Ο πραγματογνώμονας έφτασε νωρίς.

Ο is the definite article meaning the. Here it is in the masculine singular nominative form, because πραγματογνώμονας is a masculine singular noun and it is the subject of the sentence.

Greek articles change form depending on:

• gender
• number
• case

So ο πραγματογνώμονας means the expert / the specialist witness / the appraiser, depending on context.

Πραγματογνώμονας is a masculine noun. The ending -ας is a very common masculine noun ending in Greek.

In this sentence, the noun is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject.

A learner may also notice that this word is fairly formal and long. It is a compound word, historically built from elements related to facts/things and knowledge/judgment, which is why it has the sense of expert, specialist examiner, or expert witness depending on context.

Greek often does not use subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb ending usually gives enough information.

So instead of saying:

• He arrived early

Greek can simply say:

• Έφτασε νωρίς

And if you want to specify who arrived, you add the noun:

• Ο πραγματογνώμονας έφτασε νωρίς.

A separate pronoun like αυτός would usually only be added for emphasis or contrast.

Έφτασε is the aorist form of φτάνω / φθάνω (to arrive, to reach).

In this sentence it expresses a completed past event:

• the expert arrived

This is why it matches English arrived rather than was arriving.

A very common contrast is:

• έφτασε = arrived / did arrive
• έφτανε = was arriving / used to arrive

So the sentence describes one completed arrival in the past.

That initial έ- is part of the way many past-tense verb forms are built in Greek. It is called the augment.

In many verbs, especially in the past tenses, Greek adds this extra vowel at the beginning:

• φτάνω → έφτασα / έφτασε

It is a common sign that you are looking at a past form.

Also, the accent mark shows where the stress falls:

• É-fta-se

They are forms of the same verb, but not the same person.

• έφτασα = I arrived
• έφτασες = you arrived
• έφτασε = he/she/it arrived

So in this sentence, έφτασε agrees with a third-person singular subject:

• ο πραγματογνώμονας

Νωρίς is an adverb meaning early.

It modifies the verb:

• έφτασε νωρίς = arrived early

Unlike adjectives, adverbs in Greek do not change to agree with gender, number, or case. So νωρίς stays the same no matter who arrived:

• Έφτασε νωρίς
• Έφτασαν νωρίς
• Η Μαρία έφτασε νωρίς

That word order is very natural in Greek:

• έφτασε νωρίς

Greek word order is more flexible than English, because case endings and verb forms carry a lot of grammatical information. But the most neutral order here is:

• subject + verb + adverb

You may also hear:

• Νωρίς έφτασε ο πραγματογνώμονας.

That puts more focus on νωρίς (early).

So the original sentence is neutral and standard, but other orders are possible for emphasis.

Grammatically, πραγματογνώμονας is typically treated as a masculine noun in form. In real usage, Greek job titles and professional nouns can sometimes be used in masculine form for a person regardless of sex, especially in formal or institutional language.

However, actual usage may vary depending on style, register, and the speaker’s preference. If the sentence uses ο, the grammar is clearly masculine in this instance.

So for this sentence, learners should read it as:

• masculine singular subject
• therefore ο πραγματογνώμονας έφτασε

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Ο = o
• πραγματογνώμονας = prag-ma-to-GNO-mo-nas
• έφτασε = EF-ta-se
• νωρίς = no-REES

A few helpful notes:

• γν in γνώ is pronounced something like gn; for many learners it is easiest to approximate it as gno
• ω and ο are both pronounced o in Modern Greek
• the accent mark shows the stressed syllable:
  • πραγματογνώμονας
  • έφτασε
  • νωρίς

Yes, but the meaning or style changes.

• Ο πραγματογνώμονας έφτασε νωρίς. = The expert arrived early.
• Πραγματογνώμονας έφτασε νωρίς. can sound less definite, more like an expert arrived early, or may feel stylistically incomplete depending on context.

Greek often uses the article more broadly than English, especially with subjects and nouns referring to specific people. So in a simple standalone sentence, keeping ο is the most natural choice.

The grammar is neutral and standard, but the noun πραγματογνώμονας is a fairly formal or technical word. You are likely to meet it in contexts such as:

• law
• insurance
• engineering
• official reports
• court proceedings

So the sentence itself is simple, but the vocabulary belongs more to formal or professional usage than casual everyday conversation.