Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.

As soon as I finish work, I relax in the living room.

Breakdown of Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.

• η δουλειά: the work
• σε: in
• τελειώνω: to finish
• το σαλόνι: the living room
• χαλαρώνω: to relax
• μόλις: as soon as

Questions & Answers about Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.

What does μόλις mean here? Is it “just” or “as soon as”?

In this sentence, μόλις means “as soon as / when”, not “just” in the sense of “only”.

• Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά ≈ “As soon as I finish work / When I finish work”.
• The “just” that means “only” is also μόνο, not μόλις.

So here μόλις introduces a time clause: it tells you when the relaxing happens.

Why is τελειώνω (present) used and not τελείωσα or θα τελειώσω?

Τελειώνω is present tense, imperfective aspect, and here it expresses a habitual action:

• Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
  = “Whenever / Every time I finish work, I relax in the living room.”

Using a past tense like τελείωσα (“I finished”) or a future form like θα τελειώσω (“I will finish”) would change the meaning:

• Μόλις τελείωσα τη δουλειά, χαλάρωσα στο σαλόνι.
  “As soon as I finished work, I relaxed in the living room.” (one specific past occasion)
• Μόλις θα τελειώσω τη δουλειά (not natural; Greeks don’t usually put θα after μόλις this way).

So the present here matches the idea of a general routine.

Could I say μόλις τελειώσω τη δουλειά instead of μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά?

Yes, you can, but the nuance changes a bit:

• Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
  Habitual: “Whenever I finish work, I relax in the living room.”
• Μόλις τελειώσω τη δουλειά, θα χαλαρώσω στο σαλόνι.
  Perfective subjunctive + usually a future in the main clause:
  “As soon as I (have) finished work, I’ll relax in the living room.” (a specific future time or plan)

So:

• τελειώνω (present) = regular habit / general rule
• τελειώσω (subjunctive) = one event, typically future or conditional

Why do we say τη δουλειά and not just δουλειά?

Greek uses the definite article τη (“the”) much more freely than English.

• τη δουλειά literally = “the work / the job”, but here it means “my job / my workday / my shift”.
• In English we often drop “the” or “my”: “When I finish work…”, but in Greek it’s very natural to keep the article.

So τη δουλειά refers to “the (usual) work” you have to finish, understood from context.

What case is τη δουλειά and why?

Τη δουλειά is in the accusative case, singular, feminine.

• τελειώνω τι; → “I finish what?”
• The “what?” here is τη δουλειά, so it’s the direct object, which takes the accusative case.

Form breakdown:

• Article: τη (accusative singular, feminine)
• Noun: δουλειά (also in accusative; same form as nominative in this case)

Why is there a comma after τη δουλειά?

The comma separates two clauses:

• Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, → dependent time clause (“As soon as I finish work,”)
• χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι. → main clause (“I relax in the living room.”)

In Greek, as in English, we usually put a comma after a subordinate clause when it comes before the main clause.

What does χαλαρώνω mean exactly? Is it like “relax” or “chill out”?

Χαλαρώνω means “to relax, to unwind, to loosen up”.

In this context, it’s very close to English “I relax / I chill out”:

• χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι = “I relax in the living room”, “I chill on the sofa / in the lounge”.

It can also mean to make something looser (e.g. tightening/loosening), but here it’s clearly the “relax” meaning.

What tense or aspect is χαλαρώνω here?

Χαλαρώνω is also in the present tense, imperfective aspect.

Combined with τελειώνω (also present, imperfective), this gives a habitual meaning to the whole sentence:

• It doesn’t mean “I’m relaxing right now,”
• but “Whenever I finish work, I (usually) relax…” → a routine, not a single event.

What does στο σαλόνι literally mean, and why στο?

Στο σαλόνι literally means “in the living room”.

• σε = in, at, on (general preposition)
• το = the (neuter singular article)
• σε + το → στο (contraction), very common in Greek.

So στο σαλόνι = σε + το σαλόνι = “in the living room”.

Why does σαλόνι take the article το?

Because we’re talking about a specific, known living room (usually “my” living room):

• Greek normally uses the definite article where English might use a possessive or no article at all.
• στο σαλόνι = “in the living room” → naturally understood as “in my living room / in the living room at home”.

Saying just σε σαλόνι without the article would sound incomplete or unnatural in this context.

Can I change the word order, e.g. Χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά?

Yes, that’s grammatically fine:

• Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
• Χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά.

Both mean the same thing. The difference is just in emphasis:

• Starting with μόλις τελειώνω… puts more focus on the condition/time (“As soon as I finish work…”).
• Starting with χαλαρώνω… emphasizes the relaxing: “I relax in the living room when I finish work.”

Greek word order is relatively flexible, but the version you gave is the most neutral.

What is the difference between μόλις and όταν in this kind of sentence?

Both can introduce time clauses, but:

• όταν ≈ “when / whenever” (more neutral)
• μόλις ≈ “as soon as”, with a stronger sense of immediacy.

Compare:

• Όταν τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
  “When I finish work, I relax in the living room.” (general time)
• Μόλις τελειώνω τη δουλειά, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
  “As soon as I finish work, I relax in the living room.” (right away, no big delay)

In everyday speech they can overlap, but μόλις suggests you relax immediately after finishing.