Μερικές φορές συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου με τη συνάδελφό μου στη δουλειά.

Sometimes I talk about my hobbies with my colleague (female) at work.

Breakdown of Μερικές φορές συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου με τη συνάδελφό μου στη δουλειά.

• η δουλειά: the work
• μου: my
• με: with
• σε: at
• μερικές φορές: sometimes
• η συνάδελφος: the female colleague
• για: about
• το χόμπι: the hobby
• συζητάω: to discuss

Questions & Answers about Μερικές φορές συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου με τη συνάδελφό μου στη δουλειά.

What does μερικές φορές literally mean, and can it go in other positions in the sentence?

Μερικές φορές literally means “some times” (i.e. on some occasions), and it corresponds to English “sometimes”.

In terms of word order, it’s quite flexible:

• Μερικές φορές συζητάω… – Very natural; adverb first (like “Sometimes I talk…”).
• Συζητάω μερικές φορές για τα χόμπι μου… – Also correct; now the adverb is after the verb.
• Συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου μερικές φορές με τη συνάδελφό μου… – Still correct, just a different rhythm.

Position mainly affects emphasis, not grammar. Putting μερικές φορές at the beginning is the most neutral and common in this type of sentence.

What’s the difference between συζητάω and συζητώ?

Both συζητάω and συζητώ mean “I discuss / I talk (about something)” and are grammatically correct.

• συζητάω

  • More common in everyday spoken Greek.
  • Belongs to the -άω verb type (like μιλάω, ρωτάω).
  • Full present: συζητάω, συζητάς, συζητάει/συζητά, συζητάμε, συζητάτε, συζητάνε.

• συζητώ

  • Slightly more formal or written style, but still used in speech.
  • Belongs to the -ώ verb type (like μιλώ, ρωτώ).
  • Full present: συζητώ, συζητάς, συζητά, συζητάμε, συζητάτε, συζητούν(ε).

In this sentence, συζητάω gives a natural, conversational tone. You could replace it with συζητώ without really changing the meaning:
Μερικές φορές συζητώ για τα χόμπι μου…

Why do we say συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου and not just συζητάω τα χόμπι μου?

In Greek, συζητάω can work in two ways:

1. συζητάω κάτι = “I discuss something”

   • e.g. Συζητάω το πρόβλημα. – “I discuss the problem.”

2. συζητάω για κάτι = “I talk/discuss about something”

   • e.g. Συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου. – “I talk about my hobbies.”

Both are correct structures, but with χόμπι it’s much more natural to use για, because in English you would normally say “talk about my hobbies”, not “discuss my hobbies” in casual speech.

You could say Συζητάω τα χόμπι μου, but it would sound a bit unusual or too literal; συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου is what speakers actually say in everyday conversation.

What kind of noun is χόμπι? Why is it τα χόμπι and not something like τα χόμπια?

Χόμπι is:

• a neuter noun (article το / τα),
• a loanword from English,
• and indeclinable (it keeps the same form in all cases and numbers).

So:

• Singular:
  • το χόμπι – the hobby
  • το χόμπι μου – my hobby
• Plural:
  • τα χόμπι – the hobbies
  • τα χόμπι μου – my hobbies

We do not say χόμπια. The article (το / τα) and context tell you whether it’s singular or plural.

In your sentence, τα χόμπι μου clearly means “my hobbies” (plural) because of the plural article τα.

What exactly does μου mean in τα χόμπι μου and τη συνάδελφό μου? Is it the same as “my”?

Yes. Μου is the unstressed (enclitic) form of the 1st person singular pronoun and here it means “my”.

Greek doesn’t use a separate possessive adjective like English my before the noun. Instead, it puts μου after the noun:

• το βιβλίο μου – my book
• η φίλη μου – my (female) friend
• τα χόμπι μου – my hobbies
• τη συνάδελφό μου – my colleague

Key points:

• μου is usually unstressed and always follows the noun.
• It never changes form; context tells you whether it is “my”, “to me”, etc. Here, clearly it is possessive (“my”).

So in your sentence:

• τα χόμπι μου = my hobbies
• τη συνάδελφό μου = my (female) colleague

Why is it τη συνάδελφό μου with a feminine article, when συνάδελφος ends in -ος like a masculine noun?

Συνάδελφος is a common gender noun: it can be masculine or feminine, depending on the article and context.

• ο συνάδελφος – the (male) colleague
• η συνάδελφος – the (female) colleague

So:

• Nominative:
  • ο συνάδελφος (he)
  • η συνάδελφος (she)
• Accusative:
  • τον συνάδελφο – the male colleague (object)
  • τη(ν) συνάδελφο – the female colleague (object)

In your sentence, you have τη συνάδελφό μου:

• τη – feminine accusative article “the”
• συνάδελφό – “colleague” in the feminine accusative form
• μου – my

So it clearly refers to “my female colleague”.

You may also see συναδέλφισσα in some contexts, but η συνάδελφος is very common and neutral for a female colleague.

Why is the accent on the last syllable in συνάδελφό instead of on νά, like in the basic form συνάδελφος?

The dictionary (nominative) form is:

• συνάδελφος – accent on νά (συνά-δελ-φος)

But when certain words that are stressed on the antepenultimate (third from last) syllable are followed by an enclitic like μου, the accent moves to the last syllable.

So:

• η συνάδελφος – “the colleague” (stress on νά)
• τη συνάδελφο – “the colleague” (object, still on νά)
• τη συνάδελφό μου – “my colleague” (now stressed on the final -φό)

This is a regular Greek accent rule with enclitics. The presence of μου changes the stress pattern of the word it attaches to, so you get συνάδελφό instead of συνάδελφο.

What does με mean in με τη συνάδελφό μου? Is it like English “with”?

Yes. Με is the preposition that corresponds to English “with”.

• με τη συνάδελφό μου = with my colleague
• με τον φίλο μου = with my (male) friend
• με την οικογένειά μου = with my family

You might also hear μαζί με, which adds a nuance of “together with”:

• Συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου με τη συνάδελφό μου.
  = I talk about my hobbies with my colleague.
• Συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου μαζί με τη συνάδελφό μου.
  = I, together with my colleague, talk about my hobbies. (Stronger sense of being a pair or group.)

In your sentence, simple με is the normal and expected choice.

What does στη δουλειά mean exactly, and why is it στη and not σε τη δουλειά or στην δουλειά?

Σε is a very flexible preposition in Greek, often meaning “in / at / to”.
With the feminine article τη, the combination σε + τη contracts to στη:

• σε + τη δουλειά → στη δουλειά = at work / at my job

So:

• σε + τη = στη
• σε + την = στην (with ν)

The ν in στην is kept before vowels and certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ).
Since δουλειά starts with δ, it’s common and standard to drop the ν and write στη δουλειά.

You might occasionally see or hear στην δουλειά in speech, but στη δουλειά is the standard form.

Meaning-wise, στη δουλειά here = “at work” (location).

How do you pronounce δουλειά, and why does it look so different from how it sounds?

Δουλειά is pronounced approximately:

• [ðulˈʝa] in IPA
• Roughly like “thool-YA” in English spelling (with a soft “th” as in this).

Breaking it down:

• δ = [ð], like English “th” in this
• ου = [u], like oo in food
• λει here = [li] but then palatalizes with the ά that follows
• ιά / λιά becomes [ʝa] (a soft “ya” sound)
• Stress is on the last syllable: δου-λειά

So you get something like ðul-YÁ.

The spelling reflects historical developments in Greek spelling (the combinations ει, ια, etc.), while the modern pronunciation has simplified, which is why it looks more complex than it sounds.

Can I change the word order, for example: Συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου με τη συνάδελφό μου στη δουλειά μερικές φορές?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. The version you gave is grammatically correct:

• Συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου με τη συνάδελφό μου στη δουλειά μερικές φορές.

Differences:

• Μερικές φορές συζητάω…
  – Starts with “Sometimes”, highlighting frequency.

• Συζητάω… μερικές φορές.
  – Emphasizes more what you do (“I talk about my hobbies with my colleague at work”) and then adds “sometimes” as extra information at the end.

All of these orders are understandable. Native speakers would most commonly put μερικές φορές near the beginning, but moving it later is allowed and just shifts the emphasis slightly.

What is the difference between μερικές φορές, καμιά φορά, and συχνά?

These are all frequency expressions, but they differ in how often and in tone:

• μερικές φορές

  • Literally “some times”.
  • Neutral “sometimes”: on some occasions, not regularly.

• καμιά φορά

  • Literally “some (no) time”; idiomatic.
  • Also means “sometimes”, often slightly more casual/colloquial.
  • In many contexts it can replace μερικές φορές:
    • Καμιά φορά συζητάω για τα χόμπι μου…

• συχνά

  • Means “often / frequently”.
  • Implies it happens quite regularly, more frequently than “sometimes”.

So:

• Μερικές φορές συζητάω… / Καμιά φορά συζητάω…
  = Sometimes I talk…

• Συχνά συζητάω…
  = I often talk… (more frequent than just “sometimes”).