Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι η υγεία έχει μεγαλύτερη αξία από τα χρήματα.

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.

In this sentence:

• Η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
• η υγεία = health
• τα χρήματα = money

English often drops the in general statements, but Greek usually keeps the article with nouns, even when speaking generally or abstractly.

So Greek says:

• η υγεία = literally the health, but naturally just health
• τα χρήματα = literally the money, but here it means money in general

This is very normal Greek usage, not extra emphasis.

μου means my, but grammatically it is really a weak genitive pronoun, not a separate possessive adjective like English my.

So Greek often expresses possession like this:

• η γιαγιά μου = literally the grandmother of me
• natural English: my grandmother

This word order is standard in Greek:

• ο φίλος μου = my friend
• η μητέρα μου = my mother
• το σπίτι μου = my house

So μου after the noun is exactly what you should expect.

μου is the genitive form of the pronoun I / me.

Greek often uses the genitive to show possession, where English uses my.

So:

• μου can mean my, of me, or sometimes to me, depending on context
• here, in η γιαγιά μου, it shows possession: my grandmother

This is very common in Greek. The same form appears in other expressions too:

• το βιβλίο μου = my book
• μου λέει = he/she tells me or says to me in some contexts

So learners need to get used to μου doing several jobs.

λέει is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of λέω, meaning say or tell.

So:

• λέω = I say
• λες = you say
• λέει = he/she/it says

In this sentence, the subject is Η γιαγιά μου, so we use λέει:

• Η γιαγιά μου λέει... = My grandmother says...

Depending on context, λέει can mean:

• says
• is saying
• sometimes tells

Here, says is the most natural match.

ότι introduces a subordinate clause, like English that.

So:

• Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι... = My grandmother says that...

Everything after ότι is the content of what she says:

• η υγεία έχει μεγαλύτερη αξία από τα χρήματα

In many cases, Greek can also use πως in a similar way:

• Η γιαγιά μου λέει πως...
• Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι...

Both are common, though ότι is often the more neutral textbook choice.

Because that is a very natural Greek way to express the idea.

Greek often uses:

• έχει αξία = has value
• έχει μεγαλύτερη αξία = has greater value

So the sentence is structured around the noun αξία (value), not around an adjective like valuable.

Greek could also express a similar idea in another way, for example:

• Η υγεία είναι πιο πολύτιμη από τα χρήματα. = Health is more valuable than money.

But the version with έχει μεγαλύτερη αξία is perfectly natural and slightly more formal or proverbial in tone.

μεγαλύτερη is the comparative form meaning greater / bigger / larger.

It agrees with αξία, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

That is why we get:

• μεγαλύτερη αξία = greater value

Compare:

• μεγάλη αξία = great/big value
• μεγαλύτερη αξία = greater value

The adjective has to match the noun it describes. Since αξία is feminine singular, μεγαλύτερη is also feminine singular.

Because here αξία is being used in a more indefinite, qualitative sense: greater value, not the greater value.

So Greek says:

• έχει μεγαλύτερη αξία = has greater value

If you added the article, it would change the feel and usually sound less natural in this sentence.

This is similar to English:

• has value
• has great value
• has greater value

You would not normally say has the greater value here unless the context specifically required it.

In Greek, από is the normal word used after a comparative to mean than.

So:

• μεγαλύτερη αξία από τα χρήματα = greater value than money

This is very common:

• πιο καλός από μένα = better than me
• μεγαλύτερο από αυτό = bigger than that

So although από often means from, after comparatives it usually means than.

Because Greek usually keeps the article with generic nouns too.

So:

• τα χρήματα here means money in a general sense, not necessarily some specific coins or bills already mentioned

This is one of the places where English and Greek differ a lot. English often says:

• money
• health
• life

Greek often says:

• τα χρήματα
• η υγεία
• η ζωή

So the article does not automatically mean the noun is specific in the same way it often does in English.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The basic order here is very natural:

• Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι...

But other orders are possible depending on emphasis or style, for example:

• Μου λέει η γιαγιά μου ότι...
• Η γιαγιά μου ότι η υγεία έχει μεγαλύτερη αξία από τα χρήματα λέει...
  This one is much less neutral and would sound marked or literary.

For learners, the original version is the safest and most natural one.

Greek allows movement more easily because the endings and articles help show the grammatical relationships.

In this sentence, the best interpretation is says.

• Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι... = My grandmother says that...

Greek λέω can sometimes overlap with English tell, especially in conversational contexts, but the structure matters.

Here we have:

• subject: Η γιαγιά μου
• verb: λέει
• clause introduced by ότι

That pattern strongly points to says that...

If Greek wanted to make tells me explicit, it could say:

• Η γιαγιά μου μου λέει ότι... = My grandmother tells me / says to me that...

The extra μου would show the indirect object to me.

Because the subject of έχει is not τα χρήματα. The subject is η υγεία.

The structure is:

• η υγεία = subject
• έχει = verb
• μεγαλύτερη αξία = object/complement idea
• από τα χρήματα = comparison phrase

So the sentence means:

• Health has greater value than money

Since η υγεία is singular, the verb must also be singular:

• η υγεία έχει

The plural noun τα χρήματα is only part of the comparison.

It is most naturally understood as a general truth or habitual statement.

The present tense in Greek, just like in English, can express:

• what is happening now
• what someone usually says
• a general opinion or truth

So:

• Η γιαγιά μου λέει ότι... often means My grandmother says / keeps saying that...
• it can sound like something she believes in general, almost like advice or a proverb

That fits the content of the sentence very well, since health is more valuable than money is a general principle.