Learn Hardcore Greek: Τι γίνεται στο γραφείο σήμερα;

It’s the 3rd person singular present middle/passive of γίνομαι (“to become; to happen; to be made; to take place”). Here it’s used impersonally to mean “is happening/going on,” so Τι γίνεται στο γραφείο σήμερα; is “What’s going on at the office today?”

Why does the verb end in -ται (middle/passive), not active?

Because γίνομαι is a deponent verb in Modern Greek: it uses middle/passive forms with active meaning. Present tense snapshot:

εγώ γίνομαι
εσύ γίνεσαι
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό γίνεται (the form in the sentence)

Could I say Τι συμβαίνει or Τι τρέχει instead of Τι γίνεται?

Yes, with nuance:

Τι συμβαίνει…; = “What’s happening…?” Slightly more formal/neutral.
Τι τρέχει…; = “What’s up/What’s going on…?” More colloquial.
Τι γίνεται…; is very common and broad, everyday style.

What does στο stand for?

It’s the contraction of σε + το (“in/at/to the” for neuter nouns). Related contractions:

σε + τον = στον (masculine)
σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν) (feminine)
σε + το = στο (neuter, as in στο γραφείο)

What case is γραφείο here, and why?

Accusative singular. The preposition σε governs the accusative. With neuter -o nouns, nominative and accusative look the same (το γραφείο), so the article shows the case. Genitive would be του γραφείου (“of the office”).

Does γραφείο mean “office” or “desk” here?

Both are possible in Greek, but in this context it means “the office (workplace).” To mean “on the desk,” Greek usually adds a clarifier: (πάνω) στο γραφείο = “on the desk.”

Can σήμερα go elsewhere, or must it be at the end?

Word order is flexible. You can say:

Σήμερα, τι γίνεται στο γραφείο;
Τι γίνεται σήμερα στο γραφείο; Placing σήμερα first highlights “today”; at the end is very natural too.

Why not say Τι είναι στο γραφείο σήμερα;?

That means “What is in the office today?”—it asks about things present (objects/people). Τι γίνεται… asks about events or activity (“what’s happening”).

Why is γίνεται singular if multiple things might be happening?

It’s an impersonal construction (like English “what’s going on”), so Greek uses 3rd person singular. Other impersonal examples: Βρέχει (“It’s raining”), Απαγορεύεται (“It’s forbidden”).

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate pronunciation:

Τι: “tee” [ti]
γίνεται: “YEE-neh-teh” [ˈʝinete]
στο: “sto” [sto]
γραφείο: “gra-FEE-o” [ɣraˈfio]
σήμερα: “SEE-meh-ra” [ˈsimera] Notes: γ before ι/ε sounds like a soft “y/gh” ([ʝ]); before α/ο/ου it’s a hard “gh” ([ɣ]). ει = “ee”; -αι- in -ται sounds like “e.”

What’s the “semicolon” at the end?

In Greek, the question mark is written as a semicolon-like symbol: ; So …σήμερα; is a question. The Greek “real” semicolon is the raised dot (·, the ano teleia).

Can I drop the article and say σε γραφείο?

Yes, but it changes the meaning to “in/at an office.” For your workplace, Greek normally uses the definite article: στο γραφείο (“at the office”).

How might someone answer this question?

Examples:

Όλα καλά. = “All good.”
Γίνεται χαμός! = “It’s chaos!”
Έχουμε πολλή δουλειά. = “We have a lot of work.”
Τίποτα ιδιαίτερο. = “Nothing special.”

How do I ask about past or future events?

Past (aorist): Τι έγινε στο γραφείο σήμερα; = “What happened at the office today?”
Past (ongoing, imperfect): Τι γινόταν στο γραφείο σήμερα; = “What was going on at the office today?”
Future: Τι θα γίνει στο γραφείο σήμερα; = “What will happen at the office today?”

Is there a more general way to say “at work” instead of στο γραφείο?

Yes: στη δουλειά. For example, Τι γίνεται στη δουλειά σήμερα; = “What’s going on at work today?”

Can γίνεται also mean “Is it possible?” or “Can it be done?” in other contexts?

Yes. Standalone Γίνεται; = “Is it possible?” and Δεν γίνεται. = “It can’t be done/No way.” That’s a different (but very common) use of the same verb.

Why Τι and not Ποιο?

Τι = “what” (open-ended). Ποιο = “which/which one/what (kind of)” and typically comes before a noun: Ποιο είναι το πρόβλημα; = “Which/What is the problem?” In your sentence, Τι is the natural choice.