Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια κάθε μέρα και την κάνω καθημερινά, μόλις σηκώνομαι.

This is my first habit every day and I do it daily, as soon as I get up.

Breakdown of Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια κάθε μέρα και την κάνω καθημερινά, μόλις σηκώνομαι.

• είμαι: to be
• και: and
• αυτός: this
• μου: my
• κάθε μέρα: every day
• κάνω: to do
• πρώτος: first
• η συνήθεια: the habit
• την: it
• καθημερινά: daily
• μόλις: as soon as
• σηκώνομαι: to get up

Questions & Answers about Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια κάθε μέρα και την κάνω καθημερινά, μόλις σηκώνομαι.

Why does the sentence start with Αυτή and not Αυτό, since in English we say “This is my first habit…”?

In Greek, demonstrative pronouns (αυτός, αυτή, αυτό) must agree in gender with the noun they refer to.

• συνήθεια (habit) is a feminine noun.
• So the matching feminine demonstrative is αυτή (this – feminine).
• If the noun were neuter, you would use αυτό, and if masculine, αυτός.

Even though in English “this” has no gender, in Greek the pronoun must match the grammatical gender of the implied noun (συνήθεια), so Αυτή is correct.

Why is there an article in η πρώτη μου συνήθεια? Could we say just πρώτη μου συνήθεια?

Greek uses the definite article (ο, η, το) much more than English, especially with:

• Possession (η μητέρα μου – my mother)
• Specific or known things
• Ordinal numbers (η πρώτη φορά – the first time)

Η πρώτη μου συνήθεια is the normal, idiomatic way to say “my first habit”.

You can sometimes drop the article in very particular stylistic or elliptical contexts (e.g. headlines, notes), but in normal speech or writing here, you should keep it:

• ✅ Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια.
• ❌ Αυτή είναι πρώτη μου συνήθεια. (sounds incomplete / odd)

Why is μου after πρώτη and not before, like in English “my first habit”?

Possessive pronouns in Greek (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun phrase they belong to:

• το βιβλίο μου – my book
• η καλή μου φίλη – my good friend (female)
• η πρώτη μου συνήθεια – my first habit

Putting μου before the noun (e.g. μου συνήθεια) is generally wrong in standard Greek. The natural order is:

article + adjective + noun + possessive
→ η πρώτη συνήθεια μου or more tightly η πρώτη μου συνήθεια (the most common).

What grammatical case is συνήθεια in here, and why?

In Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια, the word συνήθεια is in the nominative case.

• It is the predicate noun linked to the subject Αυτή through the verb είναι (to be).

• In Greek, both the subject and the complement of είμαι (“to be”) are in the nominative:

  • Αυτός είναι γιατρός. – He is a doctor.
  • Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια. – This is my first habit.

So συνήθεια stays in the nominative because it describes what Αυτή is.

What is the difference between κάθε μέρα and καθημερινά? They both seem to mean “every day”.

Both express regularity, but they are slightly different in form and nuance:

• κάθε μέρα

  • Literally: “every day”
  • κάθε = every, μέρα = day
  • Used like in English:
    
    • Τρέχω κάθε μέρα. – I run every day.

• καθημερινά

  • An adverb: “daily / on a daily basis / every day”
  • Sounds a bit more general or habitual:
    
    • Τρέχω καθημερινά. – I run daily.

In this sentence, using both (κάθε μέρα and καθημερινά) is slightly redundant but stylistically acceptable: it strongly emphasizes that this is a consistent, everyday habit.

Isn’t it redundant to say both κάθε μέρα and καθημερινά in the same sentence?

Yes, in a purely logical sense it is redundant: both express “every day”.

However, in natural speech, Greeks sometimes repeat similar words for emphasis or rhythm. This sentence:

Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια κάθε μέρα και την κάνω καθημερινά…

comes across as:

This is my first habit every day, and I do it every single day, as soon as I get up.

If you wanted to make it leaner, you could say:

• Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια και την κάνω κάθε μέρα, μόλις σηκώνομαι.
• Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου συνήθεια· την κάνω καθημερινά, μόλις σηκώνομαι.

What does την refer to in και την κάνω καθημερινά? Why is it την and not something else?

την is a feminine singular accusative object pronoun, meaning “it” (for a feminine noun).

• It refers back to η πρώτη μου συνήθεια / η συνήθεια.
• συνήθεια is feminine singular, so the matching pronoun is:
  • Nominative: αυτή (she / this – feminine)
  • Accusative: την (her / it – feminine)

So:

• την κάνω literally: “I do it (her)”, where “it” = τη συνήθεια (the habit).

If the noun were neuter (e.g. το πράγμα – the thing), the pronoun would be το (το κάνω – I do it).

Why does the pronoun come before the verb in την κάνω? Can we say κάνω την?

In standard Greek word order with object pronouns:

• Unstressed object pronouns (like τον, την, το) usually go before the verb:
  • την κάνω – I do it
  • τον βλέπω – I see him

You cannot normally say κάνω την with the pronoun there. κάνω την would be understood as “I do the … (something feminine)” and would expect a noun after it (e.g. κάνω την άσκηση – I do the exercise).

So:

• ✅ την κάνω καθημερινά – I do it daily
• ❌ κάνω την καθημερινά – ungrammatical / incomplete

What exactly does σηκώνομαι mean, and how is it different from σηκώνω?

• σηκώνω (active voice) = I lift / I raise (something/someone)

  • Σηκώνω την καρέκλα. – I lift the chair.

• σηκώνομαι (middle / passive voice form) = I get up / I stand up / I rise (myself)

  • Σηκώνομαι στις 7. – I get up at 7.
  • Σηκώνομαι από το κρεβάτι. – I get up from bed.

In this sentence, μόλις σηκώνομαι means “as soon as I get up” (from bed / in the morning).
So σηκώνομαι is like a reflexive form: I raise myself → I get up.

Does μόλις here mean “just” (as in “just now”) or “as soon as”?

μόλις can have both meanings, depending on context:

1. “just / barely” (adverb of degree or time):

   • Έφτασα μόλις τώρα. – I just arrived now.
   • Έχει μόλις λίγα χρήματα. – He has just a little money.

2. “as soon as” (conjunction introducing a time clause):

   • Μόλις φτάσω, θα σου τηλεφωνήσω. – As soon as I arrive, I’ll call you.

In μόλις σηκώνομαι, it is the second meaning:
→ “as soon as I get up”.

Why is σηκώνομαι in the present tense after μόλις, even though in English we might say “as soon as I get up” referring to the future?

In Greek, when talking about a future action that is dependent on another future event, you often use:

• Future in the main clause
• Present (or simple past for past reference) in the time clause introduced by μόλις, όταν, αφού, etc.

Examples:

• Μόλις φτάσω, θα σου τηλεφωνήσω.
  Literally: As soon as I arrive, I will call you.
  (Not θα φτάσω here.)

In your sentence, it’s a general, habitual statement, so the simple present is used in both parts:

• την κάνω καθημερινά – I do it daily
• μόλις σηκώνομαι – (whenever) I get up

Greek present tense often covers both English “I do” and “I am doing” and also habitual meaning like “I usually do”.

Why is there no “I” (εγώ) in the sentence? How do we know it means “I do it… I get up…”?

Greek is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending shows the person.

• κάνω = I do
• σηκώνομαι = I get up

So the subject “I” is already clear from:

• -ω ending in κάνω (1st person singular)
• -ομαι ending in σηκώνομαι (1st person singular, middle/passive)

You can say Εγώ την κάνω καθημερινά, but that adds emphasis, like:

• Εγώ την κάνω καθημερινά. – I do it every day (as opposed to someone else).

In a neutral statement, dropping εγώ is more natural.

Is μέρα the same as ημέρα in κάθε μέρα? Which one should I use?

Yes, μέρα and ημέρα are essentially the same word; μέρα is the more common, everyday spoken form.

• κάθε μέρα – every day (most common in speech)
• κάθε ημέρα – every day (a bit more formal / written style)

Both are correct. In most normal conversation, you’ll hear and use κάθε μέρα.