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  5. "She runs like a dog."

"She runs like a dog."

Translation:Αυτή τρέχει σαν σκύλος.

October 10, 2016


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¿Why not τρέχει όπως σκύλος?


Όπως, if it's not followed by a personal pronoun, it requires a definite or an indefinite article. It doesn't make sense with the noun all by itself (just like it doesn't make sense in English). ^.^


Don't we need ένας here?


is σκύλος in accusative or nominative case after σαν?


Routledge's Greek: a comprehensive grammar of the modern language (p.400): "Σαν 'like' is used in comparative constructions with a noun phrase in the nominative or accusative.... When the noun phrase that follows it is in the nominative (1) , the noun phrase essentially denotes the same person or thing as the subject (i.e. it is a subject predicate), while a noun phrase in the accusative (2) denotes someone or something that resembles the subject:

(1) Τρώει σαν βασιλιάς (nom.) 'He eats like a king' (2) Τρώει σαν το βασιλιά (acc.) 'He eats like the king'

Example (1) means that he eats as if he himself were a king, while in the appropriate context (2) may imply that he eats in the way that a particular king eats."


I think it's in the same case as what you are comparing it with.

Here you are comparing αυτή (nominative / subject), so the thing after σαν is also nominative.

If you had been comparing objects, I think you would have needed the accusative.

e.g. Σ' αγαπώ σαν αδελφό / σαν αδελφός (I love you like a brother -- 1) like I would love a brother, 2) like a brother would love).

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Nominative. Accusative would be σκύλο.


I don't see why αυτή τρέχει σαν έναν σκύλο is wrong. Shouldn't σαν +article+noun use the accusative?


I wrote αυτή τρέχει σαν ένας σκύλος DL marked it right so I guess it's ok


τρέχει σαν σκυλί should also be correct!


Συμφωνώ απόλυτα.


Τρέχει σαν σκυλί isn't accepted, but I think should be?


It's just been added, thank you. ^.^


Wouldn't "she runs like A dog" be "αυτή τρέχει σαν 'ΕΝΑΝ σκύλο" while "αυτή τρέχει σαν ΤΟΝ σκύλο" (the right answer according to Duolingo) would be "she runs like THE dog"?


Another instance where Duo needs illustrations.


Αυτή τρέχει όπως σκύλος is also accepted. But with οπως it sounds to me that "she" is just imitating a dog, running on four legs. But, as an italian commonly speaking guy, I'm not at all sure of this impression...


There was a small typo in the incubator. Αυτή τρέχει όπως σκύλος, without an article, doesn't make sense (unlike σαν, όπως in these cases can't be used without the article) so it's been corrected. Thank you for bringing this to our attention by commenting. ^.^

As for the imitation part, I don't think that the translation with the indefinite article implies imitation, or that όπως is different in usage. Σαν and όπως are, most of the times, interchangeable, with a small change in structure.

I will admit that, by using the definite article, the case becomes a bit more specific, and I could see someone thinking there's imitation. However, nothing is absolutely certain. :P


Ok so can you please tell the difference between όπως / σαν ? How do i know whe. To use either of them? Thx


όπως + article + noun = like

σαν + (article) + noun = like

The difference is in the syntax. For σαν, the article isn't necessary. ^.^


But 'όπως' is suggested as a translation (without an article)

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Hints work as dictionaries. Not every "suggestion" is correct in all cases.


thought it was σαν σκύλο and όπως σκύλος


Since the gender is specified in the English, should it not be in the Greek?

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It is (in the full sentence that we see above) She runs=Αυτή τρέχει ;)


But not in the other choice required for an adequate response in the item.

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In English, you always have to specify gender. In Greek, you don't. Both answers are correct because even when talking about a woman, we can only say "τρέχει". Otherwise, dropping the pronoun would not be an adequate translation for any english sentence.

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