Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι.

My daily habit is to drink coffee in the living room.

Breakdown of Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι.

• είμαι: to be
• ο καφές: the coffee
• πίνω: to drink
• να: to
• μου: my
• σε: in
• το σαλόνι: the living room
• η συνήθεια: the habit
• καθημερινός: daily

Questions & Answers about Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι.

Why is μου after καθημερινή and not before, like in English my daily habit?

In Greek, short possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους usually come after the noun phrase they modify, not before it.

So the normal pattern is:

• η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια
  literally: the daily my habit

This is the most natural order in modern Greek. Putting μου before the noun (η μου καθημερινή συνήθεια) sounds wrong in modern Greek.

You can also see μου at the very end:

• η καθημερινή συνήθειά μου

This is also correct and quite common. The clitic μου can attach to the noun (συνήθειά), which then takes an extra accent. Both orders are fine; they differ more in rhythm than in meaning.

Why is the article Η used here? How do I know συνήθεια is feminine?

Η is the feminine nominative singular definite article, matching the noun συνήθεια, which is a feminine noun.

Greek articles must agree with the noun in:

• Gender: masculine / feminine / neuter
• Number: singular / plural
• Case: nominative / genitive / accusative / vocative

Here:

• συνήθεια is feminine, singular, nominative (it’s the subject of the sentence).
• So the correct article is η.
• The adjective καθημερινή is also in the feminine nominative singular, agreeing with συνήθεια.

So the whole phrase η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια is grammatically “matched up” in gender, number, and case.

What exactly is the role of είναι να πίνω? Is να πίνω like an infinitive?

Modern Greek does not have an infinitive like English to drink.

Instead, it uses να + verb (in the subjunctive form) to express many functions that English infinitives have.

In είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι:

• είναι = is
• να πίνω ≈ to drink / that I drink

So the structure:

• Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι.
  literally: My daily habit is that I drink coffee in the living room.

Functionally, είναι να πίνω here means is to drink, just like an English infinitive after is.

Why is it να πίνω and not να πιω? What’s the difference?

Both πίνω and πιω come from the verb “to drink,” but they express different aspects:

• πίνω = present (imperfective aspect) – ongoing, repeated, or habitual action
• πιω = aorist (perfective aspect) – a single, complete action

In a sentence about a habit, you want the idea of something repeated/ongoing, not a one‑time action. So you use να πίνω:

• είναι να πίνω καφέ = is (for me) to drink coffee (as a routine, habit)

If you said είναι να πιω καφέ, it would sound like the “task” or “plan” is to have a coffee once, which clashes with η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια.

Why is there no article before καφέ? Why not τον καφέ?

Καφέ here is used like a mass / generic noun, similar to English:

• I drink coffee (not I drink the coffee).

In Greek:

• πίνω καφέ = I drink (some) coffee / I drink coffee (in general, as a habit)
• πίνω τον καφέ = I drink the coffee (a specific coffee already known from context)

Since the sentence is about a general habit, you want the generic meaning, so you omit the article:

• να πίνω καφέ = to drink coffee (habitually), not a specific cup.

What does στο mean exactly, and why is σαλόνι in the accusative?

Στο is the contraction of the preposition σε + the neuter article το:

• σε + το = στο = in the / at the / to the

So στο σαλόνι means in the living room.

Preposition σε in modern Greek is normally followed by the accusative case, regardless of the meaning (in, on, at, to, etc.). That’s why you see:

• το σαλόνι (neuter, accusative singular)
• and with σε it becomes στο σαλόνι.

So the case is accusative because of the preposition σε.

Could I say Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι να πίνω καφέ στο καθιστικό instead of στο σαλόνι?

Yes, grammatically it’s fine:

• στο σαλόνι = in the living room / lounge
• στο καθιστικό = in the sitting room / living room

Both are common. σαλόνι may feel a bit more like “lounge / main living room,” and καθιστικό a bit like “sitting room,” but often they overlap heavily in daily speech.

The grammar stays exactly the same: στο + neuter accusative noun.

Is there any difference between η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια and η καθημερινή συνήθειά μου?

Both are correct and mean my daily habit. The difference is mainly stylistic and rhythmic:

• η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια
  – very common, neutral, straightforward.

• η καθημερινή συνήθειά μου
  – also common; putting μου at the end can add a slight emphasis on my, or just a different rhythm.

Grammatically:

• In συνήθειά μου, μου is an enclitic attached to συνήθεια, which takes an extra stress mark (συνήθειά).

Why is the adjective καθημερινή in that form and not something like καθημερινό or καθημερινός?

The adjective must agree with the noun συνήθεια:

• συνήθεια is feminine, singular, nominative.

• So the adjective καθημερινός (daily, everyday) takes the corresponding form:

  • masculine: καθημερινός
  • feminine: καθημερινή
  • neuter: καθημερινό

Since συνήθεια is feminine, we use:

• καθημερινή συνήθεια = daily habit

If the noun were neuter, e.g. καθημερινό πρόγραμμα (daily schedule), we’d use καθημερινό. If masculine, e.g. καθημερινός καφές (daily coffee), we’d use καθημερινός.

Why is συνήθεια in the nominative case? Could it ever change in this sentence?

In this sentence, συνήθεια is the subject of the verb είναι (is):

• Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια = subject
• είναι = verb
• να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι = complement (what the habit is)

Subjects in Greek normally appear in the nominative case, so συνήθεια is nominative.

If you changed the sentence structure so συνήθεια was no longer the subject, its case would change. For example:

• Μιλάω για την καθημερινή μου συνήθεια.
  I’m talking about my daily habit.
  Here συνήθεια is a direct object of the preposition για, so it’s in the accusative: την συνήθεια.

Can I say Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι ο καφές στο σαλόνι? How does that differ in meaning?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

• Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι ο καφές στο σαλόνι.
  literally: My daily habit is the coffee in the living room.

Nuance:

• είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι focuses on the action (drinking coffee).
• είναι ο καφές στο σαλόνι focuses on the thing / event (“the coffee in the living room”) as your habit.

Both can be understood similarly, but the original sentence sounds more natural for describing a routine activity, because it uses a verb phrase (να πίνω καφέ) instead of a noun phrase.

Could I use συνήθως instead of η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια to express the idea of a daily habit?

Yes, but the structure changes and the focus shifts.

• Η καθημερινή μου συνήθεια είναι να πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι.
  Emphasis: explicitly naming my daily habit.

You could instead say:

• Συνήθως πίνω καφέ στο σαλόνι.
  = I usually drink coffee in the living room.

Here:

• συνήθως = usually / generally
• You no longer talk about a “habit” as a noun; you just describe what you usually do.

Both communicate a similar idea in context, but grammatically and stylistically they are different constructions.