Learn Hardcore Greek: Το βράδυ διαβάζω το σημείωμα στο σαλόνι. - In the evening I read the note in the living room.

You can also sometimes see it without the article (just βράδυ), especially in phrases like κάθε βράδυ (“every evening”), but Το βράδυ is the most natural neutral way to say “in the evening” here.

Is Το βράδυ nominative or accusative?

Formally, it could be either, because neuter nominative and accusative are identical: το βράδυ in both cases.

Functionally, in this sentence it is an accusative of time, which answers “when?”:

Το βράδυ διαβάζω… = I read in the evening.

Greek frequently uses the accusative case to express when something happens (duration or point in time), even without a preposition.

Could I say Διαβάζω το σημείωμα το βράδυ στο σαλόνι instead? Does the word order matter?

Yes, that sentence is also correct:

Το βράδυ διαβάζω το σημείωμα στο σαλόνι.
Διαβάζω το σημείωμα το βράδυ στο σαλόνι.

Greek word order is quite flexible. The basic information (time – action – object – place) stays the same.

Putting Το βράδυ at the beginning often gives it a bit more emphasis, like:

Το βράδυ (and not at some other time) I read the note in the living room.

So the difference is more about emphasis and style, not grammar.

Why is there no word for “I” in διαβάζω? How do we know it means “I read”?

In Greek, the verb ending usually shows the subject, so subject pronouns are often omitted.

The verb διαβάζω ends in -ω, which (in the present tense) marks 1st person singular:

(εγώ) διαβάζω – I read / I am reading
(εσύ) διαβάζεις – you read
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) διαβάζει – he/she/it reads

Because of this, εγώ (“I”) is not needed unless you want to emphasize it:

Εγώ διαβάζω το σημείωμα, όχι εσύ. – I read the note, not you.

Does διαβάζω mean “I read” or “I am reading”? Which tense is it?

Διαβάζω is in the present tense, and in Greek the present tense usually covers both:

simple present: I read
present continuous: I am reading

So in context, διαβάζω here can be understood as either:

In the evening I read the note in the living room (habit)
This evening I’m reading the note in the living room (a specific plan/context)

English forces you to choose between “read” and “am reading”; Greek does not—it depends on context.

Can διαβάζω also mean “I study” in this sentence?

Yes, διαβάζω can mean both:

to read (a note, a book, a newspaper), and
to study (e.g. schoolwork).

In this specific sentence, because the object is το σημείωμα (“the note”), the natural meaning is “I read the note”.

If you wanted to clearly say “I study in the living room in the evening”, you would usually add what you study:

Το βράδυ διαβάζω τα μαθήματά μου στο σαλόνι.
In the evening I study my lessons in the living room.

Why is it το σημείωμα and not ένα σημείωμα, if in English we might say “a note”?

Greek and English use articles differently.

το σημείωμα = the note
ένα σημείωμα = a note

In Greek, if the speaker and listener both know which note is meant (from context), the definite article το is used, even if English might naturally say “a note”.

Examples:

Διαβάζω το σημείωμα. – I’m reading the (specific) note.
Διαβάζω ένα σημείωμα. – I’m reading a note (some note, not specified which).

In your sentence, it sounds like a specific note that the speaker has in mind, so το σημείωμα makes sense.

What gender is σημείωμα, and how can I tell?

Σημείωμα is neuter.

Clues:

It uses the neuter article το: το σημείωμα.
Many neuter nouns end in -μα in the nominative singular:
- το γράμμα – letter
- το ποίημα – poem
- το μήνυμα – message
- το σημείωμα – note

So the pattern το + [word ending in -μα] is a strong hint that the noun is neuter.

What is the plural of το σημείωμα?

The basic forms are:

Singular:
- το σημείωμα – the note
Plural:
- τα σημειώματα – the notes

So your sentence in the plural could be:

Το βράδυ διαβάζω τα σημειώματα στο σαλόνι.
In the evening I read the notes in the living room.

What exactly does στο mean in στο σαλόνι?

Στο is a contraction of:

σε (preposition: in / at / to)
το (neuter definite article: the)

So:

σε + το = στο
στο σαλόνι = in the living room / at the living room

Other contractions:

σε + τον = στον (masc.)
σε + την = στην (fem.)

Example:

στο σπίτι – in/at the house
στο σχολείο – at school
στο σαλόνι – in the living room

Why is σαλόνι in the accusative case after στο?

The preposition σε in Modern Greek is followed by the accusative case.

Since σαλόνι is a neuter noun, its nominative and accusative singular are identical:

Nominative: το σαλόνι
Accusative: το σαλόνι

So you can’t see the case change in the form, but grammatically in στο σαλόνι the noun is in the accusative, governed by σε.

Can στο σαλόνι mean both “in the living room” and “to the living room”?

Yes, σε is quite flexible and its exact meaning depends on context.

Location (in/at):
- Είμαι στο σαλόνι. – I am in the living room.
Direction (to):
- Πηγαίνω στο σαλόνι. – I’m going to the living room.

In your sentence:

Το βράδυ διαβάζω το σημείωμα στο σαλόνι.

it clearly means a location: I read the note *in the living room*.

Could I drop the article and say just Βράδυ διαβάζω το σημείωμα στο σαλόνι?

As a neutral, standalone sentence, that sounds unnatural in Modern Greek.

Normally you would say:

Το βράδυ διαβάζω το σημείωμα στο σαλόνι.

You can drop the article in certain fixed expressions:

Κάθε βράδυ διαβάζω… – Every evening I read…
Βράδυ είναι, πού πας; – It’s evening, where are you going?

But as a plain time phrase meaning “in the evening”, you generally keep the article: Το βράδυ.

What do the accent marks in βράδυ, διαβάζω, σημείωμα, σαλόνι do?

The accent mark (τόνος) in Greek shows which syllable is stressed when you pronounce the word. It is always written on a vowel:

βρά-δυ – stress on the first syllable
δια-βά-ζω – stress on -βά-
ση-μεί-ω-μα – stress on -μεί-
σα-λό-νι – stress on -λό-

Stress is important in Greek: changing the stress can change the word or make it sound wrong, so the accent mark is part of the spelling.