Χτες βράδυ είχε θόρυβο και δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά.

Last night there was noise and I didn’t sleep well.

Breakdown of Χτες βράδυ είχε θόρυβο και δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά.

• καλά: well
• και: and
• έχω: to have
• δεν: not
• το βράδυ: in the evening
• κοιμάμαι: to sleep
• χτες: yesterday
• ο θόρυβος: the noise

Questions & Answers about Χτες βράδυ είχε θόρυβο και δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά.

Is Χτες βράδυ correct, or should it be χτες το βράδυ?

• Both are natural. Χτες το βράδυ is a bit more common.
• Χτες βράδυ is an elliptical time expression, fine in speech and writing.
• You can also hear χθες το βράδυ (more formal) and εχτές το βράδυ.

What’s the difference among χτες, χθες, and εχθές/εχτές?

• They all mean yesterday.
• χτες is the most common in everyday speech.
• χθες and εχθές feel more formal/literary.
• Spelling tip: χτες/χθες are monosyllabic and normally have no accent mark; εχτές/εχθές are disyllabic and take the accent on -τές.

Can I say χτες τη νύχτα instead of χτες (το) βράδυ?

• Yes. βράδυ is evening/nighttime in general; νύχτα is the deeper night.
• Χτες τη νύχτα suggests later hours; χτες (το) βράδυ can include the evening.

Why does Greek say είχε θόρυβο to mean “there was noise”?

• Greek often uses έχει/είχε impersonally to mean “there is/was”: έχει κόσμο (it’s crowded), είχε κίνηση (there was traffic).
• You can also say υπήρχε θόρυβος (more formal/neutral).
• Don’t use ήταν θόρυβος for existence; είναι doesn’t work that way.

Why is θόρυβο in the accusative?

• έχω takes a direct object, so θόρυβο is the object in the accusative.
• Nominative: θόρυβος; Accusative: θόρυβο.

Could I say ήταν θόρυβος to mean “there was noise”?

• No. For existence, use υπήρχε θόρυβος or the idiomatic είχε θόρυβο. Ήταν θόρυβος is unidiomatic.

How do I say “there was a lot of noise”?

• Most natural: Είχε πολύ θόρυβο.
• With υπάρχω: Υπήρχε πολύς θόρυβος (subject in nominative).
• With the synonym φασαρία (feminine): Είχε πολλή φασαρία.
• Avoid πολλό θόρυβο; use πολύ θόρυβο.

What tense/form is κοιμήθηκα?

• It’s the aorist (simple past), 1st person singular.
• The verb is κοιμάμαι (I sleep), which is middle-only; its aorist is κοιμήθηκα. Despite the -θηκα ending (passive-looking), it means “I slept.”

What’s the difference between δεν κοιμήθηκα and δεν κοιμόμουν?

• δεν κοιμήθηκα (aorist): a completed event in the past — I didn’t sleep (well) last night.
• δεν κοιμόμουν (imperfect): an ongoing state in the past — I wasn’t sleeping / I used not to sleep (at some past time/period).

Could I use the perfect, like δεν έχω κοιμηθεί καλά?

• Δεν έχω κοιμηθεί καλά = I haven’t slept well (up to now), focusing on a present result.
• For a specific, finished time like last night, Greek normally uses the aorist: δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά.

Why is it καλά and not καλό or καλός?

• Καλά here is an adverb meaning “well.” Many Greek adverbs come from adjectives in the -α form: καλός → καλά, γρήγορος → γρήγορα.
• Καλό/καλός are adjective forms (“good”) and don’t modify verbs.

Do I need to say εγώ? Why is the subject missing?

• Greek verb endings show the subject, so κοιμήθηκα already means “I slept.”
• You add εγώ only for emphasis/contrast: Εγώ δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά, οι άλλοι κοιμήθηκαν.

Can I change the word order?

• Yes. Common options, with slight differences in emphasis:
  • Χτες (το) βράδυ είχε θόρυβο και δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά.
  • Δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά χτες (το) βράδυ, γιατί είχε θόρυβο.
  • Είχε θόρυβο χτες (το) βράδυ και δεν κοιμήθηκα καλά.

Why δεν and not μην?

• δεν negates indicative verbs (statements, questions): δεν κοιμήθηκα.
• μη(ν) is used with the subjunctive/imperative or after να/ας: να μη(ν) κοιμηθώ, μη(ν) μιλάς.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• χ in είχε is the soft [ç] (like German ich); in words like χτες, it’s (like Bach).
• θ is voiceless, like English th in think.
• οι in κοιμήθηκα sounds like [i]; stress is on -μή-: koimíthika.
• The final -ν in δεν is normally kept before κ in κοιμήθηκα, and many speakers pronounce it as a nasal kimíθika.

Are there useful synonyms for θόρυβος here?

• Φασαρία (commotion, racket): Χτες το βράδυ είχε φασαρία.
• Θορυβώδης is an adjective (noisy): Ήταν μια θορυβώδης νύχτα, but you wouldn’t use it with έχει.