to the location of the kiss, not to the whole face.

Greek very often leaves out possessives when they are obvious from the context, especially with body parts.

So φίλησε το παιδί στο μάγουλο naturally means that the kiss was on the child's cheek. Greek does not need to say στο μάγουλό του unless the speaker wants to make it explicit or contrast it with someone else's cheek.

This is more natural in Greek than repeating the possessive every time.

After πριν meaning before, Greek normally uses the subjunctive form, not the indicative.

So:

• πριν φύγει = before he/she leaves / before leaving

Here φύγει is the aorist subjunctive of φεύγω. The aorist is used because the leaving is seen as a single complete event.

Using φεύγει here would be incorrect in standard Greek.

Because πριν is one of those words that typically introduces the subjunctive without να.

So Greek says:

• πριν φύγει

not normally:

• πριν να φύγει

Learners often expect να because many subjunctive structures use it, but after πριν, standard Greek usually leaves it out.

Grammatically, it is not stated explicitly here, so it can be ambiguous without context.

πριν φύγει means before he/she leaves or more loosely before leaving. Since Greek verbs in this form do not show gender, φύγει could refer to:

• the mother
• the child

Very often, context tells you which one is meant. If the speaker wants to make it fully clear, Greek can add the subject:

• πριν φύγει η μαμά
• πριν φύγει το παιδί

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order because case marking and verb forms help show the relationships.

The version you have is neutral and natural:

• Η μαμά φίλησε το παιδί στο μάγουλο πριν φύγει.

But Greek can move parts around for emphasis. For example, το παιδί or στο μάγουλο could be placed in a different position if the speaker wants to highlight them.

Even so, not every order sounds equally natural in every context. The original sentence is a very standard way to say it.

It is a prepositional phrase that tells you where the kiss landed.

So the structure is roughly:

• Η μαμά = subject
• φίλησε = verb
• το παιδί = direct object
• στο μάγουλο = location of the kiss
• πριν φύγει = time clause

It does not mean the child was physically located on the cheek; it means the kissing happened on that part of the body.