Learn Hardcore Greek: Στο τέλος της μέρας χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι. - At the end of the day I relax in the living room.

Τέλος means end. It is a neuter noun, but it belongs to a group of neuter nouns that end in -ος in the nominative/accusative singular.

Masculine nouns often end in -ος too, so the ending doesn’t always tell you the gender.
You have to learn the gender with the noun:
- το τέλος (neuter)
- ο φίλος (masculine)

In the sentence:

στο τέλος → σε + το + τέλος (accusative neuter singular)
Preposition σε takes the accusative, and neuter τέλος happens to look the same in nominative and accusative.

Why is it της μέρας and not just της μέρα?

Μέρα = day (informal/colloquial for ημέρα).

Greek nouns change their ending depending on the case. Here we need the genitive singular, because we are saying “of the day”:

Nominative: η μέρα (the day)
Genitive: της μέρας (of the day)

So της μέρα is grammatically wrong. The correct genitive is της μέρας.

What is the role of the genitive της μέρας in this phrase?

Της μέρας is in the genitive case, which often corresponds to English “of …”.

το τέλος της μέρας literally: “the end of the day”

So the structure is:

στο τέλος → at the end
της μέρας → of the day

Together: Στο τέλος της μέρας = At the end of the day.

The genitive here shows a relationship/possession: the end belongs to or is part of the day.

What’s the difference between μέρα and ημέρα?

Both mean day, but they differ in register and style:

μέρα: more colloquial/everyday
ημέρα: more formal, often written, official, or in set expressions

In this sentence, speaking naturally:

Στο τέλος της μέρας = the usual, everyday way
Στο τέλος της ημέρας = correct, but sounds more formal or “bookish” in casual speech.

Why is there no word for “I” in χαλαρώνω? How do we know it means “I relax”?

In Greek, the verb ending shows the subject, so the subject pronoun is usually omitted.

The verb χαλαρώνω is:

1st person singular, present tense: (εγώ) χαλαρώνω = I relax / I’m relaxing

Because -ω at the end tells you “I”, Greeks normally leave out εγώ unless they need emphasis:

Χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι. = I (normally) relax in the living room.
Εγώ χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι. = I relax in the living room (not someone else).

Does χαλαρώνω mean “I relax” or “I’m relaxing”? Which one is correct?

In Modern Greek, the simple present often covers both English meanings:

χαλαρώνω = I relax / I unwind (general, habitual)
χαλαρώνω also = I’m relaxing / I’m unwinding (right now or regularly at that time)

So:

Στο τέλος της μέρας χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
Can be understood as:
- “At the end of the day I (usually) relax in the living room.” (habit)
- “At the end of the day I’m relaxing in the living room.” (describing what happens then)

Context usually makes the nuance clear.

Could I use a different verb, like ξεκουράζομαι, instead of χαλαρώνω? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

Στο τέλος της μέρας ξεκουράζομαι στο σαλόνι.

Differences:

χαλαρώνω: to relax, unwind, de‑stress (may involve entertainment, sitting on the sofa, watching TV, etc.)
ξεκουράζομαι: to rest, recover from tiredness (more about physical/mental rest)

Both fit here, but χαλαρώνω focuses more on chilling out, not just resting.

Why is it στο σαλόνι and not σε ένα σαλόνι (in a living room)?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English, especially with familiar locations (home, rooms, places you know):

στο σαλόνι = in the living room (my/our usual living room is implied)
σε ένα σαλόνι = in a living room (some living room, not a specific one)

In context, we’re clearly talking about the person’s own living room, so στο σαλόνι is the natural choice.

What case is σαλόνι in, and why?

Σαλόνι is a neuter noun:

το σαλόνι = the living room

In the sentence, we have στο σαλόνι = σε + το + σαλόνι, and σε takes the accusative case.

For neuter nouns like σαλόνι, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

Nominative: το σαλόνι
Accusative: το σαλόνι

So structurally, it’s in the accusative, even though the form doesn’t change.

Can I change the word order, for example: Χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι στο τέλος της μέρας? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the word order; Greek is quite flexible.

Στο τέλος της μέρας χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
– Natural, with a slight emphasis on “at the end of the day” (time first).
Χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι στο τέλος της μέρας.
– Still natural, feels a bit more like you first say what you do and where, then add when.
– Emphasis now is more on what you do and where, with the time as an afterthought.

The basic meaning is the same; it’s just a matter of focus and rhythm.

How do you pronounce the sentence, and where are the stress accents?

The stress mark (´) in Greek shows which syllable is stressed:

Στο – sto (one syllable)
τέλος – ΤΈ‑λος (stress on τέ)
της – tis (one syllable)
μέρας – ΜΈ‑ρας (stress on μέ)
χαλαρώνω – χα‑λα‑ΡΌ‑νω (stress on ρώ)
στο – sto
σαλόνι – σα‑ΛΌ‑νι (stress on λό)

Whole sentence (with stressed syllables in caps):

STO TÉ-los tis MÉ-ras cha-la-RÓ-no sto sa-LÓ-ni.

Each word has exactly one written accent to show the stressed syllable.