Breakdown of Η προϊσταμένη μου είπε ότι η μετακίνηση μέχρι το αεροδρόμιο πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία, αρκεί να κρατήσω την απόδειξη.
Questions & Answers about Η προϊσταμένη μου είπε ότι η μετακίνηση μέχρι το αεροδρόμιο πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία, αρκεί να κρατήσω την απόδειξη.
What does η προϊσταμένη μου mean exactly, and why is it feminine?
Η προϊσταμένη μου means my supervisor / my manager / my boss.
It is feminine because προϊσταμένη is the feminine form of the noun. So this sentence tells you that the speaker’s supervisor is a woman.
- ο προϊστάμενος = the male supervisor
- η προϊσταμένη = the female supervisor
The word μου means my.
So:
- η προϊσταμένη μου = my female supervisor
Why is μου placed after προϊσταμένη instead of before it?
In Greek, possessive weak pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας often come after the noun.
So Greek normally says:
- η προϊσταμένη μου = my supervisor
- το αυτοκίνητό μου = my car
- ο φίλος της = her friend
This is the usual Greek pattern, even though in English the possessive comes before the noun.
What does the word είπε mean here?
Είπε means said / told.
It is the aorist form of λέω or λέγω in the third person singular:
- λέω = I say
- είπε = he/she said
So Η προϊσταμένη μου είπε... means My supervisor told me... or My supervisor said...
Greek often uses λέω for both say and tell, depending on context.
Why is ότι used here?
Ότι introduces a clause meaning that.
So:
- μου είπε ότι... = she told me that...
It works like English that in reported speech.
Example:
- Είπε ότι έρχεται. = He said that he is coming.
In everyday speech, Greeks may also use πως in similar situations:
- Μου είπε πως...
- Μου είπε ότι...
Both are common.
What does η μετακίνηση mean in this sentence?
Η μετακίνηση here means transportation, travel, or the trip/getting there.
In this sentence, it refers to the movement or transport to the airport. Depending on context, English might translate it as:
- the transportation to the airport
- the trip to the airport
- travel to the airport
It is a noun from the verb μετακινούμαι / μετακινώ, related to moving or transporting.
Why does the sentence use μέχρι το αεροδρόμιο? Does μέχρι mean until or to?
Μέχρι can mean different things depending on context:
- with time: until
- with place: up to / as far as / to
Here it is about destination, so:
- μέχρι το αεροδρόμιο = to the airport / up to the airport
So the idea is transportation as far as the airport.
Also notice that μέχρι is followed here by an article in the accusative:
- μέχρι το αεροδρόμιο
This is very normal Greek.
What is happening in πληρώνεται? Why not a form meaning pays?
Πληρώνεται is a mediopassive/passive form and here means is paid or more naturally is paid for.
So:
- η μετακίνηση πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία = the transportation is paid for by the company
This is not saying that the transportation itself does the paying. It means the cost is covered.
Compare:
- Η εταιρεία πληρώνει τη μετακίνηση. = The company pays for the transportation.
active - Η μετακίνηση πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία. = The transportation is paid for by the company.
passive
Why is it από την εταιρεία?
In a passive sentence, από introduces the agent, meaning by.
So:
- πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία = is paid by the company
Breakdown:
- από = by / from
- την εταιρεία = the company, in the accusative case because από takes the accusative
This is the standard way to express the doer in a passive construction.
What does αρκεί να mean?
Αρκεί να means as long as, provided that, or on condition that.
So:
- αρκεί να κρατήσω την απόδειξη = as long as I keep the receipt
This expression is very common in Greek.
Examples:
- Μπορείς να έρθεις, αρκεί να τηλεφωνήσεις πρώτα. = You can come, as long as you call first.
- Θα σε βοηθήσω, αρκεί να μου πεις την αλήθεια. = I’ll help you, provided that you tell me the truth.
Why is it να κρατήσω and not να κρατάω?
After να, Greek uses the subjunctive, and here κρατήσω is the aorist subjunctive form.
- να κρατήσω suggests a single complete action: to keep / to save / to make sure I retain
- να κρατάω would suggest a more ongoing or repeated sense
In this sentence, the meaning is basically:
- provided that I keep/save the receipt
The aorist subjunctive is very natural here because it focuses on the action as a whole, not on its duration.
Why does the sentence say κρατήσω even though the main verb is in the past, είπε?
Because κρατήσω is not directly matching the tense of είπε. It belongs to the separate structure αρκεί να + subjunctive.
Greek does not do tense matching in the same way English sometimes does. The logic is:
- She said that transportation is covered
- provided that I keep the receipt
The keeping of the receipt is still a condition relevant after the moment of speaking, so Greek naturally uses να κρατήσω.
What does απόδειξη mean here? Could it mean proof?
Yes, απόδειξη can mean proof in some contexts, but here it clearly means receipt.
Greek uses the same word for both ideas:
- απόδειξη = proof
- απόδειξη = receipt
In business, shopping, travel, and reimbursement contexts, it very often means receipt.
So:
- κρατήσω την απόδειξη = keep the receipt
Why is it την απόδειξη in the accusative?
Because κρατήσω takes a direct object, and direct objects in Greek normally appear in the accusative.
The base form is:
- η απόδειξη = the receipt
nominative
But as the object:
- κρατήσω την απόδειξη = keep the receipt
accusative
This is a standard case change:
- η → την
- απόδειξη stays the same in form here, but the article shows the case clearly
What is the role of the word να in να κρατήσω?
Να is the particle that introduces the subjunctive in Modern Greek.
It is extremely common and often corresponds to English ideas like:
- to
- that
- should
- sometimes no single word at all
Here:
- αρκεί να κρατήσω... = provided that I keep...
So να is not exactly translated word-for-word. Its main job is grammatical: it signals the subjunctive construction.
Why is there a comma before αρκεί να κρατήσω την απόδειξη?
Because that last part is a separate condition:
- the transportation is paid by the company
- provided that I keep the receipt
The comma helps separate the main statement from the condition.
In Greek punctuation, this is very natural and works much like English:
- main idea, then condition/explanation
What does the diaeresis in προϊσταμένη mean?
The two dots over ϊ show that the ι is pronounced separately and does not combine with the previous vowel into one sound.
So in προϊσταμένη, the sequence οϊ is pronounced in separate parts, not as a single vowel combination.
This mark is called διαλυτικά in Greek. You also see it in words like:
- Μαΐου
- κοροϊδεύω
- αϊτός in older or less common spelling contexts
It is a pronunciation guide built into the spelling.
Is this sentence formal or natural everyday Greek?
It is very natural and standard Greek. It sounds like something someone might say in a workplace or travel-expense context.
A few parts are slightly more formal or professional in tone:
- προϊσταμένη = supervisor/manager
- η μετακίνηση = transportation/travel
- πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία = is covered by the company
But the sentence as a whole is completely normal and idiomatic. In more casual speech, someone might also say something like:
- Η προϊσταμένη μου είπε ότι η εταιρεία πληρώνει το ταξί για το αεροδρόμιο, αρκεί να κρατήσω την απόδειξη.
That would sound a bit more conversational, but the original sentence is perfectly natural.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning GreekMaster Greek — from Η προϊσταμένη μου είπε ότι η μετακίνηση μέχρι το αεροδρόμιο πληρώνεται από την εταιρεία, αρκεί να κρατήσω την απόδειξη to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions