Learn Hardcore Greek: Κάθε Κυριακή προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου και γράφω τα σχέδιά μου στο ημερολόγιο. - Every Sunday I prepare my week and write my plans in the diary.

κάθε + singular noun (usually in the accusative) = every / each:
- κάθε Κυριακή = every Sunday
- κάθε μέρα = every day
- κάθε μήνα = every month

So «κάθε την Κυριακή» is incorrect in standard Greek.

Without κάθε, you do use the article for “on Sunday”:

Την Κυριακή προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου.
= On Sunday I prepare my week.

Why is Κυριακή capitalized here? Are days of the week always capitalized in Greek?

It is capitalized here mainly because it is the first word of the sentence.

In standard Modern Greek spelling, days of the week are normally written with a lowercase letter, unlike English, unless:

they begin a sentence, or
they are part of a title / name.

So in the middle of a sentence you’d usually see:

κάθε Κυριακή or κάθε κυριακή (you will see both in real-life writing; the “strict” rule prefers lowercase).

Why do we say «την εβδομάδα μου» with την? What case is that?

«την εβδομάδα μου» is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb προετοιμάζω (“I prepare”).

εβδομάδα is feminine:
- nominative: η εβδομάδα (the week – subject)
- accusative: την εβδομάδα (the week – object)

Here:

προετοιμάζω = I prepare
την εβδομάδα = the week (object)
μου = my

Literally: «I prepare the week of-me», which idiomatically is “I prepare my week” (usually meaning the coming week, or the week ahead).

What is the difference between «προετοιμάζω» and «ετοιμάζω»?

Both relate to preparing, but there is a nuance:

ετοιμάζω = prepare / get ready in general
- ετοιμάζω το φαγητό = I prepare the food
- ετοιμάζω τη βαλίτσα μου = I pack/prepare my suitcase
προετοιμάζω = prepare in advance, make preparations for (more formal, more “planning ahead”)
- προετοιμάζω τους μαθητές για τις εξετάσεις
  = I prepare the students for the exams
- προετοιμάζω την παρουσίασή μου
  = I prepare my presentation (in advance)

In your sentence, «προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου» suggests planning the week in advance (scheduling, organizing), not physically “preparing” the week.

You could say «ετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου», but προετοιμάζω sounds a bit more “organized / planned” here.

Why is the present tense used (προετοιμάζω, γράφω) when this is a habitual action (“every Sunday”)?

In Greek, the simple present tense covers both:

English simple present: I prepare
English present continuous: I am preparing

Because we have «Κάθε Κυριακή» (“every Sunday”), the meaning is clearly habitual / repeated:

Κάθε Κυριακή προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου.
= Every Sunday I prepare my week.
(implicitly: “I always do this, it’s my routine.”)

You do not need a special tense for “I am usually doing this”; the plain present does the job when combined with adverbs like κάθε Κυριακή, συχνά, πάντα etc.

Future forms (θα προετοιμάσω, θα προετοιμάζω) would talk about future events, not a general routine.

Why does «τα σχέδιά μου» have two accents (σχέδιά)? Isn’t one enough?

This is because of Greek stress rules with enclitics (little unstressed words like μου, σου, του).

The noun σχέδια (plans) on its own is stressed on the third syllable from the end (the antepenult):
- σχέ-δι-α → stress on σχέ‑ → σχέδια
When a word is stressed on the antepenult and is followed by an enclitic (like μου), Greek spelling adds a second accent on the last syllable to show how it’s pronounced:
- τα σχέδια → τα σχέδιά μου

This tells you to pronounce it with main stress on σχέ‑, but with the enclitic attached as one phonological unit:

[ΣΧΕ‑δι‑α‑μου]

Another example:

ο άνθρωπος (the person)
ο άνθρωπός μου (my person / my man)

So the two accents in «σχέδιά» are normal and follow a standard rule.

What exactly is «σχέδια» – singular or plural, and what gender is it?

σχέδια is the plural of σχέδιο and it is neuter.

Singular: το σχέδιο = the plan / the design / the drawing
Plural: τα σχέδια = the plans / the designs / the drawings

In your sentence:

τα σχέδιά μου = my plans

(Here σχέδιο is used in the sense of “plan” rather than “drawing”.)

Why is «μου» repeated (την εβδομάδα μου και γράφω τα σχέδιά μου)? Can I say it only once, like «την εβδομάδα και τα σχέδιά μου»?

The repetition is not required by grammar, but it is very natural and clear style in Greek.

How possession works
- Possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους come after the noun:
  - η εβδομάδα μου = my week
  - τα σχέδιά μου = my plans
You cannot say μου εβδομάδα for “my week”.
Can one «μου» cover both nouns?
Yes, in many cases one μου at the end of a coordinated phrase can logically refer to both nouns:
- η μαμά και ο μπαμπάς μου = my mum and dad
- Similarly, την εβδομάδα και τα σχέδιά μου can be understood as
  “my week and my plans”.
So «προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα και τα σχέδιά μου» is grammatically fine and can mean “I prepare my week and my plans”.
Why repeat it?
- Repeating μου (την εβδομάδα μου και … τα σχέδιά μου) makes each noun’s possession explicit and sounds perfectly natural, especially in careful or written style.
- It also avoids any tiny risk of ambiguity and keeps the rhythm balanced.

As a learner, you can safely repeat the possessive; it will never sound wrong.

What does «στο ημερολόγιο» literally mean? What exactly is στο?

στο is a contraction of:

σε (in / at / on / to) +
το (the – neuter singular article)

So:

σε + το → στο
στο ημερολόγιο = in the diary / in the calendar

Other common contractions:

σε + τον → στον
- στον φίλο μου = to my friend / at my friend
σε + την → στη(ν)
- στη δουλειά = at work

In your sentence, «γράφω τα σχέδιά μου στο ημερολόγιο» literally is:

I write my plans in the diary / in the planner.

Can I change the word order in this sentence? For example, move «κάθε Κυριακή» or «στο ημερολόγιο»?

Yes. Modern Greek has fairly flexible word order, as long as you keep the small groups (article + noun + pronoun) together.

Original:

Κάθε Κυριακή προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου και γράφω τα σχέδιά μου στο ημερολόγιο.

Some natural variants:

Προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου και γράφω τα σχέδιά μου στο ημερολόγιο κάθε Κυριακή.
(time phrase moved to the end)
Κάθε Κυριακή προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου και στο ημερολόγιο γράφω τα σχέδιά μου.
(slight emphasis on στο ημερολόγιο = it’s specifically there that I write them)
Κάθε Κυριακή γράφω τα σχέδιά μου στο ημερολόγιο και προετοιμάζω την εβδομάδα μου.
(order of the two actions swapped; meaning almost the same)

What you can’t do is split natural units like:

την εβδομάδα μου, τα σχέδιά μου, στο ημερολόγιο

For example, *την μου εβδομάδα or *σχέδιά στο ημερολόγιο μου would be wrong.

Does «ημερολόγιο» mean “diary”, “calendar”, or “planner” in English?

ημερολόγιο can cover all of these, depending on context. Literally it’s “day-log” (ημέρα = day).

Depending on use, it can mean:

Calendar
- το ημερολόγιο τοίχου = wall calendar
- το ημερολόγιο του κινητού μου = the calendar on my phone
Planner / agenda (where you note appointments, tasks)
- γράφω τα ραντεβού μου στο ημερολόγιο
  = I write my appointments in my planner/calendar.
Diary / journal (more personal writing)
- κρατάω ημερολόγιο = I keep a diary/journal.

In your sentence:

«γράφω τα σχέδιά μου στο ημερολόγιο» most naturally suggests a planner or calendar (a place where you write plans and schedules), but it could also be understood as a personal diary if the wider context suggests that.

If you want to be very clear:

προσωπικό ημερολόγιο = personal diary
ημερολόγιο / ατζέντα = planner / agenda.