Η δασκάλα μάς λέει να συλλαβίζουμε τις καινούριες λέξεις όταν δεν τις θυμόμαστε καλά.

well

Breakdown of Η δασκάλα μάς λέει να συλλαβίζουμε τις καινούριες λέξεις όταν δεν τις θυμόμαστε καλά.

• δεν: not
• να: to
• όταν: when

Questions & Answers about Η δασκάλα μάς λέει να συλλαβίζουμε τις καινούριες λέξεις όταν δεν τις θυμόμαστε καλά.

Why is it Η δασκάλα and not just δασκάλα?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, so Η δασκάλα means the teacher.

Greek uses the definite article very often, including in places where English might or might not use the. Here it simply identifies a specific teacher.

• η = the
• δασκάλα = female teacher

If the teacher were male, it would be Ο δάσκαλος.

What exactly does μάς mean here?

μάς means us.

In Η δασκάλα μάς λέει..., it is the indirect object of λέει, so the sense is:

• The teacher tells us...

You will also very often see it written as μας without an accent. The accented form μάς is usually used for clarity or emphasis, especially to distinguish it visually from the possessive μας meaning our, although in many contexts standard spelling simply uses μας.

Why does Greek say λέει να... here?

After verbs like λέω when giving instructions, orders, or advice, Greek often uses:

• λέω + σε κάποιον + να + verb

So Η δασκάλα μάς λέει να συλλαβίζουμε... literally means something like:

• The teacher tells us to syllabify / sound out...

This is a very common Greek pattern. English often uses an infinitive (to do), but Modern Greek does not have an infinitive in this use, so it uses να + verb instead.