Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.

Breakdown of Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.

ο καφές
the coffee
πίνω
to drink
κάθε Κυριακή
every Sunday
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Questions & Answers about Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.

What form of the verb is Πίνω, and what does it tell us about the subject?

Πίνω is:

  • the present tense
  • 1st person singular
  • active voice of the verb πίνω (to drink).

In Greek, the verb ending here already includes the subject “I”. So πίνω by itself means “I drink / I am drinking”.
That’s why no separate pronoun (εγώ) is needed.

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence?

Greek is a “pro-drop” language: the subject pronoun is often left out because the verb ending shows who the subject is.

  • Πίνω = I drink
  • Πίνεις = you drink
  • Πίνει = he/she/it drinks

So εγώ πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή is possible, but you usually say simply Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.
You only add εγώ for emphasis or contrast, e.g. Εγώ πίνω καφέ, όχι τσάιI drink coffee, not tea.

Does Πίνω mean “I drink” or “I am drinking”? How do I know?

Modern Greek present tense covers both English:

  • “I drink” (simple present)
  • “I am drinking” (present continuous)

So Πίνω καφέ can mean either I drink coffee or I am drinking coffee (now) depending on context.

In your sentence, the phrase κάθε Κυριακή (every Sunday) clearly shows a habit, so the best English translation is “I drink coffee every Sunday.”

Why is there no article before καφέ? Why not τον καφέ or έναν καφέ?

In Greek, when you talk about something in general (especially food and drink), you often omit the article:

  • Πίνω καφέ.I drink coffee / I have coffee (in general).
  • Τρώω ψωμί.I eat bread.

If you add an article, the meaning becomes more specific:

  • Πίνω έναν καφέ.I drink a (cup of) coffee.
    (one coffee, a specific portion)
  • Πίνω τον καφέ μου.I am drinking my coffee.
    (a particular coffee already known in the situation)

In Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή, you are talking about the habit of drinking coffee, not about a specific cup, so omitting the article is normal and natural.

What case is καφέ in, and what is its basic dictionary form?

καφέ here is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of the verb πίνω.

The dictionary form (nominative singular) is:

  • ο καφέςthe coffee (as a drink, or “a coffee” in a café).

The singular forms are:

  • ο καφές – nominative (subject)
  • του καφέ – genitive
  • τον καφέ – accusative
  • (καφέ) – vocative

In your sentence, Πίνω καφέ is a shortened form of Πίνω (τον) καφέ; the article is dropped because it’s a generic statement.

Is καφέ here the noun “coffee” or the adjective “brown”?

Here καφέ is the noun “coffee” in the accusative singular of ο καφές.

Greek also has an invariable adjective καφέ meaning “brown” (e.g. καφέ μάτια – brown eyes).
In your sentence we have:

  • a verb that takes a noun as its direct object (drink coffee),
  • no noun after καφέ that it could modify (brown something),

so it must be the noun “coffee,” not the color.

What does κάθε mean, and why is Κυριακή singular instead of plural?

κάθε means “every” / “each”.

The pattern is:

  • κάθε
    • singular noun

So you say:

  • κάθε μέρα – every day
  • κάθε μήνα – every month
  • κάθε Κυριακή – every Sunday

Even though in English you say “every Sunday”, Greek uses the singular after κάθε.
Grammatically, Κυριακή here is in the accusative singular, functioning as a time expression: on every Sunday.

What gender is Κυριακή, and how does it change in other forms?

Κυριακή (Sunday) is feminine.

Main forms (singular):

  • η Κυριακή – nominative (subject)
  • της Κυριακής – genitive
  • την Κυριακή – accusative (also used for “on Sunday”)
  • Κυριακή! – vocative (rarely used)

Plural:

  • οι Κυριακές – nominative
  • των Κυριακών – genitive
  • τις Κυριακές – accusative (on Sundays)

In κάθε Κυριακή, the form happens to be the same as nominative, but here its function is accusative as a time expression.

Why is Κυριακή capitalized? Are days of the week always written with a capital letter in Greek?

In the sentence you have, Κυριακή is capitalized, and this is very common in textbooks and everyday writing.

Officially, many style guides in modern Greek recommend lowercase for days and months (they are common nouns, not proper names), so you might also see:

  • κάθε κυριακή

In practice:

  • Both Κυριακή and κυριακή are encountered.
  • As a learner, using a capital Κυριακή is perfectly acceptable and widely understood.

Just be aware that some native texts will write it with a lowercase initial.

How would I say “I drink coffee on Sunday” (one specific Sunday), not “every Sunday”?

To talk about one specific Sunday (e.g. this coming Sunday), you normally use the definite article:

  • Την Κυριακή πίνω καφέ.
    On Sunday I drink coffee / I’m drinking coffee on Sunday.

Some contrasts:

  • Την Κυριακή πίνω καφέ. – On (that particular) Sunday I drink coffee.
  • Τις Κυριακές πίνω καφέ. – On Sundays (in general) I drink coffee.
  • Κάθε Κυριακή πίνω καφέ. – Every Sunday I drink coffee.

So κάθε Κυριακή = every Sunday (habit), while την Κυριακή = on Sunday (specific).

Can I change the word order, e.g. Κάθε Κυριακή πίνω καφέ? Does the meaning change?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, and all of these are grammatical:

  • Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.
  • Κάθε Κυριακή πίνω καφέ.
  • Κάθε Κυριακή καφέ πίνω. (more marked/emphatic)
  • Καφέ πίνω κάθε Κυριακή. (emphasis on coffee)

The basic meaning (“I drink coffee every Sunday”) stays the same.
What changes is the emphasis:

  • Κάθε Κυριακή πίνω καφέ. – emphasizes the time (“every Sunday”).
  • Καφέ πίνω κάθε Κυριακή. – emphasizes that it is coffee (and not something else) that you drink every Sunday.

Your original order Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή is very natural and neutral.

How do you pronounce Πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή?

Approximate pronunciation (in plain English sounds):

  • ΠίνωPEE-no (stress on Πί)
  • καφέ – kah-FE (stress on φέ)
  • κάθεKA-the (th as in think, stress on κά)
  • Κυριακή – kee-ria-KEE (stress on κή; roll the ρ lightly)

In IPA (for more precision):

  • Πίνω – /ˈpino/
  • καφέ – /kaˈfe/
  • κάθε – /ˈkaθe/
  • Κυριακή – /ciriaˈci/ (the γ before ι/η sounds like a soft “y” sound /ʝ/)
How do I say “I don’t drink coffee every Sunday”?

You make the verb negative with δεν (or δε in informal speech) before the verb:

  • Δεν πίνω καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.
    I don’t drink coffee every Sunday.

Word order stays the same; just insert δεν before πίνω.

How would I say “I drink a coffee every Sunday” (emphasizing one cup each Sunday)?

Use the indefinite article ένας (masculine) in the accusative:

  • Πίνω έναν καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.
    I drink a coffee every Sunday. / I have one coffee every Sunday.

Here:

  • ένας (nom.) → έναν (acc.)
  • καφές (nom.) → καφέ (acc.)

This suggests one coffee (one cup) per Sunday, rather than coffee in general.

How would I say “I used to drink coffee every Sunday” (past habit)?

For a past habitual action in Greek, you normally use the imperfect tense:

  • Έπινα καφέ κάθε Κυριακή.
    I used to drink coffee every Sunday. / I was drinking coffee every Sunday.

Here έπινα is the imperfect of πίνω:

  • πίνω – I drink / I am drinking
  • έπινα – I used to drink / I was drinking (repeated, ongoing in the past)

You can add συνήθως (usually) if you want to stress the habit even more:

  • Συνήθως έπινα καφέ κάθε Κυριακή. – I usually used to drink coffee every Sunday.