Learn Hardcore Greek: Η φίλη μου δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς.

The capital Η is the Greek letter eta, pronounced like English “ee.” Here it’s the feminine definite article: η = “the.”
In Greek, the definite article is normally used with possessives. So η φίλη μου literally “the friend my” just means “my friend.”

Can I drop the article and say Φίλη μου δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς?

As a normal subject, you almost always keep the article: Η φίλη μου…
Φίλη μου, … (without the article) works as a form of address (“My friend, …”) or in some set phrases.
If you say Μια φίλη μου, that means “a friend of mine,” not “my friend.”

What is μου and why is it after the noun?

μου is the unstressed (enclitic) 1st‑person genitive pronoun meaning “my.”
Greek possessives typically come after the noun: η φίλη μου = “my friend.”
For emphasis you can use the stressed form with δικός: η δική μου φίλη (“my own friend / my friend (not someone else’s)”).

How would it change if the friend is male?

Masculine: Ο φίλος μου δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς.
The article and the noun change gender (η φίλη → ο φίλος). The rest stays the same.

How do I say it in the plural?

Feminine plural: Οι φίλες μου δεν κοιμούνται ποτέ νωρίς.
Masculine plural: Οι φίλοι μου δεν κοιμούνται ποτέ νωρίς.
Note the plural article οι, plural nouns φίλες/φίλοι, and verb κοιμούνται (3rd person plural).

Why does the verb end in -ται? What verb is this?

κοιμάται is 3rd‑person singular present of κοιμάμαι (“to sleep”), a common middle/passive‑form verb.
Mini present conjugation:
- εγώ κοιμάμαι (I sleep)
- εσύ κοιμάσαι (you sleep)
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό κοιμάται (he/she/it sleeps)
- εμείς κοιμόμαστε (we sleep)
- εσείς κοιμάστε/κοιμόσαστε (you pl. sleep)
- αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά κοιμούνται (they sleep)

Can I say κοιμάει or κοιμά?

In standard Modern Greek, use κοιμάμαι forms (e.g., κοιμάται).
Forms like κοιμάει are dialectal/colloquial and are best avoided in standard speech and writing.

Why are there two “negatives” — δεν and ποτέ? Isn’t that a double negative?

Greek uses “negative concord”: words like ποτέ (“ever/never”) require a verbal negator (δεν) in statements.
So δεν … ποτέ or Ποτέ δεν … = “never.”
Without δεν, ποτέ means “ever” in questions/conditionals (see below).

Can I move ποτέ around? Is Δεν ποτέ κοιμάται okay?

Idiomatic patterns:
- Δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς.
- Ποτέ δεν κοιμάται νωρίς. (fronting “never” for emphasis)
- Η φίλη μου ποτέ δεν κοιμάται νωρίς.
Avoid Δεν ποτέ κοιμάται… — that word order is not natural.

What’s the difference between ποτέ and πότε?

ποτέ (accent on the second syllable) = “ever/never.”
- With δεν: Δεν κοιμάται ποτέ = “She never sleeps.”
- In questions: Κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς; = “Does she ever sleep early?”
πότε (accent on the first syllable) = “when?”
- Πότε κοιμάται; = “When does she sleep?”

How do you pronounce tricky parts like κοιμάται and the -ται ending?

η/οι/ει are pronounced like “ee.”
κοι- sounds like “kee-” (palatalized k).
-ται is pronounced “-te” (short e), not “-tai.”
Rough guide: Η φίλη μου δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς ≈ “ee FEE-lee moo THEN kee-MAH-te po-TE no-REES.”

Why is it δεν and sometimes δε?

Standard writing uses δεν everywhere.
In casual speech before many consonants, the final -ν often drops and you’ll hear/write δε (e.g., δε κοιμάται).
You’re always safe writing δεν.

Does this mean a general habit or right now?

With ποτέ and νωρίς, the present here states a habit: “She never sleeps early.”
For a right-now situation you’d add a time word: Δεν κοιμάται τώρα (“She isn’t sleeping now”).

Can I drop the subject and just say Δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς?

Yes. Greek is a “pro-drop” language; the verb ending shows person/number.
Δεν κοιμάται ποτέ νωρίς = “He/She never sleeps early,” with gender understood from context.

What’s the opposite of νωρίς, and how do I say “earlier”?

Does η φίλη μου mean “girlfriend”?

Usually it just means “my (female) friend.”
For “girlfriend,” Greeks typically say η κοπέλα μου or η σύντροφός μου, depending on context.