Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς.

At night I usually sleep early.

Breakdown of Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς.

• κοιμάμαι: to sleep
• νωρίς: early
• συνήθως: usually
• το βράδυ: at night

Questions & Answers about Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς.

What does Το βράδυ literally mean, and why is there a definite article Το?

Το βράδυ literally means the evening or the night (more like in the evening / at night in English).

• Το is the neuter singular definite article (the).
• In Greek, time expressions like το βράδυ, το πρωί (in the morning), το μεσημέρι (at noon) commonly use the definite article, even when English does not use the.
• So Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς = In the evening I usually go to sleep early, not The evening I usually sleep early.

Is Το βράδυ the subject of the sentence?

No. The subject is I, which is contained in the verb ending of κοιμάμαι.

• κοιμάμαι = I sleep / I go to sleep.
• το βράδυ here is an adverbial expression of time (when? → in the evening).
• In Greek, the subject pronoun (εγώ = I) is usually omitted because the verb ending shows the person.

Why is there no separate word for in / at before το βράδυ?

Greek often uses the accusative case of time without a preposition to express when something happens.

• το βράδυ (accusative) = in the evening / at night
• Similarly: κάθε μέρα (every day), την Κυριακή (on Sunday), κάθε πρωί (every morning).

You could technically say το βράδυ το βράδυ, but you would not use σε το βράδυ—that would be incorrect. The simple το βράδυ already covers the idea of in the evening.

What is the difference between βράδυ and νύχτα?

Both relate to the later part of the day, but they are not identical:

• βράδυ = evening / early night (roughly from dusk until not-too-late at night).
  
  • το βράδυ βλέπω τηλεόραση = I watch TV in the evening.
• νύχτα = night (the full night period, especially the late hours or the time you actually sleep).
  
  • το βράδυ βγαίνω, τη νύχτα κοιμάμαι = In the evening I go out; at night I sleep.

In your sentence, το βράδυ perfectly fits the idea of the time of day when you typically go to bed.

What gender and case is βράδυ, and does it have a plural?

• βράδυ is neuter.
• Here it is in the accusative singular, but for neuter nouns the nominative and accusative look the same.
• The plural is βράδια (evenings/nights), for example:
  • Τα καλοκαιρινά βράδια είναι ζεστά. = Summer evenings are warm.

What does συνήθως mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

συνήθως means usually.

In this sentence:
Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς. = In the evening I usually sleep early.

Common positions:

• Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς. (very natural, neutral)
• Συνήθως το βράδυ κοιμάμαι νωρίς. (slight emphasis on usually as the general habit)
• Το βράδυ κοιμάμαι συνήθως νωρίς. (less common; gives extra emphasis to νωρίς).

Greek adverbs like συνήθως are quite flexible, but placing them before the verb is the most typical pattern.

Why is the verb κοιμάμαι and not a form like κοιμάω or something similar?

κοιμάμαι is a verb that uses middle/passive endings but has an active meaning. These are often called “deponent” verbs in traditional grammar terms.

• Dictionary form: κοιμάμαι (1st person singular, Present) = I sleep / I go to sleep.
• Present tense (common spoken forms):
  • εγώ κοιμάμαι – I sleep
  • εσύ κοιμάσαι – you sleep
  • αυτός/αυτή/αυτό κοιμάται – he/she/it sleeps
  • εμείς κοιμόμαστε
  • εσείς κοιμάστε
  • αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά κοιμούνται / κοιμάνε

Forms like κοιμάω / κοιμώ exist in more formal or older-style Greek, but in everyday speech κοιμάμαι (and its family) is what you use.

Is κοιμάμαι reflexive, like I put myself to sleep?

In meaning, no. In form, it looks similar to reflexive/passive verbs, but:

• κοιμάμαι simply means I sleep or I go to sleep.
• It does not usually imply that you are doing something to yourself (like I wash myself).

So it’s better to think of κοιμάμαι as a normal intransitive verb “to sleep” that just happens to use middle/passive endings.

What is the difference between κοιμάμαι and κοιμίζω?

• κοιμάμαι = I sleep / I go to sleep (what you do).
• κοιμίζω = I put someone to sleep / I make someone fall asleep.

Example:

• Κάθε βράδυ κοιμάμαι νωρίς. = Every evening I go to sleep early.
• Κάθε βράδυ κοιμίζω το παιδί μου. = Every evening I put my child to sleep.

What exactly does νωρίς mean, and does it change form?

νωρίς means early (in time).

• It is an adverb, so it does not change for gender, number, or case.
• Opposite: αργά = late.
• You can modify it:
  • πολύ νωρίς = very early
  • πιο νωρίς = earlier
  • αρκετά νωρίς = fairly early

So κοιμάμαι νωρίς = I go to sleep early.

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes, quite a bit, though the nuance changes slightly. All of these are grammatical:

• Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς. (neutral, very natural)
• Συνήθως το βράδυ κοιμάμαι νωρίς. (slightly more emphasis on the idea of “usually”)
• Το βράδυ κοιμάμαι συνήθως νωρίς. (less common; highlights νωρίς a bit more)
• Κοιμάμαι συνήθως νωρίς το βράδυ. (more emphasis on κοιμάμαι; very clear that my sleeping is what we’re talking about)

Greek word order is relatively flexible, but the original version is among the most standard.

Why don’t we see εγώ (I) in the sentence?

Modern Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are normally omitted when they’re clear from the verb ending.

• κοιμάμαι already tells us the subject is I (1st person singular).
• Εγώ το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς. is also correct, but εγώ adds emphasis, like:
  • As for me / I personally, in the evening I usually sleep early.

So the shorter Το βράδυ συνήθως κοιμάμαι νωρίς. is the most natural, neutral version.