Word order for “it” VS other nouns

Question

Γεια σας, r/Greek! I’ve been going through language transfer, and it’s been so helpful! I’m at around lesson 22, and I have a question about word order. I know it isn’t as important in Greek as it is in English, but I noticed that when referring to an “it”, it comes before the verb- “I have it” and «το έχω». When referring to anything else, though, it comes after the verb- “I have the car” and «έχω το αυτοκίνητο» Why is that? I often forget to include «το» in my sentences, especially with «να το», so I’m hoping that if I understand why the sentences work this way, I’ll stop forgetting, lol. Of course, if I’m wrong, please correct me! ευχαριστώ!

Answer 1

Good question! In Greek, as in some other languages such as French and Spanish, a direct object pronoun comes BEFORE a conjugated verb whereas a direct object complete noun phrase comes AFTER a conjugated verb. So the critical difference here is between a pronoun and a noun: a pronoun such as "he," "she," or "it" before the verb and a noun such as "the car," after, or " in Greek, the pronoun "το" before the verb and the noun phrase "το αυτοκινητο" after.