Στο τέλος κόλλησε ένα αυτοκόλλητο στο χαρτόνι και το έβαλε στο ψυγείο.

It means in the end, finally, or at the end of a sequence.

Literally, στο is σε + το, so στο τέλος is literally at/to the end. In context, though, it usually means something like:

• in the end
• finally
• at the end

So it is not just about physical location; it often introduces the last step in a series of actions.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb form already shows the person and number.

Here, both κόλλησε and έβαλε are third person singular, so the subject is understood as:

• he
• she
• sometimes it, depending on context

Unlike English, Greek does not have to say the pronoun every time. Also, the verb form here does not show gender, so from the verb alone we cannot tell whether it is he or she. Context tells you that.

They are in the aorist, which is the normal Greek tense for a completed past action.

So:

• κόλλησε = he/she stuck / glued
• έβαλε = he/she put

In storytelling, the aorist is very common because it moves the action forward step by step:

1. first one thing happened
2. then another thing happened

That is exactly what is happening in this sentence.

This is because Greek past forms do not all behave the same way.

The έ- at the beginning of έβαλε is called an augment, a historical past marker that still appears in many common verbs, especially short simple ones.

So:

• βάζω → έβαλε
• κολλάω / κολλώ → κόλλησε

In modern Greek, many longer verbs do not take this extra ε- in everyday standard language, while shorter verbs often do. So this difference is something learners mostly have to get used to by seeing common patterns.

Αυτοκόλλητο means sticker.

Literally, it comes from the idea of something self-sticking or self-adhesive:

• αυτό- = self
• related to κολλάω = stick, glue

So as a noun, ένα αυτοκόλλητο means a sticker.

It can also function adjectivally in other contexts, with the general meaning self-adhesive.

Because αυτοκόλλητο is a neuter singular noun here.

So:

• ένα = a / one for neuter singular
• αυτοκόλλητο = neuter singular noun

Greek nouns have gender, and the article must match that gender. Since αυτοκόλλητο is neuter, the sentence uses ένα.

Greek σε is much broader than any one English preposition. It can cover meanings that English expresses with:

• in
• on
• at
• to
• sometimes onto or into

And στο is simply σε + το.

So:

• στο χαρτόνι = on/onto the cardboard
• στο ψυγείο = on/onto the fridge or in/into the fridge, depending on context

In this sentence, the natural English meaning is probably on the fridge, even though Greek still uses στο.

So the important thing is: do not expect στο to match one single English preposition every time.

They are in the accusative.

That is because στο is short for σε το, and σε takes the accusative in modern Greek.

So:

• στο χαρτόνι
• στο ψυγείο

Both nouns are neuter singular, and for neuter nouns the nominative and accusative often look the same. That is why you do not see a visible ending change here.

Here το means it.

It is a neuter singular object pronoun, and it refers back to something already mentioned.

Grammatically, it could refer to either:

• το αυτοκόλλητο = the sticker
• το χαρτόνι = the cardboard

because both are neuter singular.

But in normal interpretation, it most likely refers to the cardboard: first the person stuck a sticker on the cardboard, then put it on the fridge.

So this is a good example of how Greek pronouns can sometimes be grammatically ambiguous, and context resolves the meaning.

Because Greek weak object pronouns usually come before a finite verb.

So Greek says:

• το έβαλε = he/she put it

not a word-for-word equivalent of English put it.

This is normal Greek clitic placement. You will see the same pattern in many sentences:

• τον είδα = I saw him
• την πήρε = he took her / he called her
• το έκανε = he/she did it

A useful contrast:

• before a normal finite verb: το έβαλε
• after an imperative: βάλ’ το = put it

They are related, but not the same.

• χαρτί = paper
• χαρτόνι = cardboard, card, or thicker paperboard

So στο χαρτόνι means the sticker was put on something stiffer than ordinary paper.

This is a useful vocabulary distinction because English learners may expect one general word like paper, but Greek separates these more clearly.

You would usually look them up under their present-tense dictionary forms:

• κόλλησε → κολλάω or κολλώ
• έβαλε → βάζω

This is important because Greek dictionaries normally list verbs in the first person singular present form, not in the past tense.

So if you meet a past form in a sentence, try to identify its base verb before searching.