Τώρα πίνω νερό και μετά τρώω ψωμί.

Breakdown of Τώρα πίνω νερό και μετά τρώω ψωμί.

το νερό
the water
τώρα
now
πίνω
to drink
και
and
τρώω
to eat
το ψωμί
the bread
μετά
then
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Questions & Answers about Τώρα πίνω νερό και μετά τρώω ψωμί.

Does the present tense here mean “I’m doing it right now,” like English “I’m drinking/I’m eating”?
Yes. Greek uses the same present tense for both simple and continuous meanings. With the time word τώρα (now), Τώρα πίνω νερό and μετά τρώω ψωμί naturally mean “I’m drinking water now and then I’m going to eat bread (afterwards).” Context supplies the “-ing” feeling.
Why is there no article before νερό and ψωμί?

Because they’re mass nouns used in a general/indefinite sense. In Greek you often omit the article with mass/uncountable nouns when you mean “some” in English.

  • Πίνω νερό = I drink (some) water.
  • Τρώω ψωμί = I eat (some) bread. Use the definite article to refer to specific, identifiable items:
  • Πίνω το νερό = I drink the water (the one we both know about).
  • Τρώω το ψωμί = I eat the bread (that specific bread).
Can I drop και and just say Μετά τρώω ψωμί?

Yes. Και μετά = “and then.” If the previous clause is obviously connected, you can say:

  • Τώρα πίνω νερό. Μετά τρώω ψωμί. Adding και simply ties the two clauses together a bit more smoothly in one sentence. All are natural:
  • Τώρα πίνω νερό και μετά τρώω ψωμί.
  • Τώρα πίνω νερό, μετά τρώω ψωμί.
  • Τώρα πίνω νερό. Μετά τρώω ψωμί.
What’s the difference between μετά, μετά από, and μετά το/τη/τον…?
  • Μετά on its own is an adverb: “afterwards/then.”
    • Μετά τρώω ψωμί. = Afterwards I eat bread.
  • Μετά as a preposition means “after,” and it can appear either directly with a noun phrase or with από:
    • Μετά το φαγητό, τρώω ψωμί (or Μετά από το φαγητό…) = After the meal, I eat bread. Both μετά το… and μετά από το… are common; μετά από can feel a touch more explicit/emphatic.
How do I pronounce και? Is it “kai” or “ke”?
In Modern Greek και is pronounced “ke” (like “keh”). The spelling reflects historical Greek; pronunciation changed over time.
Why does τρώω have two omegas (ωω)? How do you pronounce it?
It’s spelled τρώω for historical reasons (ultimately from τρώγω). In Modern Greek you pronounce it as two vowels merged: essentially “tró-o,” which most speakers realize as a single long “o” sound: “TRÓ-oh” → [ˈtro.o] ~ [ˈtro]. Don’t pronounce two separate full syllables in careful speech; just slightly lengthen/hold the “o.”
Can I move τώρα and μετά around?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible, especially with adverbs:

  • Τώρα πίνω νερό, και μετά τρώω ψωμί. (neutral)
  • Πίνω τώρα νερό, και μετά τρώω ψωμί. (slight emphasis on “now”)
  • Πίνω νερό τώρα και μετά τρώω ψωμί. (places “now” at the end of the first clause)
  • Τώρα πίνω νερό, μετά τρώω ψωμί. (no και, still fine) All of these are natural; positioning tweaks the emphasis, not the basic meaning.
What grammatical case are νερό and ψωμί here?

Accusative (direct objects of πίνω and τρώω). They’re neuter; in neuter nouns the nominative and accusative singular look the same, so you only see the case clearly if you add the article:

  • Πίνω το νερό.
  • Τρώω το ψωμί.
How do I conjugate πίνω and τρώω in the present?
  • πίνω (I drink): πίνω, πίνεις, πίνει, πίνουμε, πίνετε, πίνουν(ε)
  • τρώω (I eat): τρώω, τρως, τρώει, τρώμε, τρώτε, τρώνε (τρών) Irregular past/future to be aware of:
  • πίνω → past simple (aorist) ήπια, future simple θα πιω, past continuous έπινα, future continuous θα πίνω
  • τρώω → past simple έφαγα, future simple θα φάω, past continuous έτρωγα, future continuous θα τρώω
Do I need to say Εγώ for “I,” or is it okay to leave it out?

Leave it out. The verb ending shows the subject. Εγώ is used when you want emphasis or contrast:

  • Τώρα πίνω νερό. = I’m drinking water now. (neutral)
  • Εγώ τώρα πίνω νερό (όχι εσύ). = I’m the one drinking water now (not you).
How would I negate the sentence?

Use δεν before the verb:

  • Τώρα δεν πίνω νερό και μετά δεν τρώω ψωμί. More natural is to negate only what you want:
  • Τώρα δεν πίνω νερό, αλλά μετά τρώω ψωμί.
  • Τώρα πίνω νερό και μετά δεν τρώω ψωμί.
Are there synonyms for μετά like “then/afterwards”?

Yes:

  • ύστερα (colloquial/neutral): Ύστερα τρώω ψωμί.
  • έπειτα (a bit more formal/literary): Έπειτα τρώω ψωμί. All can replace μετά in this sentence with the same basic meaning.
Can I use τότε instead of μετά?

Not here. Τότε means “at that time/then (in the past or at a specified time),” not “afterwards.” Use μετά/ύστερα/έπειτα for “afterwards/then.”

  • Τότε fits with a specific time reference: Τότε έτρωγα ψωμί κάθε μέρα. = Back then, I used to eat bread every day.
How do I say “some water” or “a slice/loaf of bread”?
  • “some water”: λίγο νερό, or a container: ένα ποτήρι νερό (a glass of water), ένα μπουκάλι νερό.
  • “a slice/piece of bread”: μια φέτα ψωμί, ένα κομμάτι ψωμί.
  • “a loaf of bread”: ένα ψωμί (literally “one bread,” meaning a loaf).
Is a comma before και required here?

No. Greek typically does not use a comma before και in simple coordination. You might separate clauses with a comma if you drop και:

  • Τώρα πίνω νερό, μετά τρώω ψωμί.
    But Τώρα πίνω νερό και μετά τρώω ψωμί. needs no comma.
Where is the stress, and how do I say each word?

Stress is marked by the accent on one vowel in each word:

  • Τώρα (TÓ-ra)
  • πίνω (PÍ-no)
  • νερό (ne-RÓ)
  • και (ke)
  • μετά (me-TÁ)
  • τρώω (TRÓ-o; often a long “o”)
  • ψωμί (pso-MÍ)
Do ο and ω sound different in Modern Greek?
No. Both ο and ω are pronounced /o/. The difference is etymological/orthographic, not phonetic. So τρώω and any word with ο have the same “o” sound.