Learn Hardcore Greek: Κουράζομαι όταν δουλεύω όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο. - I get tired when I work all day at the office.

Reflexive-like meaning: the subject is affected themself
- κουράζω = “I tire (someone else), I make (someone) tired”
- κουράζομαι = “I get tired / I become tired (myself)”

So the base verb is:

κουράζω – active voice: I tire (someone)
κουράζομαι – middle/passive: I get tired / I become tired

In this sentence Κουράζομαι όταν δουλεύω…, we naturally translate κουράζομαι as “I get tired” or “I feel tired” in English.

Why is there no “I” (εγώ) in the sentence before κουράζομαι?

Greek usually drops the subject pronoun (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός, etc.) because the verb ending already shows the subject.

κουράζομαι = “I get tired” (1st person singular)
κουράζεσαι = “you get tired”
κουράζεται = “he/she/it gets tired”

So εγώ κουράζομαι is grammatically correct, but in normal speech/writing people just say Κουράζομαι.

You only add the pronoun εγώ when you want to emphasize:

Εγώ κουράζομαι, όχι εσύ. – I am the one who gets tired, not you.

What does όταν mean here, and how is it different from other words for “when” like πότε?

In this sentence, όταν means “when / whenever” introducing a time clause:

Κουράζομαι όταν δουλεύω… = I get tired when I work…

Key distinctions:

όταν = when / whenever (used in sentences with a verb)
- Όταν δουλεύω, κουράζομαι. – When I work, I get tired.
πότε = when? (only in questions)
- Πότε δουλεύεις; – When do you work?

So you cannot say Πότε δουλεύω, κουράζομαι here; it must be Όταν δουλεύω, κουράζομαι.

What tense/aspect is δουλεύω, and does it mean “I work” in general or “I am working (right now)”?

Δουλεύω is in the present tense, imperfective aspect. In Greek this form can cover both:

Habitual / general actions:
- Δουλεύω κάθε μέρα. – I work every day.
An action happening now:
- Τώρα δουλεύω. – I’m working now.

In Κουράζομαι όταν δουλεύω όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο, it has a general/habitual meaning:
“I get tired when(ever) I work all day in the office.”

For past “when I worked…”, you would use the imperfect:

Κουραζόμουν όταν δούλευα όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο.
I used to get tired when I worked all day at the office.

What is the meaning and structure of όλη τη μέρα?

Όλη τη μέρα means “all day (long)”.

Breakdown:

όλη – “all / the whole” (feminine singular)
τη – the feminine definite article “the” in the accusative case (variant of την)
μέρα – “day”

So literally: “all the day” → naturally in English: “all day”.

You might also see:

όλη μέρα – without the article (also common, especially in speech)
όλη την ημέρα – more formal/complete: “all the day (long)”

All three can be used; the nuance is small.
Here, όλη τη μέρα sounds very natural and colloquial-standard.

Why is it τη μέρα and not την μέρα?

The full feminine accusative article is την (“the”), but in modern Greek, the final -ν is often dropped before many consonants in speech and informal writing.

So:

την μέρα → τη μέρα
την πόρτα → την πόρτα / τη πόρτα (both seen)

There are traditional rules about keeping -ν before certain consonants (π, τ, κ, μπ, ντ, γκ, ξ, ψ, and vowels), but in everyday modern usage many speakers simply write and say τη very often.

So όλη τη μέρα is completely normal and standard today; όλη την μέρα is also grammatically correct, just a bit more “spelled-out.”

What does στο mean in στο γραφείο, and how is it formed?

Στο means “at the / in the” and is a contraction of:

σε
- το → στο
σε = “in / at / to” (a general preposition)
το = “the” (neuter singular article)

So:

στο γραφείο = σε + το γραφείο = “at the office / in the office”

Other similar contractions:

σε + την → στη(ν)
σε + τους → στους
σε + τις → στις

Why doesn’t γραφείο have its own article? Isn’t there supposed to be a “the”?

The article is actually inside στο:

στο γραφείο = σε
- το γραφείο = at the office

So you do have “the” (το), but it’s hidden in the contraction.
If you wrote it without contraction, more “spelled out,” it would be:

σε το γραφείο → at the office (but this form is not used; we always say στο).

Can I change the word order and say Όταν δουλεύω όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο, κουράζομαι; Is it still correct?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and very natural:

Όταν δουλεύω όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο, κουράζομαι.
Κουράζομαι όταν δουλεύω όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο.

Greek allows quite flexible word order, especially with clauses introduced by όταν. Both versions mean the same thing; the difference is only in emphasis and rhythm of the sentence.

Starting with Κουράζομαι… focuses first on the result: I get tired…
Starting with Όταν δουλεύω… focuses first on the condition: When I work…

Is κουράζομαι closer to “I’m tired” or “I get tired”? How would I say simply “I am tired” right now?

Κουράζομαι is more naturally “I get tired / I become tired / I’m getting tired”, describing a process or tendency.

For a simple state “I am tired” (right now), Greek usually uses the adjective:

Είμαι κουρασμένος. (male speaker)
Είμαι κουρασμένη. (female speaker)

So:

Κουράζομαι όταν δουλεύω όλη τη μέρα στο γραφείο.
→ I get tired when I work all day at the office. (habit/tendency)
Σήμερα είμαι πολύ κουρασμένος/κουρασμένη.
→ Today I’m very tired. (current state)