Το αφεντικό πήρε ένα φυτό.

Because αφεντικό is a neuter noun in Greek.

So:

• το αφεντικό = the boss
• not ο or η, because those are the masculine and feminine singular definite articles

This is a good example of how natural gender and grammatical gender do not always match. Even if the boss is a man or a woman, the noun αφεντικό stays neuter.

Πήρε is the past tense form of παίρνω, which usually means:

• take
• get
• sometimes pick up

So in this sentence, πήρε can be understood as:

• took
• got
• picked up

The exact best English translation depends on context, but the Greek form itself is very natural here.

Πήρε is the 3rd person singular simple past form of παίρνω.

That means it corresponds to:

• he took
• she took
• it took

In this sentence, the subject is το αφεντικό, so:

• Το αφεντικό πήρε... = The boss took/got...

Greek verbs usually show the person and number clearly, so Greek often does not need a separate subject pronoun like he or she.

Because Greek normally does not require subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

In English, you usually need:

• He took a plant

In Greek, the verb ending already tells you it is third person singular, so a pronoun is often unnecessary:

• πήρε = he/she/it took

Since the subject το αφεντικό is already present, adding a pronoun would be unnecessary.

Ένα is the indefinite article meaning a or an, and it agrees with φυτό, which is also neuter singular.

So:

• ένα = a / an for neuter singular nouns
• φυτό = plant

Together:

• ένα φυτό = a plant

Greek articles change depending on gender, number, and case.

Yes. Φυτό is a neuter noun.

That is why it uses:

• το φυτό = the plant
• ένα φυτό = a plant

This is one reason the sentence looks very symmetrical:

• Το αφεντικό = neuter singular
• ένα φυτό = neuter singular

It is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb πήρε.

The sentence structure is:

• Το αφεντικό = subject
• πήρε = verb
• ένα φυτό = direct object

So literally:

• The boss took a plant

A helpful detail: for many neuter singular nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are the same. So φυτό looks the same whether it is the subject or the object.

There are two main clues:

1. Word order
   Greek often uses a subject-verb-object order here:

   • Το αφεντικό πήρε ένα φυτό

2. Meaning and structure
   The verb πήρε needs someone who did the action and something affected by the action.
   Here, το αφεντικό is naturally the doer, and ένα φυτό is the thing taken.

Also, although Greek word order is more flexible than English, this sentence is in a very straightforward, neutral order.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English.

For example, you may also see:

• Πήρε ένα φυτό το αφεντικό.
• Ένα φυτό πήρε το αφεντικό.

These can still mean The boss took a plant, but the emphasis changes.

The original order:

• Το αφεντικό πήρε ένα φυτό.

is the most neutral and easiest for learners to process.

Not always. Αφεντικό can mean:

• boss
• employer
• sometimes owner or the person in charge

The exact meaning depends on context.

So in different situations, το αφεντικό could refer to:

• your boss at work
• the owner of a shop
• the person who runs a business

This is very common in Greek verbs. The present-tense stem and the past-tense stem are sometimes different.

Here:

• παίρνω = I take / I am taking
• πήρε = he/she/it took

So you should learn them as parts of the same verb:

• παίρνω → πήρα, πήρε, etc.

This kind of stem change is normal and worth memorizing.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Το αφεντικό πήρε ένα φυτό
to a-fen-di-KTO PI-re E-na fi-TO

More carefully:

• το = to
• αφεντικό = a-fen-di-KTO
• πήρε = PI-re
• ένα = E-na
• φυτό = fi-TO

The stressed syllables are:

• αφεντικό
• πήρε
• ένα
• φυτό

Greek stress is important, so the accent marks help show where the stress goes.

Greek uses accent marks to show which syllable is stressed.

So:

• πήρε → stress on πή
• ένα → stress on έ
• φυτό → stress on τό
• αφεντικό → stress on κό

These marks are part of normal modern Greek spelling and are very important for correct pronunciation.

No. Παίρνω / πήρε is a very common verb with several uses.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• take
• get
• receive
• pick up
• catch (in some expressions)

In this sentence, with ένα φυτό, the most natural reading is probably:

• took a plant or
• got a plant

Context would tell you whether the boss bought it, picked it up, received it, or took it from somewhere.

It is neutral everyday Greek.

Nothing in the sentence is especially formal, poetic, or slangy. It is the kind of simple sentence you could easily find in:

• a textbook
• a conversation
• a basic story

So it is a very good example for learning ordinary Greek grammar.