Prepositions and the fused article: στο, στη, στον
Modern Greek has few prepositions, and all of them demand the accusative — no exceptions. This is one of the easiest things in the language: there is no case to choose, it is always the same one. 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
Modern Greek has few prepositions, and all of them demand the accusative — no exceptions. This is one of the easiest things in the language: there is no case to choose, it is always the same one.
The main one is σε (se), and it fuses with the article into a single word: σε + το (to) = στο (sto), σε + την (tin) = στην (stin), σε + τον (ton) = στον (ston), σε + τα (ta) = στα (sta). A separate "σε το (se to)" never happens.
Second, worth knowing at once: σε means "in", "at" and "to" alike. Greek does not tell apart whether you stand there or are headed there: Είμαι στην Αθήνα (íme stin Athína) — I am in Athens, Πάω στην Αθήνα (páo stin Athína) — I am going to Athens. English splits it as "in Athens" against "to Athens"; Greek leaves the split to the verb.
The final -ν of την and στην does not always hold: it stays before a vowel and before κ (kápa), π, τ (taf), μπ, ντ, γκ, ψ, ξ, τσ, τζ, and falls off elsewhere. στην Αθήνα (stin Athína), but στη θάλασσα (sti thálasa). The rule sounds bulky and is obvious to the ear: the -ν stays where it can be heard.
The other prepositions live more simply: από (apó) — "from" and "than" in comparisons; με (me) — "with" and "by" (με το τρένο (me to tréno) — by train); για (ya) — "for, about"; χωρίς (khorís) — "without"; μέχρι (mékhri) — "until".
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?
Modern Greek has few prepositions, and all of them demand the accusative — no exceptions. This is one of the easiest things in the language: there is no case to choose, it is always the same one.
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.