Η γιαγιά φιλάει την εγγονή της και χαμογελάει.

Because Greek marks grammatical case on the article.

• η γιαγιά = the subject, so it is in the nominative
• την εγγονή = the direct object, so it is in the accusative

This is one of the main ways Greek shows who is doing the action and who receives it.

So in this sentence:

• η γιαγιά = the grandmother is doing the kissing
• την εγγονή = the granddaughter is being kissed

This is especially helpful here because both nouns are feminine singular.

You know from the articles and the case:

• η γιαγιά is nominative, so it is the subject
• την εγγονή is accusative, so it is the object

So the sentence means that the grandmother kisses the granddaughter, not the other way around.

In English, word order does most of the work. In Greek, case endings and articles give you extra information.

της here means her.

In την εγγονή της, it means her granddaughter.

So:

• η εγγονή = the granddaughter
• η εγγονή της = her granddaughter

This της is a weak possessive form, historically related to the genitive.

The most natural reading is that της refers to the grandmother:

• Η γιαγιά φιλάει την εγγονή της = The grandmother kisses her granddaughter

So the idea is that the granddaughter belongs to, or is related to, the grandmother.

In isolation, Greek can sometimes be a little ambiguous with words like της, but in a sentence like this, native speakers will normally understand it as referring back to the subject, η γιαγιά.

Because Greek often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb ending already tells you the subject is he/she/it:

• φιλάει = he/she/it kisses
• χαμογελάει = he/she/it smiles

Since η γιαγιά is already stated, there is no need to add αυτή for she.

Greek is a pro-drop language, unlike English.

Because both are third person singular present tense forms.

They mean:

• φιλάει = he/she/it kisses
• χαμογελάει = he/she/it smiles

Since the subject is η γιαγιά, both verbs agree with that singular subject.

So the pattern is similar to English she kisses / she smiles, except Greek does not need a separate pronoun.

Yes. In Modern Greek, φιλάει and φιλά are both used for he/she kisses.

So these are both possible:

• Η γιαγιά φιλάει την εγγονή της.
• Η γιαγιά φιλά την εγγονή της.

The same kind of variation exists with verbs like χαμογελάει / χαμογελά.

The -άει form is very common in everyday speech and writing, and the shorter -ά form is also standard.

Greek uses the definite article very naturally with nouns like the grandmother and the granddaughter.

So:

• η γιαγιά = the grandmother
• την εγγονή = the granddaughter

In this sentence, the article helps identify the people involved and also helps show their grammatical role through case.

Greek uses articles more regularly than English in many situations, so learners should get used to seeing them often.

The basic order here is:

Subject + Verb + Object + and + Verb

So:

• Η γιαγιά = subject
• φιλάει = verb
• την εγγονή της = object
• και χαμογελάει = and smiles

This is a very natural order in Greek.

But Greek word order is more flexible than English because case marking helps show the roles. A different order may be possible for emphasis, though the sentence as given is the most straightforward one for a learner.

Because the same subject, η γιαγιά, is doing both actions.

So Greek does not need to repeat the subject:

• Η γιαγιά φιλάει την εγγονή της και χαμογελάει.

This works just like English:

• The grandmother kisses her granddaughter and smiles.

If you repeated the subject, it would sound more emphatic or stylistically different:

• Η γιαγιά φιλάει την εγγονή της και η γιαγιά χαμογελάει.

That repetition is usually unnecessary.

No.

• φιλάει is transitive here because it has a direct object: την εγγονή της
• χαμογελάει is intransitive here because there is no direct object

So the structure is:

• kisses someone
• smiles

That is why only the first verb is followed by an object.

The main dictionary forms are:

• η γιαγιά = grandmother
• η εγγονή = granddaughter
• φιλάω / φιλώ = to kiss
• χαμογελάω / χαμογελώ = to smile
• και = and

Learners often meet Greek verbs in two written forms, especially these contracted verbs:

• φιλάω / φιλώ
• χαμογελάω / χαμογελώ

Both are standard dictionary-style forms.

Accent marks show which syllable is stressed.

For example:

• γιαγιά → stress on the last syllable
• εγγονή → stress on the last syllable
• φιλάει → stress on λά
• χαμογελάει → stress on λά

Stress is important in Greek pronunciation and sometimes also helps distinguish forms.

A good habit for learners is to memorize Greek words with their accent marks, not without them.