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Lesson 9 · Το σπίτι μου — My home
Describing a flat: the rooms, the balcony, the rent and the neighbourhood.
Read each line aloud: the sentence, how it sounds, then what it means.
Πού μένεις;
Pou ménis?
Where do you live?
Μένω σε ένα διαμέρισμα στο κέντρο.
Méno se éna diamérisma sto kéndro.
I live in a flat in the centre.
Είναι μεγάλο;
Íne megálo?
Is it big?
Όχι πολύ. Έχει δύο δωμάτια, κουζίνα και μπάνιο.
Óhi polí. Éhi dío domátia, kouzína ke bánio.
Not very. It has two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.
Έχει μπαλκόνι;
Éhi balkóni?
Does it have a balcony?
Ναι! Το αγαπημένο μου μέρος. Πίνω τον καφέ μου εκεί.
Ne! To agapiméno mou méros. Píno ton kafé mou ekí.
Yes! My favourite spot. I drink my coffee there.
Είναι ακριβό το ενοίκιο;
Íne akrivó to eníkio?
Is the rent expensive?
Λίγο, αλλά η γειτονιά είναι ήσυχη.
Lígo, alá i yitoniá íne ísihi.
A little, but the neighbourhood is quiet.
Ωραία! Θέλω να το δω.
Oréa! Thélo na to do.
Lovely! I want to see it.
Grammar notes
σε becomes στο, στη, στον
σε merges with the article: σε + το = στο, σε + τη = στη, σε + τον = στον. Μένω στο κέντρο. Μένω στην Αθήνα.
έχει — it has, there is
Το σπίτι έχει μπαλκόνι. The same word covers the weather and what is around: Έχει ήλιο σήμερα. (It is sunny today.)
Θέλω να… — I want to…
θέλω να + verb, and the second verb changes with the person: Θέλω να πάω. Θέλεις να πας; Θέλει να πάει.
Adjectives agree with the noun
μεγάλος κήπος (masculine), μεγάλη κουζίνα (feminine), μεγάλο διαμέρισμα (neuter) — the ending follows the noun.
Three things about the culture
The balcony is a room
It holds the washing line, the basil pot, the evening chairs and half the neighbourhood's conversation. The apartment blocks it belongs to went up in the 1960s and 70s under αντιπαροχή, a deal where a family handed over its old house and land to a builder and took flats in the new block in return.
Most people own the roof over their head
Greece has one of the highest rates of home ownership in Europe, and much of it is inherited rather than bought. Parents commonly sign a flat over to a child when they marry — the γονική παροχή, the parental gift.
A guest is never allowed to leave hungry
Φιλοξενία — literally friend to the stranger — is close to a duty. Arrive at a Greek home and something appears within minutes: coffee, a glass of cold water, and a spoonful of γλυκό του κουταλιού, fruit preserved in syrup. Turning it all down is the one rude move.
Now lock in the words
This lesson has its own flashcard folder — every new word and grammar point from the conversation.
Study this lesson's cards