Passive structures are used in Greek when we do not want to explicitly show the relation between the result of the action and the agent. In (α) we are more interested in the fact that Lakis has no money, while in (β) we focus on the person responsible for the fact that Lakis has no money.

Οι δουλειές δεν πάνε καλά και

α) ο Λάκης δεν έχει πληρωθεί ακόμη… β) ο Γιάννης δεν έχει πληρώσει το Λάκη ακόμη…

In sentence (1) the agent of the action (who gave birth to Lakis) need not be mentioned either because it is of no importance or because it is easily understood. On the contrary, in (2) there is special information, which is conveyed by the agent phrase (από φτωχούς γονείς).

1.Ο Λάκης γεννήθηκε το 1972

2.Ο Λάκης γεννήθηκε από φτωχούς γονείς

You can also read:Neutral nouns in -ος

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