Το φθινόπωρο μένω συχνά σπίτι, αλλά το καλοκαίρι είμαι σχεδόν πάντα έξω.

In autumn I often stay home, but in summer I am almost always outside.

Breakdown of Το φθινόπωρο μένω συχνά σπίτι, αλλά το καλοκαίρι είμαι σχεδόν πάντα έξω.

• είμαι: to be
• το σπίτι: the home
• αλλά: but
• μένω: to stay
• πάντα: always
• έξω: outside
• συχνά: often
• σχεδόν: almost
• το καλοκαίρι: in summer
• το φθινόπωρο: in autumn

Questions & Answers about Το φθινόπωρο μένω συχνά σπίτι, αλλά το καλοκαίρι είμαι σχεδόν πάντα έξω.

Why is there a το before φθινόπωρο and καλοκαίρι? In English we don’t say “the autumn” or “the summer” here.

In Greek, seasons are usually used with the definite article when you talk about them in a general way:

• το φθινόπωρο = (in) autumn / in the autumn
• το καλοκαίρι = (in) summer / in the summer

Greek uses the article much more than English does, so you’ll often see το / η / ο where English has no the. The article here doesn’t mean “this specific autumn”, it just marks the noun as a general time period.

What case are το φθινόπωρο and το καλοκαίρι, and why is there no word for “in” or “during”?

Formally, το φθινόπωρο and το καλοκαίρι are in the accusative case. In Greek, the accusative can be used by itself to express time when / during which something happens.

So instead of saying:

• “During autumn I stay…”

Greek simply uses the accusative:

• Το φθινόπωρο μένω συχνά σπίτι = “(In) autumn I often stay at home.”

You see the same pattern in:

• Την Κυριακή πάω στην εκκλησία. – On Sunday I go to church.
• Το βράδυ διαβάζω. – In the evening I study.

No preposition like “in” or “during” is needed.

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• μένω = I stay / I live
• μένεις = you stay
• μένει = he/she/it stays

So μένω alone already means “I stay”. If you add εγώ (“I”) – Εγώ μένω συχνά σπίτι – it adds emphasis, like “I (as opposed to someone else) often stay home.”

I thought μένω means “I live (somewhere)”. How can it mean “I stay home” here?

Μένω has two very common meanings:

1. to live / reside

   • Μένω στην Αθήνα. – I live in Athens.

2. to stay / remain (somewhere for a while)

   • Σήμερα μένω σπίτι. – Today I’m staying home.

In your sentence, with σπίτι and a time frame (το φθινόπωρο), the meaning is clearly the second one: a habitual action of staying home.

Why is it μένω σπίτι and not μένω στο σπίτι? Isn’t “at home” usually “στο σπίτι”; what’s the difference?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

• μένω σπίτι (no article, no preposition)

  • Very common, neutral way to say “stay home / stay at home”.
  • Here σπίτι behaves almost like an adverb (“home”) rather than a full noun.

• μένω στο σπίτι (with στο = σε + το)

  • Literally “I stay in the house.”
  • Slightly more concrete; it can refer to a particular house or building.
  • Can sound more specific (“I’m staying in the house, not going out / to the yard, etc.”).

In everyday speech, for the general idea “I stay home”, the bare form μένω σπίτι is more natural.

So when do I use bare σπίτι, and when το σπίτι / στο σπίτι?

Rough rule of thumb:

• Bare “σπίτι” = “home” in the abstract sense

  • Πάω σπίτι. – I’m going home.
  • Είμαι σπίτι. – I’m at home.
  • Μένω σπίτι. – I stay at home.

• With article or preposition = “house / the house” as a specific place

  • Το σπίτι είναι παλιό. – The house is old.
  • Μένω στο σπίτι των γονιών μου. – I live in my parents’ house.
  • Έξω από το σπίτι έχει κήπο. – Outside the house there is a garden.

In your sentence, we mean “home” in general, so σπίτι without article is best.

Can the adverbs συχνά and σχεδόν πάντα move around, or do they have to be where they are in the sentence?

Greek word order is flexible, especially with adverbs. You could say, for example:

• Το φθινόπωρο συχνά μένω σπίτι…
• Συχνά το φθινόπωρο μένω σπίτι…

and for the second part:

• …αλλά το καλοκαίρι σχεδόν πάντα είμαι έξω.
• …αλλά το καλοκαίρι είμαι έξω σχεδόν πάντα. (less usual, but possible for emphasis)

The version you have:

• μένω συχνά σπίτι
• είμαι σχεδόν πάντα έξω

is very natural. Moving the adverbs can slightly affect emphasis or rhythm, but usually not the basic meaning.

What exactly does συχνά mean, and why not συχνός?

• συχνά is an adverb = “often / frequently”
• συχνός, -ή, -ό is an adjective = “frequent”

In English, “often” (adverb) vs “frequent” (adjective) is the same kind of difference.

You use συχνά to modify verbs:

• Πηγαίνω συχνά στο γυμναστήριο. – I often go to the gym.

You use συχνός to modify nouns:

• Έχω συχνές πονοκεφάλους. – I have frequent headaches.

In μένω συχνά σπίτι, you need an adverb to modify μένω, so συχνά is correct.

What does σχεδόν πάντα literally mean, and can σχεδόν be used with other words?

• σχεδόν = “almost / nearly”
• πάντα = “always”

So σχεδόν πάντα = “almost always”, just like in English.

σχεδόν is very flexible and can combine with lots of words:

• σχεδόν ποτέ – almost never
• σχεδόν όλοι – almost everyone
• σχεδόν έτοιμος – almost ready
• σχεδόν δύο ώρες – almost two hours

In your sentence, είμαι σχεδόν πάντα έξω = “I’m almost always outside.”

Why is it είμαι έξω and not something like είμαι στο έξω? Where is the preposition?

Έξω is an adverb of place, like “outside / outdoors”. Adverbs don’t need a preposition:

• Είμαι έξω. – I’m outside.
• Περίμενε έξω. – Wait outside.

If you want to say “outside of [something]”, Greek adds από:

• Έξω από το σπίτι. – Outside (of) the house.
• Έξω από την πόλη. – Outside (of) the city.

But with just είμαι έξω, you’re saying “I am outside” in a general way, no preposition required.

How do you pronounce φθινόπωρο, and what’s going on with the φθ combination?

Φθινόπωρο is pronounced approximately /fthi‑NÓ‑po‑ro/:

• φθ together is like saying f
  • th quickly: f-thi.
    
    • It’s a bit tricky for English speakers, but many Greeks also simplify it in fast speech, sounding closer to θινόπωρο or φινόπωρο.
• Stress is on the νό: φθινόπωρο.

The spelling with φθ is historical; older Greek had more such consonant clusters that modern pronunciation has partly simplified.

Why is the simple present used here? In English I might also say “In autumn I often stay home” (present simple) for habits—does Greek work the same way?

Yes. Greek simple present (ενεστώτας) is used, like English present simple, to express habits, routines, and general truths:

• Το φθινόπωρο μένω συχνά σπίτι. – In autumn I often stay home.
• Το πρωί πίνω καφέ. – In the morning I drink coffee.
• Κάθε Κυριακή πηγαίνω στους γονείς μου. – Every Sunday I go to my parents’ place.

You could also say:

• Συνήθως το φθινόπωρο μένω σπίτι. – Usually in autumn I stay home.
• Συνηθίζω το φθινόπωρο να μένω σπίτι. – I’m in the habit of staying home in autumn.

But the simple present, as in your sentence, is the most direct and natural way to express a habitual action.

Is the comma and αλλά used like “but” in English?

Yes. αλλά is the standard coordinating conjunction meaning “but”, and the comma before it is used much like in English:

• …, αλλά … = “…, but …”

So:

• Το φθινόπωρο μένω συχνά σπίτι, αλλά το καλοκαίρι είμαι σχεδόν πάντα έξω.
  literally: “In autumn I often stay home, but in summer I am almost always outside.”

The comma separates the two coordinated clauses, just like in English.