Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο καφές στο σπίτι δεν είναι τόσο ακριβός όσο στο εστιατόριο. - Coffee at home is not as expensive as at the restaurant.

Ο καφές literally means the coffee, but in many cases it corresponds to general “coffee” in English.
Here, Ο καφές στο σπίτι = Coffee at home (in general), not a specific cup of coffee.

So Greek prefers Ο καφές where English is happy with just “coffee.”

What does στο mean, and why is it written as one word?

Στο is a contraction:

σε (in / at / to)
το (the, neuter singular)
= στο

So:

στο σπίτι = σε + το σπίτι → at/in the house
στο εστιατόριο = σε + το εστιατόριο → at/in the restaurant

In modern Greek, these combinations are almost always written and spoken in the contracted form (στο, στη, στον, etc.).

Why is the negative word δεν used here, and where must it go in the sentence?

Δεν is the standard negative word used with most verbs in Greek.

The verb here is είναι (is).
The rule: δεν normally goes right before the verb:
- δεν είναι = is not

So in this sentence:

Ο καφές στο σπίτι δεν είναι τόσο ακριβός
= Coffee at home is not so/as expensive.

Another negative word, μη(ν), is used in different structures (especially with certain infinitive-like forms and commands), but with a normal finite verb like είναι, you use δεν.

How does τόσο … όσο work? Is it exactly like “as … as” in English?

Yes, it is the direct Greek equivalent of English “as … as.”

τόσο = so / as (to that degree)
όσο = as / as much as

Pattern:

τόσο + adjective + όσο + comparison

In the sentence:

τόσο ακριβός όσο στο εστιατόριο
= as expensive as at the restaurant

Because there is δεν (not), the whole thing becomes:

δεν είναι τόσο ακριβός όσο …
= is not as expensive as …

Could we drop τόσο and just say δεν είναι ακριβός όσο στο εστιατόριο?

In careful, standard Greek, the full comparative of equality is τόσο … όσο.

Colloquially, some speakers might drop τόσο, but it is:

Less standard / less careful.
More likely to sound incomplete or informal in writing.

For a learner, it’s best to remember the full pattern:

(δεν) είναι τόσο [adjective] όσο … → (not) as [adj] as …

Why is ακριβός in the masculine form here? Shouldn’t it somehow match καφές?

It does match καφές. Greek adjectives agree with the noun in:

Gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
Number (singular, plural)
Case (nominative, genitive, etc.)

Here:

ο καφές = masculine, singular, nominative
So the adjective must be masculine, singular, nominative: ακριβός

If the noun were different, the adjective would change:

η μπύρα είναι ακριβή (the beer is expensive – feminine)
το νερό είναι ακριβό (the water is expensive – neuter)

Why isn’t καφές repeated after όσο? Shouldn’t it say όσο ο καφές στο εστιατόριο?

Greek often omits repeated words when the meaning is clear, just like English can:

English: Coffee at home is not as expensive as (coffee) at the restaurant.

In Greek, we could say:

… όσο ο καφές στο εστιατόριο.

But it sounds completely natural—and is more typical—to drop the repeated noun since it is clear we’re still talking about coffee:

… όσο στο εστιατόριο.
= … as at the restaurant (is).

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Ο καφές στο σπίτι δεν είναι όσο στο εστιατόριο τόσο ακριβός?

The word order in the original sentence is the natural one:

Ο καφές στο σπίτι δεν είναι τόσο ακριβός όσο στο εστιατόριο.

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but not everything sounds natural.

Putting τόσο and όσο together around the adjective (τόσο ακριβός όσο …) is the normal comparative structure.
Your alternative (… δεν είναι όσο στο εστιατόριο τόσο ακριβός) is grammatically strange and unnatural.

You can, however, move some phrases without breaking the structure, e.g.:

Ο καφές στο σπίτι δεν είναι τόσο ακριβός όσο είναι στο εστιατόριο.
Στο σπίτι ο καφές δεν είναι τόσο ακριβός όσο στο εστιατόριο.

But always keep: τόσο + adjective + όσο + …

What exactly does στο σπίτι mean here: “in the house” or “at home”?

Literally, στο σπίτι = in/at the house.

However, in context it very often simply means “at home”, just like:

German: zu Hause
French: à la maison

So here:

Ο καφές στο σπίτι = Coffee at home (not necessarily inside the building, just “when you drink coffee at home”).

If you want to make it clearly personal, you can say:

στο σπίτι μου = at my house / at my home.

Why is it στο εστιατόριο and not just σε εστιατόριο?

Again, στο = σε + το. The article το (the) is normally used:

With specific places,
Or when talking about places in a general/generic way (like “the cinema,” “the office,” “the restaurant”).

Greek commonly uses the definite article where English might omit it.

στο εστιατόριο = literally “at the restaurant”, but often used like general “at a restaurant / at restaurants” in context.

You can say σε ένα εστιατόριο = in/at a restaurant (indefinite), but that would shift the meaning slightly toward “in some restaurant (one restaurant)”.

How would you say the opposite idea: “Coffee at the restaurant is more expensive than at home”?

You’d switch to the standard comparative with πιο … από (“more … than”):

Ο καφές στο εστιατόριο είναι πιο ακριβός από (τον) καφέ στο σπίτι.

Details:

πιο ακριβός = more expensive
από = than
Optionally, you can repeat the full noun phrase:
- από τον καφέ στο σπίτι
  or shorten it, if context is clear:
- από ό,τι στο σπίτι (“than it is at home”)

How do you pronounce καφές and why is the stress on the second syllable?

Pronunciation:

καφές → [ka-FÉS]

Greek stress:

Every word of more than one syllable has one stressed syllable, marked with an accent (΄).
In καφές, the accent is on -φές, so the second syllable is stressed.

Rough guide:

κα like “ka” in “cart” (without the ‘r’),
φ like “f” in “coffee,”
-ές like “es” in “less,” but with an e sound closer to “pet.”

Is σπίτι always “house,” or can it also mean “home”?

Σπίτι covers both ideas, depending on context:

το σπίτι = the house (physical building)
στο σπίτι = at home / in the house

In everyday speech:

Πάω σπίτι. = I’m going home. (no article)
Είμαι στο σπίτι. = I’m at home.

So in this sentence, it’s most natural to understand στο σπίτι as “at home.”

Is εστιατόριο the usual word for “restaurant”? Are there other options?

Yes, το εστιατόριο is the standard, neutral word for “restaurant.”

Other common words:

η ταβέρνα = taverna, usually a more traditional/Greek-style restaurant, often informal.
το σουβλατζίδικο = a place that mainly sells souvlaki/gyros (fast-food style).

In this sentence, στο εστιατόριο is the correct neutral choice for “at the restaurant.”