Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.

I usually read Greek every morning before work.

Breakdown of Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.

• η δουλειά: the work
• ελληνικά: in Greek
• να: to
• διαβάζω: to read
• κάθε πρωί: every morning
• πριν από: before
• συνηθίζω: to be used to

Questions & Answers about Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.

What exactly does συνηθίζω mean here? Is it “I usually read” or “I am used to reading”?

Συνηθίζω literally means “I am accustomed / I have the habit (of)”.

In this sentence:

Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί…

the most natural English translation is:

I usually read Greek every morning…
or
I have the habit of reading Greek every morning…

So it’s closer to “I usually…” than to “I am used to …” (which in Greek is more often είμαι συνηθισμένος/συνηθισμένη σε…).

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Why do we say συνηθίζω να διαβάζω and not συνηθίζω διαβάζω?

In Modern Greek, when one verb depends on another (like “I want to eat”, “I like to read”, “I usually read”), the second verb is normally introduced by να:

• συνηθίζω να διαβάζω – I usually read / I’m used to reading
• θέλω να διαβάσω – I want to read
• προσπαθώ να διαβάσω – I try to read

Greek no longer has an infinitive form like English “to read”; instead, it uses να + verb. So να διαβάζω plays the role that “to read” plays in English.

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Why is it να διαβάζω and not να διαβάσω?

Greek has two aspects for most verbs:

• Imperfective (continuous / repeated action): διαβάζω
• Perfective (single / complete action): διαβάσω

With συνηθίζω, we are talking about a habitual, repeated action, not a single event. That’s why the imperfective is used:

• Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά.
  = I’m in the habit of reading Greek (repeatedly / regularly).

Using να διαβάσω here would sound wrong or at best very odd, because να διαβάσω suggests a single, complete act of reading, which clashes with the idea of a habit.

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What part of speech is ελληνικά here? Why no article?

ελληνικά is the neuter plural form of the adjective ελληνικός, -ή, -ό (Greek). In this sentence it functions as a noun meaning “Greek (language)”.

Greek often uses neuter plural adjectives as abstract nouns or language names, especially without an article:

• μιλάω ελληνικά – I speak Greek
• γράφω ελληνικά – I write (in) Greek
• καταλαβαίνω ελληνικά – I understand Greek

So ελληνικά here = “(the) Greek language”.
Languages in this usage normally don’t take an article, so το ελληνικά is not correct in this meaning.

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Could ελληνικά here mean “Greek things” instead of “Greek language”?

In theory, ελληνικά could mean “Greek things (neuter plural)”, but in this specific context:

να διαβάζω ελληνικά

the default meaning is “to read Greek (language)”.

If someone wanted to emphasize Greek things/texts, they’d usually specify:

• να διαβάζω ελληνικά βιβλία – to read Greek books
• να διαβάζω ελληνικές ειδήσεις – to read Greek news

On its own, after verbs like μιλάω / διαβάζω / γράφω / καταλαβαίνω, ελληνικά is understood as “Greek (as a language)”.

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Why is it κάθε πρωί and not something like κάθε το πρωί?

The word κάθε (each/every) is used directly before a singular noun without an article:

• κάθε πρωί – every morning
• κάθε μέρα – every day
• κάθε βράδυ – every evening
• κάθε εβδομάδα – every week

Greek does not say κάθε το πρωί.
So κάθε + singular noun (no article) is the correct pattern.

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What does πριν από mean here, and what case does it take?

πριν από means “before” in a temporal sense:

• πριν από τη δουλειά – before work

It is followed by a noun in the accusative:

• πριν από το μάθημα – before the lesson
• πριν από τη δουλειά – before work
• πριν από το φαγητό – before the meal

In everyday speech, the από is often dropped:

• πριν τη δουλειά – before work (also correct and very common)

Using any other case (like genitive) here is old‑fashioned or archaic in Modern Greek.

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Why is it τη δουλειά and not η δουλειά?

δουλειά is a feminine noun:

• η δουλειά – work, job (nominative)
• τη δουλειά – work, job (accusative)

After a preposition like πριν από, Greek uses the accusative:

• πριν από τη δουλειά – before work
• στη δουλειά – at work
• για τη δουλειά – for work

So η δουλειά would be a subject form, but here δουλειά is the object of the preposition από, so it correctly becomes τη δουλειά.

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Can I change the word order? For example:
Κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά.

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, and your alternative sentence is correct:

• Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.
• Κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά.

Both mean the same. The differences are in focus and rhythm:

• Starting with Κάθε πρωί… emphasizes the time: Every morning, before work, I usually read Greek…
• Starting with Συνηθίζω… emphasizes the habit itself.

All of these would also be acceptable:

• Συνηθίζω κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά να διαβάζω ελληνικά.
• Κάθε πρωί συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά πριν από τη δουλειά.

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How would I make this sentence negative?

You negate the main verb συνηθίζω with δεν:

• Δεν συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.
  = It’s not my habit to read Greek every morning before work.

This is slightly different from:

• Συνήθως δεν διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί…
  = I usually don’t read Greek every morning…

Δεν συνηθίζω να… emphasizes the lack of habit.
Συνήθως δεν… emphasizes what usually doesn’t happen.

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What tense is συνηθίζω here? Does it mean now or generally?

Συνηθίζω is in the present tense (present indicative):

• συνηθίζω – I am (in the habit of)
• συνήθιζα – I used to / I was in the habit of (past)
• συνήθισα – I got used to / I formed the habit (simple past, completed action)

In context, present + a time phrase like κάθε πρωί expresses a current general habit:

• Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί…
  = These days / in general, I have the habit of reading Greek every morning.

If it were a past habit that no longer necessarily holds, you’d say:

• Συνήθιζα να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.
  = I used to read Greek every morning before work.

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Is there another common way to say “I usually read Greek every morning before work” in Greek?

Yes. A very common everyday alternative is to use the adverb συνήθως:

• Συνήθως διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.

Differences in nuance:

• Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω…
  focuses a bit more on the idea of habit / routine.
• Συνήθως διαβάζω…
  focuses on how frequently something usually happens.

In practice, both are often interchangeable in this context.

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How do you pronounce συνηθίζω and διαβάζω?

Approximate pronunciations (in simple English terms):

• συνηθίζω → see-nee-THEE-zo

  • συ – like see (but shorter)
  • νη – like knee (short)
  • θι – th as in think
    • ee
  • ζω – like zo in zodiac (without the diac)

• διαβάζω → thya-VA-zo

  • δι before a vowel is often like a soft thya or dya sound
  • βά – VA, stressed syllable
  • ζω – zo

Stresses:

• συνηθίζω – stress on -θί-
• διαβάζω – stress on -βά-

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Could I say Έχω τη συνήθεια να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά instead? Is it the same?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct and close in meaning:

• Έχω τη συνήθεια να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε πρωί πριν από τη δουλειά.
  = I have the habit of reading Greek every morning before work.

Nuance:

• Συνηθίζω να διαβάζω… feels more natural and fluent in everyday speech.
• Έχω τη συνήθεια να… sounds more formal / explicit, as if you’re consciously describing your habit, almost like a statement in a report.

Both are acceptable; συνηθίζω να… is the more idiomatic choice in casual conversation.