| Grammar Notes: Sentence: Ένα αγόρι παίζει φλάουτο σε μια παραλία στο ηλιοβασίλεμα. Romanisation: Éna agóri paízei fláouto se mia paralía sto iliovasílema. Translation: A boy plays (the) flute on a beach at sunset. ### Word-by-Word Breakdown 1. Ένα (Éna) * Grammar: Neuter indefinite article. * Meaning: "A" or "an". It is used here because the noun "αγόρι" (boy) is neuter. * Infinitive/Base Form: The article itself does not have an infinitive. Its basic form is "ένας" (masculine), "μία" (feminine), "ένα" (neuter). 2. αγόρι (agóri) * Grammar: Neuter noun, subject of the sentence. * Meaning: "Boy". * Infinitive/Base Form: The noun itself. (Nominative singular). 3. παίζει (paízei) * Grammar: Verb, 3rd person singular, present tense. * Meaning: "(He/She/It) plays". * Infinitive/Base Form: παίζω (paízo) - meaning "to play". 4. φλάουτο (fláouto) * Grammar: Neuter noun, direct object of the verb. * Meaning: "Flute". * Infinitive/Base Form: The noun itself. (Accusative singular). It is a loanword. 5. σε (se) * Grammar: Preposition. * Meaning: "In", "on", "at". It indicates location. * Infinitive/Base Form: Prepositions do not have an infinitive. 6. μια (mia) * Grammar: Feminine indefinite article. * Meaning: "A" or "an". It is feminine to agree with the noun "παραλία" (beach). * Infinitive/Base Form: The article itself. Its basic form is "ένας" (masculine), "μία" (mía) (feminine), "ένα" (neuter). 7. παραλία (paralía) * Grammar: Feminine noun, object of the preposition "σε". * Meaning: "Beach". * Infinitive/Base Form: The noun itself. (Accusative singular). 8. στο (sto) * Grammar: Contraction of the preposition σε (se) and the neuter definite article το (to). * Meaning: "In the", "on the", "at the". * Infinitive/Base Form: Contractions do not have an infinitive. It is formed from σε + το. 9. ηλιοβασίλεμα (iliovasílema) * Grammar: Neuter noun, object of the preposition "στο". * Meaning: "Sunset". * Infinitive/Base Form: The noun itself. (Accusative singular). ### Grammar Tip In Greek, the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order is common, but it is flexible. The verb "παίζει" (plays) is conjugated in the 3rd person singular to agree with the subject "ένα αγόρι" (a boy). Notice how the indefinite articles ("ένα", "μια") change their form to match the gender (neuter, feminine) of the noun they describe. The preposition "σε" combines with the definite article "το" to form the contraction "στο". ### Related Words * Ηλιοβασίλεμα is a compound word. It is made from ήλιος (ílios) meaning "sun" and βασίλεμα (vasílema) meaning "setting" or "reign". The word for sunrise is ανατολή (anatolí). |
