Prepositions and the fused article: στο, στη, στον
Every preposition here takes the same shape of the noun — the one a direct object takes. There is nothing to choose. For example: “Πάω στο αεροδρόμιο με το τρένο” — I'm going to the airport by train. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Every preposition here takes the same shape of the noun — the one a direct object takes. There is nothing to choose.
The main preposition is σε (se), and it fuses with the word for "the" into one word. σε + το (to) gives στο (sto), σε + την (tin) gives στην (stin), σε + τον (ton) gives στον (ston). A separate "σε το (se to)" does not exist.
σε covers "in", "on" and "to" at once. Είμαι στην Αθήνα (íme stin Athína) — I am in Athens. Πάω στην Αθήνα (páo stin Athína) — I am going to Athens. The verb shows whether you stand there or head there.
The final -ν of την and στην is not always kept. It stays before a vowel and before κ (kápa), π, τ (taf), μπ, ντ, γκ, ψ, ξ, τσ, τζ. Otherwise it drops: στην Αθήνα (stin Athína), but στη θάλασσα (sti thálasa).
Table
| σε + | gives | example |
|---|---|---|
| τον | στον | στον έλεγχο — at the check |
| την | στην | στην αποβάθρα — on the platform |
| το | στο | στο τρένο — on the train |
| τους | στους | στους φίλους — to friends |
| τα | στα | στα σύνορα — at the border |
By example
- Πάω στο αεροδρόμιο με το τρένοpáo sto aerodrómio me to trénoI'm going to the airport by train
- Ένα εισιτήριο για τη Θεσσαλονίκηéna isitírio ya ti ThesaloníkiOne ticket to Thessaloniki
- Ήρθα από την Αθήνα χθεςírtha apó tin Athína khthesI came from Athens yesterday
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Prepositions and the fused article: how does it work in Greek?
Every preposition here takes the same shape of the noun — the one a direct object takes. There is nothing to choose.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Πάω στο αεροδρόμιο με το τρένο” (páo sto aerodrómio me to tréno) — I'm going to the airport by train. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.