Το καταφύγιο ζώων φροντίζει το αδέσποτο ζώο συντροφιάς;

Literally, it means the shelter of animals.

In natural English, you would usually say the animal shelter.

• το καταφύγιο = the shelter / refuge
• ζώων = of animals

Greek often uses a noun + genitive structure where English prefers an adjective or compound noun. So καταφύγιο ζώων is a very normal way to say animal shelter.

ζώων is the genitive plural of ζώο (animal).

That form is used because it shows possession or relationship:

• καταφύγιο ζώων = shelter of animals
• compare with English animal shelter

So the ending -ων here tells you that animals is not the main noun of the phrase; it is modifying shelter.

φροντίζει means cares for, looks after, or takes care of.

It is:

• present tense
• 3rd person singular

So it means:

• he/she/it cares for
• in this sentence: the shelter cares for ...

The dictionary form is φροντίζω = to care for / to look after.

Because Greek uses the definite article the very regularly.

Here, both noun phrases are definite:

• Το καταφύγιο ζώων = the animal shelter
• το αδέσποτο ζώο συντροφιάς = the stray companion animal / the stray pet

Also, το is the correct article because both καταφύγιο and ζώο are neuter singular nouns.

So:

• το καταφύγιο = neuter singular
• το ζώο = neuter singular

αδέσποτο is an adjective meaning stray.

It appears as αδέσποτο because it agrees with ζώο in:

• gender: neuter
• number: singular
• case: accusative here

Since ζώο is neuter singular, the adjective must match it:

• το αδέσποτο ζώο = the stray animal

This matching is very important in Greek.

ζώο συντροφιάς literally means animal of companionship.

In natural English, this usually means:

• pet
• companion animal

So:

• το αδέσποτο ζώο συντροφιάς = the stray pet or the stray companion animal

This expression helps specify the type of animal. It means an animal kept for companionship, not, for example, a farm animal or wild animal.

Because Greek often uses the genitive to describe what kind of thing something is.

Here:

• ζώο συντροφιάς literally = animal of companionship
• natural English = companion animal or pet

So συντροφιάς is the genitive singular of συντροφιά (company / companionship).

This is a very common Greek pattern:

• φλιτζάνι καφέ = cup of coffee
• κατάστημα ρούχων = clothes shop
• ζώο συντροφιάς = companion animal

Because Greek does not need an extra helping verb like English do/does to form a question.

In English:

• Does the animal shelter care for the stray pet?

In Greek, the verb itself is enough:

• Το καταφύγιο ζώων φροντίζει το αδέσποτο ζώο συντροφιάς;

Greek yes/no questions are often formed just by:

• normal sentence word order
• question intonation in speech
• the Greek question mark in writing

So there is no separate word corresponding to English does here.

In Greek, the symbol ; is the question mark.

So:

• Greek ; = English ?

This is one of the first punctuation differences learners notice.

So the sentence is a question because of the final ;, even though to an English speaker it looks like a semicolon.

No, this is a very normal Greek word order:

• subject: Το καταφύγιο ζώων
• verb: φροντίζει
• object: το αδέσποτο ζώο συντροφιάς

So it follows a straightforward Subject–Verb–Object pattern, much like English.

Greek word order is often more flexible than English, but this sentence uses the most neutral and easy-to-understand order.

It can sound slightly odd if translated too literally, but it makes sense.

A ζώο συντροφιάς is an animal that belongs to the category of pets or companion animals, such as a dog or cat. If it is αδέσποτο, it means it is currently stray, homeless, or without an owner.

So the phrase means something like:

• a stray pet
• a stray companion animal
• a homeless domestic companion animal

In real life, this usually refers to abandoned or lost pets.

The main nouns are:

• καταφύγιο = nominative singular
• ζώων = genitive plural
• ζώο = accusative singular
• συντροφιάς = genitive singular

Why?

• Το καταφύγιο ζώων is the subject, so καταφύγιο is nominative.
• το αδέσποτο ζώο συντροφιάς is the direct object, so ζώο is accusative.
• ζώων and συντροφιάς are both in the genitive because they modify the nouns before them.

One small detail: for many neuter nouns like καταφύγιο and ζώο, the nominative and accusative singular forms look the same.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

To kata-FY-yo ZO-on fron-TEE-zi to a-DHE-spo-to ZO-o syn-tro-FY-as?

A few helpful notes:

• γ in καταφύγιο is not like a hard English g here; it is softer.
• ζ sounds like z
• θ sounds like English th in this or think, depending on the word; in αδέσποτο the δ is like th in this
• the stress matters:
  • καταφύγιο
  • φροντίζει
  • αδέσποτο
  • συντροφιάς

If you want to sound natural, make sure to stress the bold syllables.