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Learn Hardcore Greek: Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση. - The committee made a decision.

Hardcore Greek
/Taking photos around town
/Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση.

Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση.

Word

Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση.

Meaning

The committee made a decision.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Taking photos around town

Breakdown of Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση.

η απόφαση

η επιτροπή

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Questions & Answers about Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση.

What does each word in Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση mean?

Η = the (feminine singular definite article)
επιτροπή = committee
πήρε = took / made in this context
απόφαση = decision

So word-for-word, it is basically The committee took decision, but in natural English we say The committee made a decision or The committee took a decision.

Why is it Η επιτροπή and not Ο or Το επιτροπή?

Because επιτροπή is a feminine noun in Greek.

Greek nouns have grammatical gender, so the article must match:

ο = masculine
η = feminine
το = neuter

Since επιτροπή is feminine singular, it takes η:

η επιτροπή = the committee

What tense is πήρε?

Πήρε is the aorist form, which is the basic past tense in Greek for a completed action.

It comes from the verb παίρνω = to take.

Some key forms:

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

So Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση means the committee took / made a decision as a completed event.

Why does πήρε look so different from παίρνω?

Because Greek verbs often change stem in the aorist.

Here:

present: παίρνω
aorist: πήρα

This is a very common kind of irregular change in Greek. So πήρε is simply the 3rd person singular form of that past-tense stem.

A quick pattern:

πήρα = I took
πήρες = you took
πήρε = he/she/it took
πήραμε = we took
πήρατε = you (plural) took
πήραν = they took

Why is there no word for a in πήρε απόφαση?

Because Greek does not use the indefinite article in exactly the same way English does.

In English, you normally say made a decision.
In Greek, it is very common to say simply:

πήρε απόφαση

without adding a separate word for a.

You can also say:

πήρε μια απόφαση = made a decision / made one decision

But without μια, the sentence is still completely natural. In expressions like this, Greek often leaves the indefinite idea unspoken.

Could I also say Η επιτροπή πήρε μια απόφαση?

Yes. That is perfectly possible.

The difference is roughly:

πήρε απόφαση = a very natural, idiomatic way to say made a decision
πήρε μια απόφαση = also made a decision, but with a slightly stronger sense of a / one particular decision

So both are correct, but πήρε απόφαση sounds very natural as a standard expression.

Why is it απόφαση and not something different for the object case?

Good question. Απόφαση here is the direct object of the verb, so it is in the accusative case.

For this noun:

nominative: η απόφαση
accusative: την απόφαση

Notice that the noun itself stays απόφαση. What usually shows the case more clearly is the article:

η from nominative
την in accusative

Since there is no article here, the form απόφαση looks the same.

Is πήρε απόφαση a set expression?

Yes, very much so.

Greek often uses παίρνω απόφαση literally take decision, just as English can say take a decision, although English more often says make a decision.

So this is a normal and idiomatic Greek expression:

παίρνω απόφαση = make/take a decision

You should learn it as a common phrase, not just as random separate words.

Is the word order fixed?

No, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, straightforward order here is:

Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση.

But Greek can change word order for emphasis, for example:

Απόφαση πήρε η επιτροπή.
Πήρε απόφαση η επιτροπή.

These can all be grammatical, but the emphasis changes. For learners, the given order is the safest and most neutral one.

Why is the verb singular if committee can sometimes be plural in English?

Because in Greek, η επιτροπή is a singular noun, so it normally takes a singular verb:

Η επιτροπή πήρε... = The committee took...

In English, especially British English, collective nouns sometimes take plural verbs:

The committee have decided

But Greek usually treats επιτροπή grammatically as singular in a sentence like this.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση
ee ee-pee-tro-PEE PEE-re a-PO-fa-see

Main stress:

επιτροπή
πήρε
απόφαση

More roughly in transliteration:

i epitropí píre apófasi

Could I use another verb instead of πήρε?

Yes, depending on style.

A more formal alternative is:

Η επιτροπή έλαβε απόφαση.

Here έλαβε is a more formal verb meaning received/took, and in this expression it means made/took a decision.

So:

πήρε απόφαση = more everyday/common
έλαβε απόφαση = more formal, often seen in official language

What is the dictionary form of απόφαση?

The dictionary form is:

η απόφαση = decision

That is the nominative singular form, which is how Greek nouns are normally listed in dictionaries, together with the article so you know the gender.

So if you want to learn the noun properly, learn it as:

η απόφαση
not just απόφαση

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