Χτες πήγα σπίτι νωρίς.

Yesterday I went home early.

Breakdown of Χτες πήγα σπίτι νωρίς.

• πάω: to go
• το σπίτι: the home
• νωρίς: early
• χτες: yesterday

Questions & Answers about Χτες πήγα σπίτι νωρίς.

Are there different ways to say “yesterday” in Greek (χτες, χθες, εχτές, εχθές)? Which should I use?

• All four mean “yesterday.”
• χτες and χθες are the most common in writing; χτες feels a bit more colloquial, χθες a bit more formal.
• εχτές and εχθές are also correct; εχτές is common in speech, εχθές sounds more formal/old-fashioned.
• Accent: χτες/χθες are usually written without an accent; εχτές/εχθές take an accent (on -τές/-θές) because they’re two syllables.
• Pronunciation: most speakers say [xtes]; with χθ- many say [xθes].

Where can I place the time word χτες and the adverb νωρίς in the sentence?

All of these are natural, with small differences in emphasis:

• Χτες πήγα σπίτι νωρίς. (neutral, very common)
• Πήγα σπίτι νωρίς χτες. (mild focus on the time at the end)
• Νωρίς πήγα σπίτι (χτες). (fronted emphasis on “early”)
• Πήγα νωρίς σπίτι (χτες). (also highlights “early”)

Why is there no “to” or article before σπίτι? Shouldn’t it be στο σπίτι?

• Greek often uses certain place nouns bare as adverbs of place/direction: πάω σπίτι (go home), είμαι σπίτι (be at home), πάω δουλειά (go to work), πάω σχολείο (go to school).
• σπίτι bare conveys the general idea “home.”
• στο σπίτι (“to the house/home”) is also correct and very common; it can sound a bit more specific or contrastive, but in everyday speech the difference is often minimal.

When would I prefer στο σπίτι over bare σπίτι?

• When you mean a specific house (e.g., someone else’s): Χτες πήγα στο σπίτι του Γιάννη νωρίς.
• When contrasting with other places: “I didn’t go out; I went to the house.”
• Otherwise, both πήγα σπίτι and πήγα στο σπίτι can mean “I went home.”

What tense is πήγα, and how is it different from πήγαινα?

• πήγα = aorist (simple past), a single completed event: “I went.”
• πήγαινα = imperfect (past continuous/habitual): “I was going / I used to go.”
  Examples:
• Χτες πήγα σπίτι νωρίς. (completed trip)
• Χτες πήγαινα σπίτι όταν με πήρες. (I was on my way when you called)
• Κάθε μέρα πήγαινα σπίτι νωρίς. (habit)

Is πήγα the past of πάω or πηγαίνω? How do I conjugate it?

• It’s the aorist of the verb “to go,” whose present can be πάω (very common) or πηγαίνω (also common, often more continuous/formal). Both share the aorist stem πήγ-.
• Aorist: πήγα, πήγες, πήγε, πήγαμε, πήγατε, πήγαν(ε).
• Imperfect: πήγαινα, πήγαινες, πήγαινε, πηγαίναμε, πηγαίνατε, πήγαιναν.

Can I say ήρθα σπίτι νωρίς instead of πήγα? What’s the difference?

• πήγα = “I went” (movement away from the starting point; neutral regarding the endpoint).
• ήρθα = “I came” (movement toward the speaker’s or listener’s location).
  Use ήρθα σπίτι νωρίς if you frame it as arriving where you/they are (e.g., on the phone to someone at home).

How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

• IPA: [xtes ˈpiɣa ˈspiti noˈris] (also [xθes …] if you pronounce the χθ- cluster).
• Quick guide: χ like German “Bach” ; γ before α/ο/ου is a soft “gh” [ɣ].
• Stress where you see accents: πήγα, σπίτι, νωρίς.
• Rough English cue: “Kh-tes PEE-gha SPEE-tee no-REES.”

Can I put νωρίς before σπίτι?

Yes. Χτες πήγα νωρίς σπίτι is natural and slightly foregrounds “early.” Both orders (σπίτι νωρίς / νωρίς σπίτι) are fine.

How do I say “very early,” “earlier,” or “as early as possible”?

• Very early: πολύ νωρίς, πάρα πολύ νωρίς.
• Earlier: νωρίτερα or πιο νωρίς.
• As early as possible: όσο πιο νωρίς γίνεται.
• Strong/rare: νωρίτατα (“extremely early”).

Is πρωί the same as νωρίς?

• No. πρωί = “morning” (time of day). νωρίς = “early” (earlier than expected).
• “Early in the morning”: νωρίς το πρωί or colloquially πρωί-πρωί.

What case is σπίτι here, and why does it look the same in different cases?

• σπίτι is neuter; nominative and accusative singular share the same form.
• Here it’s an adverbial accusative of destination (“home”).
• Key forms: nomin./acc. sg. σπίτι, gen. sg. σπιτιού.

How do I negate the sentence?

• Put δεν before the verb: Χτες δεν πήγα σπίτι νωρίς.
• The -ν in δεν stays here because the next word starts with π.

Do I need to say the subject pronoun “I” (εγώ)?

• No. Greek is pro‑drop; the verb ending shows the subject.
• Use Εγώ only for emphasis/contrast: Εγώ χτες πήγα σπίτι νωρίς (όχι ο Γιάννης).

Should I add μου and say σπίτι μου?

• Optional. πήγα σπίτι already implies “(my) home.”
• πήγα σπίτι μου emphasizes it’s your own place or contrasts with someone else’s: “I went to my place.”