Learn Hardcore Greek: Κάνω λίγη άσκηση στο γυμναστήριο κάθε πρωί πριν τον καφέ. - I do a bit of exercise at the gym every morning before coffee.

Yes, κάνω literally means “I do / I make”, but in Greek it’s very commonly used in fixed expressions where in English we’d use a different verb.

Here, κάνω λίγη άσκηση is understood as “I do some exercise / I work out a bit.”
You’ll see this pattern a lot:

κάνω άσκηση – I exercise / I do exercise
κάνω μπάνιο – I take a bath / shower
κάνω δουλειά – I work / I do work

So κάνω is a general “support verb” that combines with nouns to form natural expressions.

Why is it λίγη άσκηση and not λίγο άσκηση?

Because άσκηση is a feminine noun, and λίγη is the feminine form of “a little / some” that agrees with it.

Masculine: λίγος
Feminine: λίγη
Neuter: λίγο

Άσκηση (exercise) is feminine: η άσκηση, της άσκησης, την άσκηση.
So you must say λίγη άσκηση, not λίγο άσκηση.

You would use λίγο with neuter nouns, e.g.:

λίγο φαγητό – a little food
λίγο νερό – a little water

What’s the difference between άσκηση and γυμναστική? Could I say κάνω λίγη γυμναστική instead?

Yes, you can say κάνω λίγη γυμναστική, and it’s very natural.

Nuance:

άσκηση literally means “exercise” or “practice” in a broad sense.
- κάνω άσκηση – I exercise
- κάνω τις ασκήσεις – I do the exercises (e.g., homework, drills)
γυμναστική is more specifically “physical exercise / working out.”
- κάνω γυμναστική – I work out / I do physical exercise

In a gym context, κάνω λίγη άσκηση and κάνω λίγη γυμναστική both work. Γυμναστική sounds a bit more explicitly “workout / fitness,” but both are used in everyday speech.

What exactly is στο in στο γυμναστήριο?

Στο is a contraction (combination) of:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the, neuter singular)

So:

σε + το γυμναστήριο → στο γυμναστήριο = “at the gym / to the gym / in the gym”

This contraction is extremely common:

σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι – at home
σε + τον δρόμο → στον δρόμο – in the street
σε + την τσάντα → στην τσάντα – in the bag

Why is it στο γυμναστήριο and not just σε γυμναστήριο? Why do we need “the gym”?

Greek uses the definite article much more than English.

In English, “I exercise at the gym” and “I exercise at the gym” both use “the,” but we can also say “I go to gym” in some varieties (especially British English). In Greek, when you mean “the gym as a place you normally go,” you practically always use the article:

στο γυμναστήριο – at the gym (the usual place you go)

Σε γυμναστήριο without the article would sound more like “in a gym (some gym, not specified),” and still feels a bit odd in this habitual context.

So: for your regular, known gym, use στο γυμναστήριο.

What is κάθε in κάθε πρωί and why is there no article (το)?

Κάθε means “every / each.”

κάθε πρωί – every morning
κάθε μέρα – every day
κάθε βράδυ – every evening

When you use κάθε + time word, you normally don’t add the article:

✅ κάθε πρωί πίνω καφέ – I drink coffee every morning
✅ κάθε Κυριακή πάμε βόλτα – every Sunday we go for a walk

Saying το κάθε πρωί here would be wrong in this sense; κάθε already has that “every” meaning.

Why is it πριν τον καφέ and not just πριν καφέ?

In Greek, time expressions with πριν (“before”) commonly use a full noun phrase with an article:

πριν τον καφέ – before the coffee (i.e., before having coffee)
πριν το φαγητό – before the meal / before eating
πριν τη δουλειά – before work

English often drops the article: “before coffee,” “before work.” Greek usually keeps it: πριν τον καφέ, πριν τη δουλειά.

You can also say:

πριν από τον καφέ – also “before coffee,” a bit more explicit grammatically (preposition + article + noun).

Both πριν τον καφέ and πριν από τον καφέ are correct and natural.

Is πριν a preposition or a conjunction here? Does it always need από?

In modern Greek, πριν can act both as:

A preposition-like word before nouns:
- πριν τον καφέ
- πριν από τον καφέ
A conjunction before clauses:
- πριν πιω καφέ, κάνω λίγη άσκηση. – Before I drink coffee, I do some exercise.

When it’s directly followed by a noun (πριν τον καφέ), από is optional in everyday Greek:

πριν τον καφέ
πριν από τον καφέ

Both are fine. Some speakers feel πριν από is a bit clearer or slightly more formal, but both are extremely common.

Why is it τον καφέ and not something like ο καφές here?

Ο καφές is the nominative form (used for the subject):

Ο καφές είναι ζεστός. – The coffee is hot.

After πριν, you need the accusative case, because it functions like a preposition here.
Masculine accusative singular of ο καφές is:

τον καφέ

So:

πριν τον καφέ – before the coffee

This follows the regular masculine article pattern:

Nominative: ο καφές – the coffee (subject)
Accusative: τον καφέ – the coffee (object / after preposition-like words)

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Κάθε πρωί κάνω λίγη άσκηση στο γυμναστήριο πριν τον καφέ;

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially with adverbs and time/place phrases. All of these are natural and mean the same thing:

Κάνω λίγη άσκηση στο γυμναστήριο κάθε πρωί πριν τον καφέ.
Κάθε πρωί κάνω λίγη άσκηση στο γυμναστήριο πριν τον καφέ.
Κάθε πρωί, πριν τον καφέ, κάνω λίγη άσκηση στο γυμναστήριο.

Changing the order can slightly shift the emphasis (for example, starting with κάθε πρωί emphasizes the regular habit), but the basic meaning stays the same.

What tense is κάνω here? Is it like English “I do” or “I am doing”?

Κάνω is in the present tense (1st person singular), and in Greek the present tense covers both:

English “I do” (habitual):
- Κάθε πρωί κάνω λίγη άσκηση. – Every morning I exercise a bit.
English “I am doing” (right now):
- Τώρα κάνω λίγη άσκηση. – I’m exercising a bit now.

Greek normally uses the same present form for both meanings; context (e.g. κάθε πρωί vs τώρα) tells you whether it’s habitual or happening right now.

In your sentence, κάθε πρωί clearly makes it a habitual action: “I (usually) exercise a bit at the gym every morning before coffee.”

Is there another common way to say “I work out” besides κάνω λίγη άσκηση?

Yes, very common alternatives include:

κάνω (λίγη) γυμναστική – I do (a bit of) exercise / I work out
γυμνάζομαι – I work out / I exercise (literally “I exercise myself”)

Examples:

Κάθε πρωί γυμνάζομαι στο γυμναστήριο. – Every morning I work out at the gym.
Κάθε πρωί κάνω λίγη γυμναστική πριν τον καφέ. – Every morning I do a bit of exercise before coffee.

All of these are natural ways to describe a workout routine.