Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Prepositions-and-conjunctions

Modern Greek (1453-) Grammar → Basic Grammar → Prepositions and conjunctions

As a Modern Greek (1453-) language teacher, I have been teaching Greek for 20 years. Today, we’ll take a look at the use of prepositions and conjunctions in Greek.

Prepositions

Prepositions are words that indicate the relationship between two words in a sentence. In Greek, prepositions are usually followed by the accusative or genitive case. Here are some common prepositions and how to use them:

Modern Greek (1453-)	Pronunciation	English Translation
εις (is)	is	to, into, at to
από (apó)	apó	from, of
για (gia)	ya	for, about
προς (pros)	pros	to
με (me)	me	with, by, at
σε (se)	se	to, into, at
εναντίον (enadíon)	enathíon	against, toward
μετά (metá)	metá	after, with
χωρίς (chorís)	horís	without
εναντίως (enantíos)	enantíos	instead

Here is an example sentence using a preposition:

Πηγαίνω στην παραλία. (Pingó sto paralía.) - I am going to the beach.

In this sentence, the preposition "στην" (stín) indicates the relationship between "πηγαίνω" (pingó) and "παραλία" (paralía), which means "going to the beach".

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect words or groups of words together in a sentence. In Greek, conjunctions can be used to join clauses in compound sentences. Here are some common conjunctions and how to use them:

Modern Greek (1453-)	Pronunciation	English Translation
και (ke)	ke	and
διότι (dióti)	dióti	because
αν (an)	an	if
επειδή (epidí)	epidí	since, because
όταν (ótan)	ótan	when
ενώ (enó)	enó	while
αλλά (allá)	allá	but
ίσως (ísos)	ísos	maybe
όμως (ómos)	ómos	however

Here is an example sentence using a conjunction:

Ήθελα να πάω στο πάρτι, αλλά ήμουνά κουρασμένη. (Íthela na páo sto párti, allá ímouná kourasméni.) - I wanted to go to the party, but I was tired.

In this sentence, the conjunction "αλλά" (allá) indicates the contrast between "ήθελα να πάω στο πάρτι" (íthela na páo sto párti) and "ήμουνα κουρασμένη" (ímouna kourasméni), which means "I wanted to go to the party, but I was tired".

Practice

To practice using prepositions and conjunctions, try translating the following sentences into Greek:

1. He is walking with his dog.
2. I am going to the supermarket for some bread.
3. She is studying Greek because she loves the language.
4. I will come to the party if I have time.
5. You can come with me to the beach.

Sources

• Greek Prepositions
• Conjunctions

Table of Contents - Modern Greek (1453-) Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Greek Alphabet

• Greek Letters and Pronunciation
• Diphthongs and Special Combinations

  ---

Basic Greetings and Phrases

• Greetings and Introductions
• Common Everyday Phrases

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Noun Gender and Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods and Drinks
• Ordering in a Restaurant

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Greek Traditions and Customs

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Greek Cuisine

  ---

Greek History and Geography

• Historical Overview
• Geographical Regions

Related Lessons

• The spelling of the verbs (–λλ or –λ)
• Words written with γγ or γκ
• Verbes elliptiques, impersonnels et irréguliers
• Present perfect and past perfect tense
• Pronoms interrogatifs
• Particularities of: Πώς, πως, πού, που, ή, η
• 0 to A1 Course
• How to Use Be
• Participle spelling
• Adjectives