Πρέπει να φροντίζω την υγεία μου κάθε μέρα.

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Breakdown of Πρέπει να φροντίζω την υγεία μου κάθε μέρα.

• μου: my
• πρέπει: to have to
• κάθε μέρα: every day
• η υγεία: the health
• φροντίζω: to take care of

Questions & Answers about Πρέπει να φροντίζω την υγεία μου κάθε μέρα.

What exactly does Πρέπει mean here? Is it “must”, “have to”, or “should”?

Πρέπει is an impersonal verb that covers a range of meanings: must / have to / need to / should.
The exact English translation depends on how strong you want the obligation to sound in context.
On its own, πρέπει doesn’t show the subject; the subject is understood from the verb that follows (φροντίζω = “I take care”).

Why do we say πρέπει να φροντίζω and not just πρέπει φροντίζω? What is να doing?

In modern Greek, πρέπει is normally followed by να and a verb in the subjunctive form: πρέπει να + [subjunctive].
So να is a particle that introduces the subjunctive; you cannot omit it here.
Πρέπει φροντίζω is ungrammatical in standard modern Greek.

Is φροντίζω in the present tense? Why don’t we use φροντίσω?

Yes, φροντίζω is the present tense (imperfective aspect) form: “I take care / I look after (regularly, habitually)”.
With πρέπει, you can use:

• πρέπει να φροντίζω (imperfective) = I must/should be taking care of / regularly look after
• πρέπει να φροντίσω (perfective) = I must/should (at some point) take care of / do it once or as a single action
  Here, since it’s about a regular, ongoing habit (every day), φροντίζω (imperfective) is the natural choice.

Why is it την υγεία μου and not η υγεία μου?

Η υγεία is the subject form (nominative).
In this sentence, την υγεία μου is the object of the verb φροντίζω, so the noun is in the accusative:

• nominative: η υγεία
• accusative: την υγεία
  Because it’s the thing being taken care of, we need the accusative: φροντίζω την υγεία μου.

Why do we need the article την before υγεία? In English we just say “my health”, not “the my health”.

In Greek, possessive pronouns like μου usually appear together with the definite article: η υγεία μου, το σπίτι μου, η δουλειά μου.
So την υγεία μου is the normal, natural way to say “my health” as an object.
Omitting the article (φροντίζω υγεία μου) sounds wrong or at best very odd in modern Greek.

What exactly is μου here, and why does it come after the noun instead of before it like “my”?

Μου is the unstressed (clitic) form of the first-person singular genitive pronoun: it means my / of me.
In Greek, these unstressed possessives follow the noun: η υγεία μου, ο φίλος μου (= my friend), το βιβλίο μου (= my book).
Stressed forms like δικός μου behave differently, but for simple possession like “my health”, μου goes after the noun.

Why is κάθε μέρα at the end of the sentence? Can I move it somewhere else?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible. You can say:

• Πρέπει να φροντίζω την υγεία μου κάθε μέρα.
• Κάθε μέρα πρέπει να φροντίζω την υγεία μου.
• Πρέπει κάθε μέρα να φροντίζω την υγεία μου.
  All are grammatically correct; putting κάθε μέρα at the start often adds a bit of emphasis to the “every day” part.

Could this sentence also mean “I should take care of my health every day”, not just “I must”?

Yes. Πρέπει can be strong (“must / have to”) or softer (“should / ought to”), depending on context and tone.
So both “I must take care of my health every day” and “I should take care of my health every day” are valid translations.

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like εγώ? How do we know it means “I”?

Greek verbs are conjugated, and their endings show the person and number.
Φροντίζω is 1st person singular (“I take care”), so the subject εγώ is understood and normally omitted.
You would only add εγώ (Εγώ πρέπει να φροντίζω…) for emphasis, like “I must take care of my health…” (maybe in contrast to others).

Is πρέπει conjugated? Are there other forms like “I must, you must”?

Πρέπει is impersonal in modern Greek; it does not change form for person or number.
You use the same πρέπει with all subjects:

• Πρέπει να φροντίζω (I must…)
• Πρέπει να φροντίζεις (you must…)
• Πρέπει να φροντίζουν (they must…)
  There is a past form έπρεπε (“had to / should have”), but still only one form for all persons.

Could we say φροντίζω για την υγεία μου instead of φροντίζω την υγεία μου? Is there a difference?

You can say φροντίζω για την υγεία μου, and it is understandable, but with υγεία the more natural and common expression is φροντίζω την υγεία μου (direct object).
In general, φροντίζω κάτι = “take care of something”, and φροντίζω για κάτι can mean “make arrangements for / see to something”.
Here, when talking about your own health as something you maintain, φροντίζω την υγεία μου sounds more idiomatic.

What’s the difference between φροντίζω and προσέχω in this kind of sentence?

Both can be used about health, but there is a nuance:

• φροντίζω την υγεία μου suggests actively taking care of it (eating well, exercising, going to the doctor, etc.).
• προσέχω την υγεία μου is more like being careful with / watching your health, avoiding things that harm it.
  In many everyday contexts they overlap, and both would be understood as “looking after your health”.