Ο δικαστής ακούει προσεκτικά.

Ο is the masculine singular definite article, meaning the.

Here it goes with δικαστής, so Ο δικαστής means the judge.

A few useful points:

• ο = masculine singular the
• The article changes depending on gender, number, and case
• In this sentence, ο δικαστής is the subject, so it is in the nominative case

So Ο is not optional in the same way English sometimes treats titles or roles; in Greek, the article is very commonly used with nouns like this.

δικαστής is a masculine noun of a common pattern ending in -τής.

This ending often appears in nouns for:

• professions
• roles
• people who do something

Examples of similar nouns:

• μαθητής = student
• ποιητής = poet
• αθλητής = athlete

So δικαστής fits a very common masculine noun pattern.

Also, the accent matters: δικαστής, not δικαστης.

ακούει is the 3rd person singular form of the verb ακούω (to hear / to listen depending on context).

That means it corresponds to:

• he hears / listens
• she hears / listens
• it hears / listens

In this sentence, the subject is Ο δικαστής, so ακούει means the judge listens / is listening.

A very small conjugation snapshot:

• ακούω = I listen
• ακούς = you listen
• ακούει = he/she/it listens

Because the subject is the judge, which is third person singular.

Greek verbs change form depending on the subject, just like English changes I listen vs he listens.

So:

• Εγώ ακούω = I listen
• Εσύ ακούς = you listen
• Ο δικαστής ακούει = the judge listens

The ending -ει here marks the 3rd person singular form.

προσεκτικά is an adverb. It tells you how the judge is listening.

So it works like English carefully.

A useful connection:

• προσεκτικός = careful, attentive (masculine adjective)
• προσεκτική = careful, attentive (feminine adjective)
• προσεκτικά = carefully (adverb)

This is a very common Greek pattern: an adjective can have a related adverb form.

Because προσεκτικά is an adverb, not an adjective.

Adjectives agree with nouns in:

• gender
• number
• case

But adverbs do not agree with nouns. They stay the same and modify the verb instead.

So:

• προσεκτικός δικαστής = a careful judge
  
  • here προσεκτικός is an adjective describing the judge
• ακούει προσεκτικά = listens carefully
  
  • here προσεκτικά is an adverb describing the action

Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

Ο δικαστής ακούει προσεκτικά is a very natural, neutral sentence.

But Greek can also move words around for emphasis, for example:

• Ο δικαστής προσεκτικά ακούει
• Προσεκτικά ακούει ο δικαστής

These are not all equally neutral in every context, but they are possible.

In general:

• the version you have is the safest, most standard learning pattern
• moving words often changes emphasis, not the basic meaning

Often, yes. Greek is a language where the verb ending often shows the subject clearly enough.

So Ακούει προσεκτικά can already mean:

• He/She is listening carefully
• He/She listens carefully

However, adding Ο δικαστής makes the subject explicit:

• because you want to say exactly who it is
• or because you want to emphasize the judge

So Greek often allows subject omission, but here the noun is included for clarity or focus.

It can cover both ideas depending on context.

The verb ακούω can mean:

• hear
• listen

In this sentence, because of προσεκτικά (carefully), English usually prefers listens carefully rather than hears carefully.

So the context guides the most natural translation.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

o thee-ka-STIS a-KOO-ee pro-sek-TI-ka

A few notes:

• Ο sounds like o
• δ is like th in this
• ου sounds like oo in food
• the accented syllable is stressed:
  • δικαστής
  • ακούει
  • προσεκτικά

Greek spelling uses accent marks to show which syllable gets the stress, and that is very important for pronunciation.

Greek uses written accent marks to show word stress.

So the accent tells you which syllable to emphasize when speaking:

• δικαστής
• ακούει
• προσεκτικά

This is not optional spelling. The accent is a normal part of writing modern Greek correctly.

For learners, this is especially helpful because it tells you where the stress goes instead of leaving it unpredictable.