Breakdown of Σταματάω να δουλεύω στις έξι και μετά τρώω με τη γιαγιά μου.
Questions & Answers about Σταματάω να δουλεύω στις έξι και μετά τρώω με τη γιαγιά μου.
Greek usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.
- Σταματάω already shows 1st person singular from its ending -άω.
- So Σταματάω by itself means I stop / I am stopping.
- Adding εγώ (I) is only needed for emphasis or contrast:
- Εγώ σταματάω, αλλά εσύ συνεχίζεις.
(I stop, but you continue.)
- Εγώ σταματάω, αλλά εσύ συνεχίζεις.
So the sentence does not need a separate word for I; it is built into the verb form.
Να introduces a verb in the subjunctive and is often the way Greek expresses an infinitive‑like idea.
- English uses a bare infinitive here: I stop working.
- Greek uses: σταματάω να δουλεύω (literally: I stop that I work / I stop to be working).
So:
- σταματάω = I stop
- να δουλεύω = to be working
Together: I stop working. You normally must have να before the second verb in this structure; σταματάω δουλεύω is wrong.
The choice between να δουλεύω and να δουλέψω is about aspect:
- να δουλεύω (present / imperfective) focuses on an ongoing or repeated action.
- σταματάω να δουλεύω: I stop the activity of working (habitually or as an ongoing process).
- να δουλέψω (aorist / perfective) would focus on a single, complete event.
- σταματάω να δουλέψω is unusual and sounds like: I stop in order to work (I stop doing something else, so that I can work).
So for the meaning stop working, Greek uses να δουλεύω.
Both mean the same thing: I stop.
- σταματάω: more common in everyday spoken Greek.
- σταματώ: a bit more formal or written style, but also heard in speech.
They are just two parallel present forms of the same verb σταματάω / σταματώ. You can conjugate both:
- σταματάω, σταματάς, σταματάει…
- σταματώ, σταματάς, σταματά…
In this sentence, you could replace Σταματάω with Σταματώ without changing the meaning.
Στις έξι is the standard way to say at six (o’clock).
- σε = in / at
- τις = feminine plural accusative article (the)
σε + τις contracts to στις.
We use the feminine plural because it refers to the implied word ώρες (hours):
- στις έξι (ώρες) = at six hours → at six o’clock.
σε έξι would mean in six (units), usually in six [days/years/etc.], not clock time.
Greek conceptualizes clock times as hours in the plural:
- στις έξι (ώρες) = literally at the six hours.
So:
- 1:00 → στη μία (hour in the singular)
- 2:00 → στις δύο (hours in the plural)
- 6:00 → στις έξι
English does not show the word hours in the phrase, but Greek grammar still follows the noun ώρες behind the scenes.
It most naturally suggests a habitual or generally true statement:
- Σταματάω να δουλεύω στις έξι.
→ I (normally / usually) stop working at six.
But context can also make it refer to the near future, similar to English present used for schedules:
- If you say it while talking about today’s plan, it can mean:
I stop working at six (today).
So it works like English:
- I finish work at six (habit or planned arrangement), depending on context.
Και μετά explicitly expresses sequence: and then / and afterwards.
- Σταματάω να δουλεύω στις έξι και μετά τρώω…
→ I stop working at six, and then I eat…
Without και μετά, the sentence:
- Σταματάω να δουλεύω στις έξι, τρώω με τη γιαγιά μου.
is still understandable, but feels more like just listing two things. Και μετά makes the chronological order clearer and more natural in Greek.
You could also say:
- Μετά τρώω με τη γιαγιά μου.
- Και μετά τρώω…
All are acceptable; και μετά is just a very typical, smooth connector.
Τρώω is pronounced approximately [TRO-o], with two syllables:
- τρώ‑ω: the first ω carries the stress, the second shows that the vowel is long in spelling but not really longer in modern pronunciation.
Historically, Greek had different vowel lengths; modern Greek keeps some of that in writing. So don’t overlengthen it; just pronounce it like τρό‑ο quickly: TRO-o.
Common confusion:
- τρώω = I eat
- τρώς = you (sg) eat
- τρώει = he/she/it eats
Both mean I eat, but:
- τρώω is the normal modern form, used everywhere in speech and writing.
- τρώγω is archaic / very formal / literary. You might see it in older texts, in set phrases, or in very formal style, but not in everyday speech.
In this sentence, you should definitely use τρώω.
Greek normally uses the definite article with family members when you specify my / your / his etc.:
- η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
- ο πατέρας μου = my father
- η αδελφή σου = your sister
As an object:
- βλέπω τη γιαγιά μου = I see my grandmother
- τρώω με τη γιαγιά μου = I eat with my grandmother
Dropping the article (με γιαγιά μου) is generally incorrect in standard Greek. The article is part of the normal noun phrase.
The full accusative feminine article is την. In everyday modern Greek, the final -ν is often dropped in writing and speech, except before certain sounds.
The common rule (in school grammar) is:
- Keep -ν before:
- vowels
- and consonants: κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ
Otherwise, you can drop it.
Since γιαγιά starts with γ, which is not one of those consonants, many people write:
- τη γιαγιά μου
Writing την γιαγιά μου is also accepted in practice; it just keeps the historical -ν. Both are understood, but τη γιαγιά μου follows the modern spelling convention.
In Greek, short possessive pronouns μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους are enclitics: they usually go after the noun:
- η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
- ο φίλος σου = your friend
- το σπίτι μας = our house
To emphasize the possessor, Greek can use δικός / δική / δικό before the noun:
- η δική μου γιαγιά = my own grandmother / my grandmother (emphasized)
But in neutral statements like this sentence, the normal pattern is article + noun + possessive:
η γιαγιά μου, τη γιαγιά μου.
Σταματάω να δουλεύω στις έξι is the most natural order.
Σταματάω στις έξι να δουλεύω is grammatically possible, but:
- It sounds less natural.
- It could momentarily confuse the listener, because στις έξι is usually expected to go after the whole phrase να δουλεύω in this structure.
Greek word order is flexible, but some positions are more idiomatic than others. For a learner, it is best to keep στις έξι close to the verb it modifies, i.e. δουλεύω.
For clock time, you must say στις έξι.
- στις έξι → at six o’clock
- στα έξι would suggest in the six [something] and is not used for time on the clock.
You might see στα έξι in other contexts, e.g.:
- στα έξι μου χρόνια = at my six years (when I was six years old)
But for telling time, use στη μία, στις δύο, στις τρεις, στις έξι, etc.
In this sentence, yes: με corresponds directly to with:
- τρώω με τη γιαγιά μου = I eat with my grandmother.
Some extra notes:
- με can also mean by / by means of:
- πάω με το λεωφορείο = I go by bus.
- When you want to strongly emphasize togetherness, you can say μαζί με:
- τρώω μαζί με τη γιαγιά μου = I eat together with my grandmother.
But in the sentence you gave, simple με is exactly with.