σ’ αγαπώ: the sounds that drop
Why songs say σ’ αγαπώ and θα ’ρθω — and why «τον πατέρα» sounds like [tombatéra]: elisions and liaisons of spoken Greek.
Elision: σε + αγαπώ → σ’ αγαπώ
When a little word ends in a vowel and the next begins with one, the first vowel drops and an apostrophe takes its place: σε αγαπώ → σ’ αγαπώ, από το πρωί → απ’ το πρωί, μου είπε → μου ’πε, το άλλο → τ’ άλλο. Careful writing keeps the full forms; songs and dialogue love the short ones.
θα ’ρθω, φέρ’ το: aphaeresis and apocope
Sometimes it is the SECOND word's initial vowel that drops: θα έρθω → θα ’ρθω, μου έδωσε → μου ’δωσε (aphaeresis). And in the imperative the final vowel can drop before a pronoun: φέρε το → φέρ’ το, κόψε το → κόψ’ το (apocope). Every Greek song is full of these.
[tombatéra]: the liaisons you hear
Final -ν fuses with a following κ, π, τ: τον καφέ → [toŋgafé], τον πατέρα → [tombatéra], την Τρίτη → [tindríti]. Nothing changes in spelling — but this is THE key to fast spoken Greek: that mysterious [b] is just a π after -ν.
Your turn
Choose the correct form.