Age and articles: why «έχει 25 χρονών» fails the cloze
A1 language-use section: cloze profile. The text reads: «Η Μαρία ___ 25 χρονών. Μένει ___ Αθήνα και ___ σε ένα νοσοκομείο. Της αρέσει ___ καφές. Κάθε πρωί πηγαίνει ___ δουλειά με το μετρό.» The gaps offer: (1) είναι/έχει, (2) στη/στην, (3) δουλεύει/δουλεύω, (4) ο/τον, (5) στη/στην. The candidate, an English speaker, answers: (1) έχει, (2) στην, (3) δουλεύει, (4) ο, (5) στην. They explain: «έχει 25 χρονών» feels like 'has 25 years'; «στην Αθήνα» because Αθήνα starts with a vowel; «στην δουλειά» because it sounds better; «ο καφές» because it is the object. The candidate is confident. The task tests the Greek age construction, the article contraction στη/στην, and subject-verb agreement, with distractors that look plausible through English transfer.
1. Which answers are wrong, and what rule explains each? Address the candidate's reasoning.
Read the worked answer
Wrong answers: (1) «έχει» and (5) «στην». Correct: (1) «είναι», (5) «στη».
(1) Age: Greek expresses age with «είναι» + number + «χρονών»: «Η Μαρία είναι 25 χρονών». «Έχει 25 χρονών» is an English transfer; «έχει» would need a possessed object, e.g. «έχει 25 χρόνια εμπειρία» (she has 25 years of experience), which is not the same structure. The candidate's intuition about 'has 25 years' is exactly the trap.
(5) στη/στην: the final -ν of «την» is kept before vowels and before κ, π, τ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ, ξ, ψ. It is dropped before other consonants. «Δουλειά» starts with δ, so «στη δουλειά». The candidate's «sounds better» is not a rule.
(2), (3), (4) are correct: «στην Αθήνα» (vowel), «δουλεύει» (third person singular agreeing with Μαρία), «ο καφές» (nominative subject of «αρέσει»). The candidate's answer to (4) is right, but the reason is wrong: «ο καφές» is the subject of «αρέσει», not the object.
2. The candidate thinks «στην Αθήνα» is right because Αθήνα starts with a vowel, but writes «στην δουλειά». What is the actual distribution of στη/στην at A1? Give two correct examples.
Read the worked answer
Distribution: «στη» is the feminine accusative article «την» after the preposition «σε»; the final -ν is retained («στην») before a vowel and before the consonants κ, π, τ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ, ξ, ψ. It is dropped («στη») before other consonants.
Examples: «στην Αθήνα» (vowel), «στην Κρήτη» (κ), «στη δουλειά» (δ), «στη Μαρία» (μ).
Diagnosis: the candidate overgeneralised the vowel rule to every word. At A1, the exam usually tests frequent collocations rather than the full phonological rule, so learn the chunks: «στη δουλειά», «στην Αθήνα», «στο σχολείο» (neuter), «στον κήπο» (masculine). When unsure, say the phrase aloud; the cluster «στην δ-» is not standard.