Learn Hardcore Greek: Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.

καθώς often emphasizes two actions happening simultaneously in a smooth, continuous way.
όταν is more neutral: “when”. It can be about one-time events or habitual actions, and doesn’t necessarily stress simultaneity.
- Όταν διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.
  → When I read in the living room, I relax. (every time I do that)
ενώ is “while / whereas”, and often adds a contrast:
- Ενώ διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, οι άλλοι βλέπουν τηλεόραση.
  → While I’m reading in the living room, the others are watching TV.

So in your sentence, καθώς focuses on two things happening at the same time: the act of reading and the state of relaxing.

Why is the present tense διαβάζω used for “I’m reading”? Isn’t that simple present “I read”?

Modern Greek doesn’t have a separate verb form for “I read” vs “I am reading”.

The form διαβάζω covers both:

I read (habitually / generally)
I am reading (right now / in progress)

Which meaning is intended comes from context and additional words:

Τώρα διαβάζω. → I’m reading now.
Κάθε βράδυ διαβάζω. → I read every evening.

In Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω, the meaning is progressive / ongoing (“as I’m reading”), because καθώς implies an action in progress.

Why is there no subject pronoun like εγώ? Could I say Εγώ καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: the verb endings usually make the subject clear, so the subject pronoun is often omitted.

διαβάζω already tells you “I read / I’m reading” (1st person singular).
χαλαρώνω already tells you “I relax / I’m relaxing” (1st person singular).

So Εγώ is not needed here. You’d only use εγώ to emphasize the subject:

Εγώ, καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.
→ I, when I read in the living room, relax. (implying: maybe others don’t)

In normal, neutral speech, the sentence without εγώ is the most natural.

Is the comma after σαλόνι obligatory in Greek? How does punctuation work here?

Yes, the comma is standard and correct here, because you have a subordinate clause followed by a main clause:

Subordinate clause: Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι (As I’m reading in the living room)
Main clause: χαλαρώνω (I relax)

Greek typically uses a comma between these when the subordinate clause comes first:

Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.
Όταν διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.

If you reverse the order, you usually don’t use a comma:

Χαλαρώνω καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι.
(No comma needed)

Can I change the word order, e.g. Χαλαρώνω καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι? Does it change the meaning?

You can, and the basic meaning stays the same:

Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.
Χαλαρώνω καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι.

Both mean: As I read in the living room, I relax.

Subtle nuance:

Starting with Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι highlights the reading situation as the background.
Starting with Χαλαρώνω slightly foregrounds the result/state (relaxing).

Grammatically, both are fine and very natural.

What is στο exactly? Why not σε το σαλόνι?

στο is a contraction of:

σε (in, at, on) + το (the, neuter singular)

So:

σε το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι

This contraction is obligatory in normal Greek:

σε + τον → στον (e.g. στον φίλο)
σε + την → στη(ν) (e.g. στη μητέρα)
σε + το → στο (e.g. στο σαλόνι)

You shouldn’t write or say σε το σαλόνι in standard modern Greek.

Why does Greek say στο σαλόνι with “the”, while in English we often just say “in the living room” or even “in the living room” without stressing the article?

Modern Greek uses the definite article more frequently than English, especially with specific places like parts of the house:

στο σαλόνι → literally “in the living room”
στην κουζίνα → in the kitchen
στο μπάνιο → in the bathroom

In English, “the” can sometimes feel optional in informal speech or be less emphasized, but in Greek the article is normally required in such expressions.

Saying σε σαλόνι (without article) would sound more like “in a living room” (non‑specific) and is unusual in this context.

What is the gender and form of σαλόνι, and how does that affect the sentence?

Σαλόνι is a neuter noun:

Singular: το σαλόνι (the living room)
Plural: τα σαλόνια (the living rooms)

In the sentence, σαλόνι is in the accusative singular after the preposition σε:

σε + το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι

Because it’s neuter, you see το (not ο or η) and the ending ‑ι, which is common for neuter nouns:

το παιδί (the child)
το σπίτι (the house)
το σαλόνι (the living room)

Does χαλαρώνω work like an English reflexive verb (“I relax myself”), or is it just “I relax”?

Χαλαρώνω here is not reflexive in form; it simply means “I relax / I calm down” as an intransitive verb:

Χαλαρώνω. → I relax / I’m relaxing.

It can also be transitive (I relax something/someone):

Χαλαρώνω τους μυς μου. → I relax my muscles.
Αυτό το τραγούδι με χαλαρώνει. → This song relaxes me.

Greek also has a reflexive‑looking verb:

χαλαρώνομαι (I become relaxed / I get loosened)

But in everyday speech, when you want to say “I relax”, the normal form is simply:

Χαλαρώνω.

Could I replace χαλαρώνω with another verb like ξεκουράζομαι? Would it change the meaning?

Yes, you could say:

Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, ξεκουράζομαι.

Χαλαρώνω and ξεκουράζομαι are close but not identical:

χαλαρώνω = I relax, I unwind, I loosen up (physically or mentally).
ξεκουράζομαι = I rest, I recover from tiredness.

So:

Original: Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.
→ Reading makes me feel relaxed.
With ξεκουράζομαι:
→ Reading in the living room is a way for me to rest / recharge.

Both are natural; you choose based on whether you want to stress relaxation or rest.

Does διαβάζω only mean “to read,” or can it also mean “to study,” like in English “I’m studying”?

Διαβάζω in modern Greek means both:

to read (books, newspapers, etc.)
to study / to do homework / to revise

Examples:

Διαβάζω ένα βιβλίο. → I’m reading a book.
Πρέπει να διαβάσω για τις εξετάσεις. → I have to study for the exams.
Ο γιος μου διαβάζει στο δωμάτιό του.
→ My son is studying / doing homework in his room.

In Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω, the context could suggest either reading or studying, but in everyday conversation most people will first think of reading (for pleasure) unless the context is clearly academic.

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence? Where is the stress?

Here is the approximate pronunciation with stress in bold syllables:

Καθώς → ka‑THÓS (ka‑THOS; “th” as in this)
διαβάζω → dhia‑VÁ‑zo (the δ is like English th in this)
στο → sto
σαλόνι → sa‑LÓ‑ni
χαλαρώνω → ha‑la‑RÓ‑no

Each Greek word marks its stressed syllable with an accent (´):

καθώς
διαβάζω
σαλόνι
χαλαρώνω

Putting it together smoothly:

Καθώς διαβάζω στο σαλόνι, χαλαρώνω.
ka‑THÓS dhia‑VÁ‑zo sto sa‑LÓ‑ni, ha‑la‑RÓ‑no.

Can I omit στο σαλόνι or move it elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. στο σαλόνι is an adverbial phrase of place, so it’s movable and also optional if the place is clear from context.

Possible variations:

Καθώς διαβάζω, χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι.
Στο σαλόνι, καθώς διαβάζω, χαλαρώνω.
Χαλαρώνω στο σαλόνι καθώς διαβάζω.

All are grammatically correct and natural.
Omitting it:

Καθώς διαβάζω, χαλαρώνω.
→ As I read, I relax.

You’d leave it out if the location is already known or unimportant.