Κονταίνω το παντελόνι.

the pants

Breakdown of Κονταίνω το παντελόνι.

• κονταίνω: to shorten

Questions & Answers about Κονταίνω το παντελόνι.

What does κονταίνω mean exactly in this sentence?

Here κονταίνω means I shorten or I am shortening.

With clothes, it usually means making something shorter in length, often by altering it, like taking up the hem of a pair of pants.

The verb comes from κοντός, meaning short.

What tense and person is κονταίνω?

Κονταίνω is:

• 1st person singular
• present tense
• active voice

So it means I shorten or I am shortening, depending on context.

Greek present tense can cover both:

• a general action: I shorten pants
• an action happening now: I’m shortening the pants

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending -ω in κονταίνω already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• Κονταίνω το παντελόνι. = I shorten / I’m shortening the pants.
• Εγώ κονταίνω το παντελόνι. also means the same thing, but εγώ adds emphasis, like I am the one shortening the pants.