Ο μάρτυρας περιμένει έξω.

ο is the definite article in Greek, equivalent to the in English.

In this sentence:

• ο = the
• μάρτυρας = witness

So ο μάρτυρας means the witness.

Because μάρτυρας is singular and here it is used as the subject, Greek uses the masculine singular subject-form article ο.

Grammatically, μάρτυρας is usually treated as a masculine noun in Modern Greek, which is why it takes ο here.

However, in real usage it can refer to a witness of either sex, depending on context. Greek sometimes uses masculine grammatical forms for nouns referring to people regardless of natural gender, though in some contexts speakers may prefer other wording to make gender explicit.

So in this sentence, ο μάρτυρας is grammatically masculine, but the actual person could be male or female unless context tells you more.

The ending -ας is a very common ending for masculine nouns in Greek.

Many masculine nouns look like this in the dictionary form / subject form:

• ο μαθητής = the student
• ο πατέρας = the father
• ο μάρτυρας = the witness

So -ας is not unusual at all. It is simply part of the noun’s declension pattern.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

In Ο μάρτυρας περιμένει έξω, the witness is the one doing the action of waiting, so Greek uses the nominative.

This is why you see:

• ο μάρτυρας = nominative singular

If the noun appeared in another role, its form might change. For example, in the genitive singular you get του μάρτυρα.

περιμένει is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb περιμένω = to wait.

So it means:

• he/she/it waits
• or, depending on context, he/she is waiting

Because the subject is ο μάρτυρας = the witness, the verb must be in 3rd person singular.

Greek often does not need subject pronouns like he, she, or it, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here, περιμένει already means he/she/it waits / is waiting. Since the subject noun ο μάρτυρας is present, adding a pronoun would be unnecessary.

This is very normal in Greek. English usually requires a subject pronoun, but Greek often leaves it out.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The Greek present tense often covers both:

• a simple present idea: waits
• a continuous present idea: is waiting

So Ο μάρτυρας περιμένει έξω could mean:

• The witness waits outside
• The witness is waiting outside

In natural English, is waiting outside is often the more likely translation in an everyday situation, but grammatically Greek itself does not force that distinction here.

έξω means outside.

Here it functions as an adverb, telling you where the waiting happens:

• περιμένει = is waiting
• έξω = outside

So περιμένει έξω = is waiting outside.

Greek often uses έξω by itself, without needing another word.

Because έξω can stand on its own as an adverb meaning outside.

Compare the English sentence He’s waiting outside — English also does not need a preposition there.

If Greek wants to be more specific, it can add more words, for example:

• έξω από το σπίτι = outside the house
• έξω από την αίθουσα = outside the room/hall

But in your sentence, just έξω is enough.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English.

The neutral order here is:

• Ο μάρτυρας περιμένει έξω.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis:

• Έξω περιμένει ο μάρτυρας. = It’s outside that the witness is waiting.
• Περιμένει έξω ο μάρτυρας. = The witness is waiting outside.

The basic meaning stays similar, but the emphasis shifts. The version you were given is the most straightforward and neutral.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

o MAR-ti-ras pe-ri-ME-ni EK-so

A few helpful notes:

• ο sounds like o in for for many learners, though exact pronunciation varies by accent.
• ά shows the stress in μάρτυρας: MAR-ti-ras
• εί in περιμένει is pronounced like ee
• ξ in έξω sounds like ks

The stress marks are important in Greek, because they show which syllable gets the emphasis.

The dictionary form is περιμένω = to wait.

In vocabulary lists, Greek verbs are normally given in the 1st person singular present form, so:

• περιμένω = I wait / I am waiting

From that, you get:

• περιμένεις = you wait
• περιμένει = he/she/it waits

So the sentence uses a regular present-tense form built from the dictionary verb περιμένω.

Not always, but in a normal standalone sentence, ο is very natural.

Greek uses the definite article more often than English with nouns referring to specific people or things. So if we mean a particular witness, ο μάρτυρας is exactly what you would expect.

If you removed the article and just said Μάρτυρας περιμένει έξω, it would sound less like a normal neutral sentence and more like a headline, label, or very special context.

So for ordinary speech, ο μάρτυρας is the standard choice.