Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν μπορώ τώρα, έχω δουλειά σήμερα.

Bold Δεν is the standard negator used with indicative verbs (statements of fact). It goes immediately before the verb: bold Δεν μπορώ. Bold Μην is used with the subjunctive and with prohibitions:

Subjunctive: bold Να μην έρθω; (Should I not come?)
Negative imperative: bold Μην αργήσεις. (Don’t be late.) So here it must be bold Δεν μπορώ, not bold Μην μπορώ.

Why is there no word for I? Where did the subject go?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending shows the subject. Bold Μπορώ means “I can,” and bold έχω means “I have.” You only add bold εγώ (I) for emphasis: bold Εγώ δεν μπορώ τώρα.

Is bold Δεν μπορώ τώρα different from bold Τώρα δεν μπορώ?

Both are correct. Word order is flexible in Greek.

bold Δεν μπορώ τώρα sounds neutral: “I can’t now.”
bold Τώρα δεν μπορώ puts emphasis on “now”: “Right now I can’t.”

What exactly does bold έχω δουλειά mean? Is it “I have a job” or “I have work to do”?

Usually in this context it means “I have work (to do)/I’m busy.” It does not necessarily mean “I have a job.”

“I have work to do / I’m busy”: bold Έχω δουλειά.
“I have a job” can also be bold Έχω δουλειά, but it’s clearer as bold Έχω δουλειά αυτή την περίοδο or bold Έχω δουλειά στο Χ. Context decides.

Can I say bold έχω μια δουλειά or bold έχω δουλειές? What’s the difference?

Yes:

bold Έχω μια δουλειά means “I have a task/errand/job (one specific thing).”
bold Έχω δουλειές (plural) means “I have (various) errands/tasks.”
bold Έχω δουλειά (no article) = “I’ve got work (to do)/I’m busy.”

How is bold δουλεύω different from bold έχω δουλειά and bold είμαι στη δουλειά?

bold Δουλεύω = “I’m working” (right now or generally).
bold Έχω δουλειά = “I have work (to do)/I’m busy.”
bold Είμαι στη δουλειά = “I’m at work (at my workplace).” So you could also say bold Δεν μπορώ τώρα, δουλεύω σήμερα or bold …είμαι στη δουλειά.

How can I make this sound more polite?

Add a softener at the start or end:

bold Συγγνώμη, δεν μπορώ τώρα, έχω δουλειά σήμερα.
bold Δυστυχώς, δεν μπορώ τώρα…
bold Μπορούμε αργότερα; (Can we [do it] later?)
bold Μήπως γίνεται αργότερα; (Could it perhaps be later?)

How do I pronounce the sentence?

A careful IPA and an easy guide:

IPA: [ðem boˈro ˈtora, ˈexo ðuˈlja ˈsimera] • bold Δεν → [ðen], but before bold μπ it assimilates to [ðem] • bold μπορώ → [boˈro] • bold τώρα → [ˈtora] • bold έχω → [ˈe.xo] (χ like German Bach) • bold δουλειά → [ðuˈlja] or [ðuˈʎa] (roughly “thool-YAH”) • bold σήμερα → [ˈsimera]
Quick approximation: “THEM boh-ROH TOH-rah, E-ho thool-YAH SEE-meh-rah.”

Why is bold μπορώ spelled with μπ? Isn’t bold β the letter for “b”?

In Modern Greek, bold β is pronounced “v.” The “b” sound is written with bold μπ.

At the start of a word bold μπ = μπορώ [boˈro].
In the middle it’s often λάμπα [ˈlamba].

Where are the stress accents, and do they matter?

Yes—stress is phonemic and marked with a tonos on one vowel per word (usually).

bold μπορώ (mo-RO), bold τώρα (TO-ra), bold έχω (E-ho), bold δουλειά (dou-LIA), bold σήμερα (SI-me-ra).
In Greek spelling: bold μπορώ, τώρα, έχω, δουλειά, σήμερα. The accent mark shows the stressed syllable.

Is bold δεν ever written as bold δε? And what about the final -ν?

You’ll see bold δε informally, but standard writing keeps the final -ν: bold δεν. Traditional rules keep -ν before vowels and certain consonants (e.g., κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, γκ, μπ, ντ, τσ, τζ). Here, because the next word starts with bold μπ, write bold δεν μπορώ. In speech the -ν often assimilates: [ðem boˈro].

Can I move bold σήμερα around? Does position change meaning?

All are acceptable; position affects emphasis, not basic meaning:

bold Έχω δουλειά σήμερα. (neutral)
bold Σήμερα έχω δουλειά. (emphasizes “today”)
bold Δεν μπορώ τώρα, έχω δουλειά σήμερα. (as in the original) Greek allows time adverbs to move for emphasis.

How do I say “I can’t today / I won’t be able to today” in other tenses?

Present/neutral: bold Δεν μπορώ σήμερα. (I can’t today.)
Future single event: bold Δεν θα μπορέσω σήμερα. (I won’t be able to today.)
Future over a span: bold Δεν θα μπορώ σήμερα. (I won’t be able to [at any time] today.) Other natural options: bold Δεν θα προλάβω σήμερα. (I won’t make it today.)

Are there other natural ways to say “I can’t now” in Greek?

Yes, depending on nuance:

bold Δεν γίνεται τώρα. (It can’t be done now / Not possible now.)
bold Δεν προλαβαίνω τώρα. (I don’t have time right now.)
bold Δεν με βολεύει τώρα. (It doesn’t suit me now.)
bold Είμαι απασχολημένος / απασχολημένη. (I’m busy. masc./fem.)

What’s the gender and forms of bold δουλειά?

Feminine noun.

Singular: bold η δουλειά (nom.), bold της δουλειάς (gen.), bold τη δουλειά (acc.)
Plural: bold οι δουλειές, bold των δουλειών, bold τις δουλειές Meaning shifts:
bold δουλειά = work; job
bold δουλειές (pl.) = tasks/errands

Is bold εργασία a synonym of bold δουλειά?

Often, yes, but bold εργασία is more formal/technical (“work,” “assignment,” “labor”). In everyday speech people prefer bold δουλειά. For “homework/assignment,” bold εργασία fits: bold Έχω μια εργασία.

Do I need the comma, and how does Greek punctuation work here?

The comma is used much like English to separate clauses or pauses: bold Δεν μπορώ τώρα, έχω δουλειά σήμερα. It’s natural and helpful here. Reminder: in Greek the semicolon character (;) is actually the question mark. So don’t use it as a semicolon in Greek.