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Playing hide and seek with the final n Posted by on Feb 19, 2015 in Grammar

quercus design under a CC at Flickr

quercus design under a CC at Flickr

One of the most confusing topics is the maintenance of the final ν of some articles, pronouns and particles, mostly because the grammar books contain different rules about it.

Below, there’s a list of the cases where the final ν is maintained or omitted. These rules apply mostly when speaking. In written speech the article ν is maintained.

  • The article τον

Μίλησα με τον Τάσο. I talked to Tasos.

Μίλησα με το δάσκαλο. I talked to the teacher.

  • The article την

Είμαι από την Αθήνα. I come from Athens.

Η Ειρήνη είναι από τη Νάξο. Irene comes from Naxos.

  • The personal pronoun την

Την είδα χθες το βράδυ. I saw her last night.

Μου αρέσει αυτή η φούστα. Τη θέλω. I like this skirt. I want it.

  • The indefinite article έναν

Αγοράσαμε έναν καναπέ. We bought a cough.

Χθες το βράδυ είδα ένα γνωστό. Last night I met an acquaintance.

  • The cardinal number έναν

Ήπια έναν καφέ όχι δύο. I drunk one coffee not two.

Φάγαμε ένα μουσακά και δύο σαλάτες και ήπιαμε τρεις μπύρες. We ate a mousaka and two salads, and drunk three beers.

  • The particle δεν

Πού είναι ο Γιώργος; Δεν τον βλέπω. Where’s George? I don’t see him.

Δε θέλω άλλο κρασί, ευχαριστώ. I don’t want more wine, thank you.

  • The particle μην

Μην έρθεις αύριο, έλα την Τρίτη. Don’t come tomorrow, come on Tuesday.

Μη με ξυπνήσεις νωρίς. Don’t wake me up early.

 

The final ν is preserved:

  • When the following word starts by a vowel

Άκουσα την ιστορία. I heard the story.

  • When the following word starts by κ, π, τ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τζ, τσ, ξ, ψ

Μήπως είδες την τσάντα μου; Did you see my bag?

Ποιος είναι ο Γιάννης; Δεν τον ξέρω! Who’s Yannis? I don’t know him.

Δεν περάσαμε καλά χθες. We didn’t have a nice time yesterday.

Μην τρως τόσο πολύ. Don’t eat so much.

 

The final ν is omitted when the word that follows starts by β, γ, δ, ζ, θ, λ, μ, ν, ρ, σ, φ, χ.

Πώς λένε τη φίλη σου; What’s your friend’s name?

Θα μείνουν στην Ελλάδα ένα χρόνο. They will stay in Greece for a year.

Θα τη βρω όπου κι αν πάει. I’ll find her wherever she goes.

Μη ρωτήσεις το Νίκο για τους γονείς του. Don’t ask Niko about his parents.

 

The final ν is never omitted from:

  • the personal pronoun αυτόν and τον

Μην ανησυχείς. Θα τον ξεχάσεις σύντομα. Don’t worry. You’ll forget him soon.

“Πού είναι ο Χάρης;” “Δεν ξέρω. Κι εγώ αυτόν ψάχνω.” Where’s Haris? I don’t know. I’m looking for him too.

  • the article των (genitive plural)

Η τιμές των σπιτιών είναι πολύ υψηλές. The prices of the houses are too high.

Καταλαβαίνεις τη σημασία αυτών των λέξεων; Do you understand the meaning of these words?

  • The adverb σαν

Νιώθω σαν να σε ξέρω χρόνια. I feel like I’ve known you for ages.

final n

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About the Author: Ourania

Ourania lives in Athens. She holds a degree in French Literature and a Master’s degree in Special Education for Children. Since 2008, she has been teaching Greek to foreigners.


Comments:

  1. Danyela:

    Καναπέ is couch in English, not cough 😉