Δώσε μου ένα κομμάτι ψωμί, παρακαλώ.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• Δώσε = give
• μου = to me
• ένα = a / one
• κομμάτι = piece
• ψωμί = bread
• παρακαλώ = please

So the whole sentence means Give me a piece of bread, please.

Δώσε is the imperative form of δίνω (to give). It is used when telling or asking someone to do something.

More specifically, it is the aorist imperative. In Greek, that does not mean past tense here. It means the action is seen as one complete act: give.

That is why Δώσε is the normal form in a simple request like this.

It is informal singular. It is what you say to one person you know, a friend, a family member, a child, or someone you would address casually.

If you want to be formal, polite to a stranger, or speak to more than one person, use:

Δώστε μου ένα κομμάτι ψωμί, παρακαλώ.

So:

• Δώσε = informal singular
• Δώστε = formal singular or plural

Because μου is a weak pronoun (often called a clitic), and in Greek these usually come after an affirmative imperative.

So you say:

• Δώσε μου = give me
• Πες μου = tell me

But with most other verb forms, the pronoun usually comes before the verb:

• Μου δίνεις... = you give me...
• Να μου δώσεις... = that you give me...

So the word order here is completely normal.

In this sentence, μου means to me.

Greek uses the same form μου in more than one way. For example:

• Δώσε μου ψωμί. = Give me bread. / Give bread to me.
• το ψωμί μου = my bread

So the meaning depends on where it appears and what it is attached to.

In Δώσε μου..., it goes with the verb, so it means to me.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Here, it usually means a:

• ένα κομμάτι ψωμί = a piece of bread

But if you stress it, it can also mean one:

• ένα κομμάτι ψωμί = one piece of bread

So ένα works both as an indefinite article and as the number one.

κομμάτι means piece, so ένα κομμάτι ψωμί literally means a piece bread, but in natural English we say a piece of bread.

Greek often uses this kind of structure with a measure word + noun:

• ένα ποτήρι νερό = a glass of water
• ένα φλιτζάνι καφέ = a cup of coffee
• ένα κομμάτι ψωμί = a piece of bread

So κομμάτι is the main noun, and ψωμί tells you what kind of piece it is.

The whole phrase ένα κομμάτι ψωμί is the direct object of Δώσε, so it functions as an accusative phrase.

With neuter words like ένα and κομμάτι, the nominative and accusative often look the same, so you do not see a big form change here.

Also, μου is the genitive form that Greek uses for an indirect-object meaning like to me.

Here παρακαλώ means please.

It can appear in different places:

• Δώσε μου ένα κομμάτι ψωμί, παρακαλώ.
• Παρακαλώ, δώσε μου ένα κομμάτι ψωμί.

Both are natural. Putting it at the end is very common in requests.

Also, παρακαλώ can have other meanings in other situations, such as you’re welcome or pardon?, but here it clearly means please.

A rough pronunciation is:

THO-se moo EN-a ko-MA-ti pso-MI, para-ka-LO

A few helpful notes:

• Δ sounds like th in this
• ψ sounds like ps
• ω and ο are both pronounced o in Modern Greek
• The written accent marks show which syllable is stressed

So the main stresses are on:

• Δώσε
• ένα
• κομμάτι
• ψωμί
• παρακαλώ

Yes, it is natural Greek.

However, it is a bit direct, because it uses the imperative Δώσε. With παρακαλώ, it sounds polite enough in many everyday situations, especially with someone you know.

If you want to sound softer or more formal, Greek often uses other patterns, such as:

• Θα ήθελα ένα κομμάτι ψωμί, παρακαλώ. = I would like a piece of bread, please.
• Μπορώ να έχω ένα κομμάτι ψωμί; = Can I have a piece of bread?

So the original sentence is natural, but its tone depends on who you are speaking to.