Learn Hardcore Greek: Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, επιτέλους έχω λίγο χρόνο το απόγευμα. - After a lot of work, I finally have a little time in the afternoon.

Μετά από πολλή δουλειά = after a lot of work
μετά on its own is more often:
- an adverb: Θα τα πούμε μετά. = We’ll talk later / afterwards.
- or used before a time expression: μετά τις 5 = after 5 o’clock

You can also say μετά την πολλή δουλειά, but with a bare noun phrase like πολλή δουλειά, μετά από is the most natural choice.

What is the function of από in μετά από πολλή δουλειά? Is it necessary?

Here από works like English “from” in “after (from) a lot of work”, but in Greek it’s really part of a fixed pattern:

μετά από + accusative = after (something)

You almost always include από before a noun phrase unless you restructure the phrase:

Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, … ✅
Μετά πολλή δουλειά, … ❌ (not idiomatic)
Μετά την πολλή δουλειά, … ✅ (now μετά goes directly with a noun that has an article)

So in this exact sentence, από is required for it to sound natural.

Why is it πολλή δουλειά and not πολύ δουλειά?

Grammatically, πολλή agrees with δουλειά in gender, number, and case.

δουλειά is feminine, singular, accusative here.
The adjective πολύς (much / many) has:
- masculine: πολύς, πολλό,ν
- feminine: πολλή
- neuter: πολύ

So in careful, standard Greek:

πολλή δουλειά = a lot of work (correct agreement)

You will also hear people say πολύ δουλειά in everyday speech. In that case πολύ behaves like an adverb and doesn’t change form, but in writing and in formal speech πολλή δουλειά is the textbook-correct version.

Why is there no article before δουλειά? Why not την πολλή δουλειά?

Greek often omits the article with uncountable / mass nouns used in a general sense, especially with πολλή, λίγη, etc.

πολλή δουλειά = a lot of work (in general)
λίγη δουλειά = a little work

Adding the article would change the nuance:

την πολλή δουλειά = the lot of work / that heavy amount of work (more specific, referring to some particular work already known in context)

So in Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, the speaker talks about work in a general, non-specific way, so no article is needed.

What does επιτέλους mean exactly, and why is it placed after the comma?

επιτέλους means finally / at last, usually with a sense of relief or impatience that something took a long time.

Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, επιτέλους έχω λίγο χρόνο…
= After a lot of work, I finally have some time…

Position:

It often appears early in the clause, before the verb, to colour the whole statement:
- Επιτέλους έχω λίγο χρόνο.
- Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, επιτέλους έχω λίγο χρόνο.

You can also move it:

Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, έχω επιτέλους λίγο χρόνο.
(emphasis a bit more on having time now)

All of these are acceptable; the comma simply separates the time clause Μετά από πολλή δουλειά from the main clause.

Why is it έχω λίγο χρόνο and not έχω λίγος χρόνος?

Because χρόνος is the direct object of the verb έχω (to have), so it must be in the accusative case, not nominative.

Declension of χρόνος (masculine):

Nominative (subject): ο χρόνος
Accusative (object): τον χρόνο / χρόνο

In the sentence:

Subject (implied I): (εγώ)
Verb: έχω
Object: λίγο χρόνο

So:

λίγο χρόνος ❌ (wrong case)
λίγο χρόνο ✅ (accusative, correct)

Why λίγο χρόνο and not λίγος χρόνος or λίγος χρόνος έχω?

Two things are going on:

Case
- λίγος χρόνος is nominative masculine; that form is used for the subject, not the object.
- Here χρόνο is the object of έχω, so it must be accusative: λίγο χρόνο.
Form of λίγο / λίγος
- The adjective is λίγος, λίγη, λίγο (little/few).
- Before a masculine noun in the accusative, everyday Greek usually uses the uninflected form λίγο:
  - έχω λίγο χρόνο = I have a little time.
Very formally or archaically you might see λίγον χρόνο, but in modern speech λίγο χρόνο is what people say.

Does λίγο χρόνο mean “a little time” (some) or “little time” (hardly any)? How is that difference expressed in Greek?

λίγο χρόνο by itself is neutral and usually means “some time / a bit of time”, like English “a little time” in a positive sense.

To express “little time / hardly any time”, Greek tends to use:

δεν έχω πολύ χρόνο = I don’t have much time
έχω πολύ λίγο χρόνο = I have very little time
έχω ελάχιστο χρόνο = I have almost no time

So επιτέλους έχω λίγο χρόνο is positive: I finally have (at least) some time.

Why is it το απόγευμα with the article το? Could we omit it?

In Greek, time expressions with parts of the day often take the definite article, even where English doesn’t use “the”:

το πρωί = in the morning
το μεσημέρι = at noon
το απόγευμα = in the afternoon
το βράδυ = in the evening

So το απόγευμα is the normal way to say in the afternoon (today / that day).

Omitting the article here:

λίγο χρόνο απόγευμα ❌ (ungrammatical)
You need the article: λίγο χρόνο το απόγευμα ✅

The article is part of the usual structure for these time phrases.

Does το απόγευμα here mean “this afternoon”, “that afternoon”, or afternoons in general?

το απόγευμα can mean this afternoon / that afternoon depending on context, but it usually refers to the afternoon of the day being talked about.

In this sentence, with no extra context, it’s naturally understood as:
- I finally have a bit of time in the afternoon (today / these days).

If you mean in the afternoons (as a habit), Greek typically uses the plural:

Έχω λίγο χρόνο τα απογεύματα. = I have some time in the afternoons. (habitual)

Can I change the word order, for example to Επιτέλους, μετά από πολλή δουλειά, έχω λίγο χρόνο το απόγευμα?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible, and all of these are possible:

Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, επιτέλους έχω λίγο χρόνο το απόγευμα.
Επιτέλους, μετά από πολλή δουλειά, έχω λίγο χρόνο το απόγευμα.
Μετά από πολλή δουλειά, έχω επιτέλους λίγο χρόνο το απόγευμα.

The differences are mainly in emphasis:

Starting with Επιτέλους highlights the feeling of relief more strongly.
Putting επιτέλους right before λίγο χρόνο can emphasize the having of time now.

All are grammatically correct.

What’s the difference between δουλειά and εργασία? Could we say Μετά από πολλή εργασία?

Both can mean work, but they differ in tone and usage:

δουλειά
- Most common, everyday word for work / job / task.
- Neutral, used in speech and informal writing.
- Μετά από πολλή δουλειά… sounds very natural.
εργασία
- More formal, often used in:
  - academic / bureaucratic contexts
  - written instructions, official language
- Can also mean a paper / project / assignment.

You can say Μετά από πολλή εργασία, but it sounds more formal or technical, not like natural casual speech. For a normal conversational sentence like this, δουλειά is better.