Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτήν στο γραφείο.

βλέπω ends in -ω, which marks 1st person singular → I.
So βλέπω already means I see.
Adding εγώ (I) would be optional and usually adds emphasis:
- Σήμερα εγώ βλέπω μόνο αυτήν στο γραφείο. → Today *I (as opposed to someone else) see only her in the office.*

In neutral sentences, you normally leave εγώ out.

Why is it αυτήν and not αυτή here?

Because αυτήν is in the accusative case, used for a direct object.

αυτή = she (nominative, subject form)
αυτήν = her (accusative, object form)

In this sentence, “she/her” is the thing being seen (the direct object):

(Εγώ) βλέπω αυτήν. → I see her.

So the accusative αυτήν is required, not the nominative αυτή (which would be for she does something).

When do we keep the final -ν in αυτήν? Can it be αυτή without ν?

In modern Greek spelling, the final -ν of some words (like την, την, αυτήν) is:

Often kept before vowels and certain consonants.
Often dropped before many consonants in casual writing, but much less so with αυτήν.

For αυτήν:

Traditional rule: keep -ν before vowels and the consonants κ, π, τ, γκ, μπ, ντ, ξ, ψ.
In practice: many people keep αυτήν with -ν almost always in standard writing, especially when it appears alone like here.

So:

Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτήν στο γραφείο. → standard, clear.
Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτή στο γραφείο. → you may see this, but it can feel a bit more informal or less careful.

For a learner, it’s safer to use αυτήν in this position.

Could we say Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο τη(ν) στο γραφείο instead of μόνο αυτήν?

You could, but it sounds incomplete:

τη(ν) by itself is a clitic pronoun (her), and it strongly tends to attach to a verb:
- Σήμερα τη(ν) βλέπω στο γραφείο. → Today I see her at the office.
When you say μόνο αυτήν, αυτήν is the stressed/strong pronoun, giving extra emphasis to her (as opposed to others).

So the natural equivalents are:

Σήμερα τη(ν) βλέπω μόνο στο γραφείο. → Today I see her only at the office.
Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτήν στο γραφείο. → Today I see only her at the office. (emphasis: only her).

If you want to keep the meaning of “only her”, you could also say:

Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο εκείνη στο γραφείο. (only that woman / that one)

What exactly does μόνο modify here – “see”, “her”, or “in the office”?

In Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτήν στο γραφείο, the default, most natural reading is:

μόνο modifies αυτήν → I see *only her in the office (not other people).*

So the focus is:

Not others, just her.

Other interpretations (I only see her, I don’t talk to her, or I see her only at the office, nowhere else) are grammatically possible in isolation but feel much less natural with this word order; they would usually be expressed with a different placement of μόνο (see next question).

Can we move μόνο around? How does the meaning change?

Yes; moving μόνο changes what is being limited:

Σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτήν στο γραφείο.
→ Today I see *only her in the office.* (not others)
Σήμερα μόνο αυτήν βλέπω στο γραφείο.
→ Stronger emphasis on only her; feels a bit more contrastive: It’s only her that I see today at the office.
Μόνο σήμερα βλέπω αυτήν στο γραφείο.
→ I see her at the office *only today (not other days).*
Σήμερα βλέπω αυτήν μόνο στο γραφείο.
→ I see her *only at the office (not in other places).*
Σήμερα μόνο βλέπω αυτήν στο γραφείο.
→ This is less natural; could be interpreted as It’s only today that I see her in the office, but Greeks would usually prefer Μόνο σήμερα... for that.

So, position of μόνο is very important for which idea is “only.”

Why is it στο γραφείο and not σε το γραφείο?

στο is a contraction:

σε = in / at / to
το = the (neuter singular definite article)

In speech, and in standard writing, σε + το almost always becomes:

σε + το → στο

Similarly:

σε + τον → στον
σε + την → στην

So:

σε το γραφείο → not used in normal modern Greek
στο γραφείο → the correct, natural form: in/at the office

Why does Greek use “the” – το γραφείο – when English just says “at the office” or sometimes “at work”?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English:

στο γραφείο literally = at/in the office.

Even when English might say:

at work (no article), Greek will normally say:
- στη δουλειά (in the job/work, with article)
- στο γραφείο (in the office, with article).

So for places like school, office, hospital, etc., Greek very often uses the article where English might omit it or use a different phrase. Στο γραφείο is the standard way to say at the office.

Is βλέπω more like “I see” or “I am seeing” or “I watch”?

Modern Greek βλέπω can cover several English verbs, depending on context:

to see (perceive with the eyes):
- Δε σε βλέπω καλά. → I don’t see you well.
to meet / to see (socially):
- Αύριο θα σε δω. → I’ll see you tomorrow.
to watch (informally, for TV/films, often with an object that clarifies it):
- Βλέπω μια ταινία. → I’m watching a movie.

The present tense βλέπω usually corresponds to both:

I see and
I am seeing / I’m watching

depending on context. Greek doesn’t distinguish simple vs continuous forms the way English does; aspect is handled differently (e.g. with βλέπω vs είδα, etc.).

Can we change the word order, like Σήμερα στο γραφείο βλέπω μόνο αυτήν?

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, and that sentence is grammatically fine:

Σήμερα στο γραφείο βλέπω μόνο αυτήν.
→ Today at the office I see only her.

Nuances:

Putting στο γραφείο earlier slightly foregrounds the setting (at the office today), then states what happens there.
The core meaning (only her, at the office, today) remains similar; word order mostly shifts emphasis and rhythm rather than basic grammar.

Other acceptable variants:

Στο γραφείο σήμερα βλέπω μόνο αυτήν. (emphasis a bit more on at the office today)
Μόνο αυτήν βλέπω σήμερα στο γραφείο. (strong focus on only her)

How is αυτήν pronounced, and why does it often sound like it has an “f” sound?

Αυτήν is pronounced approximately:

[afˈtin] → af-TEEN

Explanation:

The digraph αυ in modern Greek:
- before voiceless consonants (like π, τ, κ, φ, θ, σ, ξ, ψ) is pronounced [af].
- before voiced consonants or vowels is pronounced [av].

Here, αυ is followed by τ (a voiceless consonant), so:

αυ → [af]
αυτήν → af-TIN.

So if you hear an f sound, that’s correct modern Greek pronunciation.