Learn Hardcore Greek: Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά. - I try to be more organized every day at work.

οργανώνω = I organize (something/someone else)
- e.g. Οργανώνω το γραφείο. = I organize the office.
οργανώνομαι = I get organized / I organize myself
- e.g. Οργανώνομαι καλύτερα. = I get better organized.

In Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα…, the idea is “I try to be more organized / get myself organized”, not “I try to organize something else.”
That’s why Greek prefers οργανώνομαι here.

What is the function of να in να οργανώνομαι? Is it like “to” in English?

Να introduces a subordinate verb in the subjunctive mood (υποτακτική). Greek no longer uses an infinitive like English.

In English you say:

I try *to organize myself better…*

In Greek you say:

Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα…

So the pattern is:

προσπαθώ + να + [subjunctive]

Να here doesn’t literally mean “to”, but it fills the same syntactic role: it connects προσπαθώ with the verb οργανώνομαι in the form να οργανώνομαι.

Is να οργανώνομαι a present tense? What exactly is its form?

The form οργανώνομαι itself is present tense, middle/passive voice, 1st person singular (ενεστώτας, μέση/παθητική φωνή, α΄ ενικό).

When you add να, you don’t change the tense form; you change the mood:

οργανώνομαι = I am (getting) organized (indicative)
να οργανώνομαι = (that) I be / (that) I get organized (subjunctive, with present stem)

So να οργανώνομαι is present-stem subjunctive, often called simply “present subjunctive” in English explanations. It usually expresses ongoing, repeated or habitual action, not a single completed event.

Why do we use να οργανώνομαι and not να οργανωθώ?

This is a question of aspect (ongoing vs one-time/completed action).

να οργανώνομαι (present-stem subjunctive)
→ ongoing, repeated, or habitual action
→ “to be getting organized / to keep organizing myself”
να οργανωθώ (aorist subjunctive, passive/middle)
→ one-time, completed result
→ “to get organized (once, fully)”

In the sentence:

Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά.

we’re talking about a habitual process (“every day at work I’m trying to be more organized”), not one single event of “getting organized once and for all”.
So the present aspect in να οργανώνομαι fits much better than the aorist να οργανωθώ.

Could I say Προσπαθώ να οργανωθώ καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά? What would that mean?

You can say it, but the nuance changes.

Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά.
→ I’m trying to be/get more organized as an ongoing habit, every day.
Προσπαθώ να οργανωθώ καλύτερα στη δουλειά.
→ I’m trying to get (myself) organized better (as a result) at work.
→ More like a goal of reaching a certain organized state, not focusing on the day‑by‑day ongoing process.

If you keep κάθε μέρα with να οργανωθώ, it sounds a bit awkward, because να οργανωθώ suggests a single completed change, while κάθε μέρα suggests repetition. Native speakers would usually:

either use να οργανώνομαι with κάθε μέρα, or
drop κάθε μέρα with να οργανωθώ.

Why is προσπαθώ in the present tense if I mean something like “I am trying” (right now) or “I try” (generally)?

In Modern Greek, the present tense προσπαθώ covers both:

I am trying (right now)
I try (regularly / as a habit)

Context decides which reading is more natural. Here, because we also have κάθε μέρα (“every day”), the sentence clearly expresses a habitual action:

Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά.
→ I try / I am trying (as an ongoing effort) to get more organized every day at work.

Greek doesn’t need a separate form like English “I am trying”; the simple present προσπαθώ is enough.

What does καλύτερα mean exactly here, and why is it καλύτερα and not καλύτερος?

Καλύτερα is the comparative adverb of καλά (“well”).

καλά = well
καλύτερα = better (in the sense of “more well”)

It modifies the verb (how you organize yourself), not a noun or adjective.

Οργανώνομαι καλύτερα. = I get organized better.

Καλύτερος is the comparative adjective of καλός (“good”):

καλός = good
καλύτερος = better (in the sense of “a better X”)

You would use καλύτερος with a noun:

Είμαι καλύτερος υπάλληλος. = I am a better employee.

So in this sentence we describe how you organize yourself → adverb → καλύτερα, not καλύτερος.

(You could also say πιο καλά instead of καλύτερα; both are natural.)

Can I change the word order? For example: Προσπαθώ κάθε μέρα να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα στη δουλειά. Is that okay?

Yes, that word order is perfectly natural. Some common variations:

Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά.
Προσπαθώ κάθε μέρα να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα στη δουλειά.
Κάθε μέρα προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα στη δουλειά.

All three are grammatical and idiomatic. The differences are mainly in emphasis:

Starting with Κάθε μέρα emphasizes the frequency.
Putting κάθε μέρα after προσπαθώ or after the verb group makes the timing feel slightly less prominent.

But in everyday speech, all of them mean essentially the same thing.

What exactly is στη in στη δουλειά? Is that one word or two?

Στη is the contracted form of σε + τη(ν):

σε = at / in / to (preposition)
τη(ν) = the (feminine singular accusative article)

So:

σε + τη δουλειά → στη δουλειά

This contraction is standard and mandatory in normal speech and writing.
Similarly:

σε + τον → στον
σε + το → στο
σε + τις → στις

Δουλειά is a feminine noun, so we use τη → στη δουλειά = at work / in my job.

Does στη δουλειά mean specifically “at my work / my job”, or just “at work” in general?

Literally, στη δουλειά means “at the work”, but in practice it is used very much like English “at work” and usually implies your own workplace / job.

Context fills in whose work it is. In this sentence:

Προσπαθώ να οργανώνομαι καλύτερα κάθε μέρα στη δουλειά.

a native speaker would naturally understand:

“I try to get more organized every day at work (in my job).”

If you needed to be extremely explicit, you could say:

στη δουλειά μου = at my job / at my work

but στη δουλειά alone is normally enough.

Could I say Προσπαθώ να είμαι πιο οργανωμένος στη δουλειά instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s also correct:

Προσπαθώ να είμαι πιο οργανωμένος στη δουλειά.

Difference in nuance:

να οργανώνομαι
→ focuses on the process / activity of organizing yourself
→ “I try to (keep) organizing myself better”
να είμαι πιο οργανωμένος
→ focuses on the state / quality of being organized
→ “I try to be more organized (as a person) at work”

In many contexts they are interchangeable, but:

να οργανώνομαι hints more at practical actions, systems, routines.
να είμαι πιο οργανωμένος sounds slightly more general about your character or work style.

How is οργανώνομαι pronounced and where is the stress?

Οργανώνομαι is pronounced:

[or-ga-NO-no-me] (approximate English syllables)

Syllable breakdown: ο‑ρ‑γα‑νώ‑νο‑μαι

The stress mark (´) shows the stressed syllable:

οργανώνομαι → the stress is on νώ → -ΝΩ-

So you should emphasize the “NO” syllable: or-ga-NO-no-me.