Χτες το μεσημέρι έφαγα ψωμί και ήπια τσάι.

Yesterday at noon I ate bread and drank tea.

Breakdown of Χτες το μεσημέρι έφαγα ψωμί και ήπια τσάι.

• το τσάι: the tea
• πίνω: to drink
• και: and
• τρώω: to eat
• το ψωμί: the bread
• χτες: yesterday
• το μεσημέρι: at noon

Questions & Answers about Χτες το μεσημέρι έφαγα ψωμί και ήπια τσάι.

What tense are the verbs έφαγα and ήπια?

They are in the aorist (simple past), used for completed events. Both are irregular:

• τρώω → έφαγα (aorist), θα φάω (future), έχω φάει (perfect)
• πίνω → ήπια (aorist), θα πιω (future), έχω πιει (perfect)

Could I say έτρωγα ψωμί και έπινα τσάι instead? What changes?

Yes; that’s the imperfect (past continuous/habitual). It means “I was eating bread and drinking tea (at that time)” or describes a repeated habit. The original aorist (έφαγα, ήπια) presents the events as completed once.

Why is there a definite article το before μεσημέρι? Do I need a preposition like “at”?

Greek uses the definite article with parts of the day to form time expressions, without a preposition: το πρωί, το μεσημέρι, το βράδυ. So χτες το μεσημέρι = “yesterday at noon/early afternoon.” No extra “at” is needed.

Is χτες the same as χθες or εχτές? Which one should I use?

All mean “yesterday.” χτες is the most common in everyday speech; χθες is a bit more formal; εχτές is also common. Use χτες unless you want a more formal tone. Related adjective: χτεσινός/ή/ό (“yesterday’s”).

Does και have to become κι before ήπια?

No. Both are correct. κι is the euphonic form of και used before a vowel, so you can write either και ήπια or κι ήπια.

Where is the subject? Can I say εγώ?

Greek is a pro‑drop language; the subject (“I”) is encoded in the verb endings, so it’s omitted by default. You can add εγώ for emphasis or contrast: Εγώ χτες το μεσημέρι έφαγα… (“I, as opposed to someone else, ate…”).

Why are there no articles with ψωμί and τσάι? How would I say “a loaf of bread” or “a tea”?

As mass nouns used indefinitely, they appear without an article: έφαγα ψωμί, ήπια τσάι = “(some) bread/tea.” To be specific:

• “some bread/tea”: λίγο ψωμί, λίγο τσάι
• “a loaf of bread”: ένα ψωμί (context implies a loaf)
• “a tea” (e.g., when ordering): ένα τσάι, παρακαλώ

What case are ψωμί and τσάι? How can I tell?

They’re accusative as direct objects. For neuter nouns, nominative/accusative/vocative are identical in the singular, so their form doesn’t change. Useful forms:

• το ψωμί, genitive του ψωμιού, plural τα ψωμιά
• το τσάι, genitive του τσαγιού, plural (for kinds) τα τσάγια

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate pronunciation: “HTES to mesi-MÉ-ri É-fa-ga pso-MÍ ke Í-pya TSÁ-i.” Notes:

• χ in Χτες is like the harsh h in Scottish “loch” ().
• τσ in τσάι is “ts.”
• ήπια sounds like “EE-pya” (the π and ι glide together).
• Main stresses: χτες, μεσηΜΈρι, Éφαγα, ψοΜΊ, Íπια, ΤΣΆι.

Should τσάι be written τσαΐ with a diaeresis?

It’s normally written τσάι. The accent on ά already signals that the vowels are pronounced separately (τσά‑ι). τσαΐ is also acceptable but less common. You must use a diaeresis when needed to show separate vowels without such an accent (e.g., Μαΐου, σαΐτα).

Can I move the time phrase to the end?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible. For example:

• Έφαγα ψωμί και ήπια τσάι χτες το μεσημέρι. Fronting the time phrase (Χτες το μεσημέρι…) is very common and natural.

Do I need a comma after Χτες το μεσημέρι?

Not required. You may add a comma for a deliberate pause or emphasis: Χτες το μεσημέρι, έφαγα… but most often it’s written without a comma.

Can I use the Greek perfect with χτες (e.g., Έχω φάει… / Έχω πιει… χτες)?

Generally no. The Greek present perfect (έχω φάει, έχω πιει) expresses a present result/relevance and usually does not combine with a specific past time like χτες. Use the aorist instead: Χτες έφαγα… και ήπια….