Κάθε χρονιά γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.

Every year I write my thoughts in the diary.

Breakdown of Κάθε χρονιά γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.

• μου: my
• σε: in
• γράφω: to write
• κάθε: every
• το ημερολόγιο: the diary
• η χρονιά: the year
• η σκέψη: the thought

Questions & Answers about Κάθε χρονιά γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.

What does κάθε mean here, and why is the noun χρονιά in the singular?

κάθε means every / each.

In Greek, κάθε is:

• invariable (it doesn’t change form), and
• it is followed by a singular noun, even though the meaning is plural in English.

So:

• κάθε χρονιά = every year
• κάθε μέρα = every day
• κάθε άνθρωπος = every person

Even though English uses a plural idea (every year = all years one by one), Greek keeps the noun in the singular after κάθε.

What is the difference between χρονιά and χρόνος? Could I also say κάθε χρόνο?

Both κάθε χρονιά and κάθε χρόνο can mean every year.

• χρόνος (accusative: χρόνο) is the basic word for time / year.
• χρονιά is more specifically year as a period, and it often has a slightly more colloquial or emotional feel (e.g. school year, a year of life, a tough year).

In this sentence:

• κάθε χρονιά γράφω…
• κάθε χρόνο γράφω…

are both correct and natural. The difference is very small; many speakers might use them almost interchangeably here.

Grammatically, κάθε χρονιά / κάθε χρόνο is an accusative of time (every year = time expression). For feminine nouns in -α like χρονιά, nominative and accusative look the same, which is why the form doesn’t change.

Why is γράφω in the present tense if the action is repeated every year?

In Greek, the present tense is used both for:

• actions happening right now, and
• habits or repeated actions (like I write every year, I go to the gym every Monday).

So:

• γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο
  can mean:
  • I am writing my thoughts in the diary (now), or
  • I write my thoughts in the diary (as a habit).

Here, the adverbial phrase κάθε χρονιά makes it clear that this is a habitual action, so the Greek present is the correct tense.

Why is τις σκέψεις μου in the accusative, and why plural?

γράφω is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object in the accusative case:
Τι γράφω; – τις σκέψεις μου → what do I write? – my thoughts.

• οι σκέψεις = the thoughts (nominative plural, feminine)
• τις σκέψεις = the thoughts (accusative plural, feminine)

So τις σκέψεις μου is accusative plural, functioning as the direct object of γράφω.

It’s plural because we usually think of thoughts as many separate ideas, not just one. If you wanted singular, it would be:

• τη σκέψη μου = my thought

Why does μου come after σκέψεις instead of before, like in English my thoughts?

In Greek, unstressed possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους normally come after the noun:

• οι σκέψεις μου = my thoughts
• το βιβλίο σου = your book
• ο φίλος μας = our friend

So the natural order is:

• article + noun + possessive clitic
  → οι σκέψεις μου, τις σκέψεις μου

If you want to emphasize the possessor, you use a different form and construction, for example:

• οι δικές μου σκέψεις = my own thoughts / my thoughts (not someone else’s)

Do we need the article τις before σκέψεις μου? Could we just say γράφω σκέψεις μου?

In standard Greek, when you use an unstressed possessive (μου, σου, του…) with a noun, you almost always also use the definite article:

• τις σκέψεις μου – natural
• σκέψεις μου – sounds incomplete or poetic/marked in most contexts

So:

• γράφω τις σκέψεις μου is the normal form.
• γράφω σκέψεις μου would sound unusual in everyday speech, and might only appear:
  • in poetry,
  • in very stylized or elliptical language.

In general: article + noun + possessive is the default pattern for “my X / your X” in Greek.

What exactly is στο? Why is it used instead of σε το?

στο is a contraction of the preposition σε + the neuter singular article το:

• σε + το → στο

This contraction is mandatory in normal speech and writing.
Other similar contractions:

• σε + τον → στον (e.g. στον φίλο μου – to my friend)
• σε + την → στην (e.g. στην πόλη – in the city)
• σε + τους → στους
• σε + τις → στις

So:

• στο ημερολόγιο = in the diary / into the diary
  Literally: in the + diary.

Why is it στο ημερολόγιο and not σε ημερολόγιο without the article?

Greek tends to use the definite article much more than English, especially with:

• concrete objects
• things that are understood as specific in the context
• and often even for “generic” or regular activities.

Here, στο ημερολόγιο implies a specific diary, usually:

• my usual diary
• the diary I keep every year

If you said σε ημερολόγιο (without article), it would sound:

• incomplete or unnatural in most contexts, or
• like in some diary or other (indefinite and quite marked).

So στο ημερολόγιο is the normal, idiomatic phrase for in my diary / in the diary in this kind of sentence.

What gender and number is ημερολόγιο, and how is it declined?

ημερολόγιο is a neuter noun, singular here.

Basic forms:

• το ημερολόγιο – the diary (nominative/accusative singular)
• του ημερολογίου – of the diary (genitive singular)
• τα ημερολόγια – the diaries (nominative/accusative plural)
• των ημερολογίων – of the diaries (genitive plural)

So in the sentence:

• στο ημερολόγιο = in the diary (neuter singular, accusative, because it’s object of the preposition σε).

Can I change the word order? For example, say Γράφω κάθε χρονιά τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο or Στο ημερολόγιο γράφω τις σκέψεις μου κάθε χρονιά?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like κάθε χρονιά and στο ημερολόγιο.

All of the following are grammatically correct:

• Κάθε χρονιά γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.
• Γράφω κάθε χρονιά τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.
• Γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο κάθε χρονιά.
• Στο ημερολόγιο γράφω τις σκέψεις μου κάθε χρονιά.

The differences are about focus and emphasis:

• Putting κάθε χρονιά first emphasizes the repetition / every year.
• Putting στο ημερολόγιο first emphasizes the place (in the diary, not somewhere else).

But in everyday speech, all these versions are natural.

How do I pronounce the sentence, especially clusters like χρ, σκ, and ψ?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA):

• Κάθε – [ˈkaθe]
• χρονιά – [xroˈɲa]
• γράφω – [ˈɣrafo]
• τις – [tis]
• σκέψεις – [ˈscep̞sis] (roughly SKEP-sis)
• μου – [mu]
• στο – [sto]
• ημερολόγιο – [imeroˈloʝio] (ee-meh-ro-LO-yi-o)

Tricky bits:

• χρ: χ is like a harsh h or German ch in Bach; ρ is a tapped/rolled r: [xɾ].
• ψ in σκέψεις: one sound [ps], like English psycho or lapse.
• νιά: νι
  • ά becomes a palatal sound [ɲa] (similar to Spanish ñ in año).
• Stress marks (´) show the stressed syllable:
  
  • καΘΕ, χροΝΙΑ, ΓΡΑφω, ΣΚΕψεις, ημεροΛΟγιο.

What are the main other forms of the verb γράφω that I should know (past, future, etc.)?

Common forms of γράφω (to write):

• Present:
  
  • (εγώ) γράφω – I write / I am writing
• Simple past (aorist):
  
  • (εγώ) έγραψα – I wrote
• Imperfect (past continuous):
  
  • (εγώ) έγραφα – I was writing / I used to write
• Simple future:
  
  • (εγώ) θα γράψω – I will write
• Continuous future:
  
  • (εγώ) θα γράφω – I will be writing / I will write (regularly)
• Passive participle / adjective:
  
  • γραμμένος, -η, -ο – written (e.g. γραμμένες σκέψεις – written thoughts)

So, if you wanted to say I used to write my thoughts in the diary every year, you might say:

• Κάθε χρονιά έγραφα τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.

Why is it γράφω τις σκέψεις μου and not γράφω για τις σκέψεις μου (“I write about my thoughts”)?

The meaning in Greek here is “I write my thoughts down”, not “I write about my thoughts”.

• γράφω τις σκέψεις μου
  → the thoughts themselves are what I am writing; they are the content.

• γράφω για τις σκέψεις μου
  → I am writing about my thoughts as a topic (e.g. an essay about my thoughts), not necessarily recording them directly.

So in this sentence:

• τις σκέψεις μου is a direct object, matching the English idea write my thoughts (down).
  If you changed it to για τις σκέψεις μου, you would slightly change the meaning.

Could I replace γράφω with another verb like σημειώνω or καταγράφω? Would the meaning change?

You can, but the nuance changes:

• γράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.
  Neutral, everyday: I write my thoughts in the diary.

• σημειώνω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.
  = I note down / jot down my thoughts in the diary.
  Slight nuance of making notes, possibly quicker or more casual.

• καταγράφω τις σκέψεις μου στο ημερολόγιο.
  = I record my thoughts in the diary.
  Sounds more formal or systematic, like carefully documenting them.

The original γράφω is the most general and natural choice for a personal diary.