Learn Hardcore Greek: Μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι το βράδυ. - I speak quietly in the living room in the evening.

Μιλάω by itself means I speak / I am speaking.
If you say Εγώ μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι το βράδυ, that adds emphasis, like I (as opposed to someone else) speak quietly in the living room in the evening.

So the subject pronoun is optional and mainly used for emphasis or contrast.

What exactly does Μιλάω mean, and what is its dictionary form?

Μιλάω is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb μιλάω / μιλώ = to speak, to talk.

Μιλάω = I speak / I am speaking
You will see both μιλάω and μιλώ in dictionaries; they are just two forms of the same verb.
- μιλάω is more common in everyday speech.
- μιλώ sounds a bit more formal or literary.

A few present-tense forms (using the more colloquial μιλάω pattern):

εγώ μιλάω – I speak
εσύ μιλάς – you speak (singular)
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό μιλάει – he / she / it speaks
εμείς μιλάμε – we speak
εσείς μιλάτε – you speak (plural / polite)
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά μιλάνε – they speak

What is the difference between μιλάω and λέω?

Both relate to speaking, but they are used differently:

μιλάω = to speak, to talk
- Focuses on the act of speaking or having a conversation.
- Used for languages and talking with someone.
- Examples:
  - Μιλάω ελληνικά. – I speak Greek.
  - Μιλάω με τον φίλο μου. – I talk with my friend.
λέω = to say, to tell
- Focuses on what you say.
- Usually followed by the thing you say or who you say it to.
- Examples:
  - Λέω την αλήθεια. – I tell the truth.
  - Τι λες; – What are you saying?

In this sentence, μιλάω is correct because you are describing how you are speaking (quietly), not what you are saying.

What kind of word is ήσυχα, and how is it formed?

Ήσυχα is an adverb, meaning quietly or calmly.

It comes from the adjective ήσυχος = quiet, calm.
Many adjectives in -ος form adverbs in -α:
- ήσυχος → ήσυχα – quiet → quietly
- καλός → καλά – good → well
- γρήγορος → γρήγορα – fast → quickly

As an adverb, ήσυχα does not change for gender or number. It stays ήσυχα no matter who is speaking:

Μιλάω ήσυχα. – I speak quietly.
Μιλάς ήσυχα. – You speak quietly.
Μιλάνε ήσυχα. – They speak quietly.

If you want “in a low voice” specifically, you might also hear χαμηλόφωνα; for “silently,” σιωπηλά is used.

Can ήσυχα go in a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbs like ήσυχα.

Your sentence:

Μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι το βράδυ. – neutral, common order.

You could also say, for example:

Ήσυχα μιλάω στο σαλόνι το βράδυ. – Emphasizes quietly.
Μιλάω στο σαλόνι ήσυχα το βράδυ. – Slight shift of focus towards in the living room.

The meaning is basically the same; changing the position usually affects emphasis, not basic grammar.

What does στο mean exactly?

Στο is a contraction of:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the – neuter singular definite article)

So:

σε + το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι = in the living room

Other similar contractions you will see:

σε + τον → στον (masculine) – στον κήπο (in the garden)
σε + την → στην (feminine) – στην κουζίνα (in the kitchen)
σε + τα → στα (neuter plural) – στα δωμάτια (in the rooms)

Here, σαλόνι is neuter, so you get στο σαλόνι.

How do I know to use στο and not στην or στον with σαλόνι?

You choose στο / στον / στην based on the gender of the noun:

στο with neuter nouns (το)
στον with masculine nouns (τον)
στην with feminine nouns (την)

Σαλόνι is a neuter noun:

Dictionary form: το σαλόνι – the living room
Therefore: σε + το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι

Compare with:

στην κουζίνα – in the kitchen (κουζίνα = feminine, η κουζίνα)
στον κήπο – in the yard / garden (κήπος = masculine, ο κήπος)
στο δωμάτιο – in the room (δωμάτιο = neuter, το δωμάτιο)

Why do we say το βράδυ with a definite article? In English we just say “in the evening / at night”.

Greek very often uses the definite article with parts of the day and similar time expressions, even when English does not.

Common patterns:

το πρωί – in the morning
το μεσημέρι – at noon / midday
το απόγευμα – in the afternoon
το βράδυ – in the evening / at night
τη νύχτα – at night (feminine: η νύχτα)

So το βράδυ is the normal, idiomatic way to say in the evening / at night, especially for habitual or general statements:

Μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι το βράδυ. – (In general) I speak quietly in the living room in the evening.

Can I drop the article and just say βράδυ instead of το βράδυ?

Yes, you can say βράδυ without the article, but the most typical neutral expression, especially for habits, is το βράδυ.

Το βράδυ διαβάζω. – In the evenings, I read. (habit)
Βράδυ διαβάζω. – Possible, but sounds less standard/neutral; might feel a bit more like “(at) night I read” or appear in more informal or poetic style.

As a learner, using το βράδυ is usually the safest and most natural choice for “in the evening / at night.”

What is the difference between βράδυ and νύχτα?

Both relate to the later part of the day, but they are not identical:

βράδυ: evening / early night, roughly from after sunset until around midnight.
- το βράδυ → in the evening / at night (fairly neutral)
νύχτα: night, especially the late part of the night.
- τη νύχτα → at night (often after midnight, or when it is dark and late)

There is overlap, and in practice context matters, but:

Το βράδυ is very common for “in the evening / at night” in everyday schedules.
Τη νύχτα can suggest later or deeper night, or highlight the fact that it is night-time (dark, people sleeping, etc.).

Could I move το βράδυ to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Greek often puts time expressions at the start of the sentence:

Το βράδυ μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι.

This is perfectly natural. It gently emphasizes when the action happens. The meaning is the same; you are just foregrounding the time.

Does Μιλάω mean “I speak” or “I am speaking” here? How do I say the continuous “I am speaking quietly in the living room right now”?

In modern Greek, the present tense usually covers both:

I speak (habitual / general)
I am speaking (right now)

So your sentence can mean either, depending on context.

To make it clearly continuous / happening right now, you often add a time word:

Μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι τώρα. – I am speaking quietly in the living room now.
Τώρα μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι. – Now I am speaking quietly in the living room.

For “tonight” (this evening) rather than “in the evenings” generally:

Απόψε μιλάω ήσυχα στο σαλόνι. – Tonight I am speaking quietly in the living room.

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence?

Approximate pronunciations for an English speaker:

Μιλάω – mee-LA-o (stress on λά)
ήσυχα – EE-see-ha (stress on ή)
στο – sto (like “stoh”)
σαλόνι – sa-LO-nee (stress on λό)
το – to (like “toh”)
βράδυ – VRA-dhi
- βρ like “vr” in “Ivry”
- δ is like the th in “this”, not like English d

The accent mark in Greek (´) shows you which syllable is stressed. Getting the stress right is very important for sounding natural and for understanding spoken Greek.