Breakdown of Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω λίγο το επόμενο κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου μου.
Questions & Answers about Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω λίγο το επόμενο κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου μου.
Στο is a contraction of σε + το.
- σε = in / at
- το = the (neuter, singular, accusative)
In everyday Greek, σε + το almost always becomes στο (written as one word).
So:
- σε το διάλειμμα → στο διάλειμμα
It means at the break / during the break. Using the article το makes διάλειμμα definite: the break, not just a break.
After most prepositions in Greek (including σε), the noun is in the accusative case.
So διάλειμμα here is accusative singular neuter.
For neuter nouns like διάλειμμα, the nominative and accusative forms are the same:
- nominative singular: το διάλειμμα
- accusative singular: το διάλειμμα
So it looks like the nominative, but grammatically it’s accusative because it follows σε / στο.
Greek usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.
- διαβάζω = I read / I am reading (1st person singular)
So διαβάζω by itself already means I read.
Adding εγώ is only needed for emphasis or contrast:
- Εγώ στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω, όχι εσύ.
I read during the break, not you.
In neutral, everyday speech, Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω… is more natural.
Greek present tense covers both English simple present and present continuous.
διαβάζω can mean:
- I read (habitually, regularly)
- I am reading (right now / at that time)
With Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω…, the most natural reading is habitual:
- During the break I (usually) read a bit of the next chapter of my book.
If you wanted to insist on something happening right now, you’d add context, like:
- Τώρα στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω…
Right now during the break I’m reading…
λίγο is an adverb meaning a little / a bit / for a short time.
In this sentence it can be understood in two closely related ways:
Quantity of what you read
- I read a bit of the next chapter (not all of it).
Duration of the action (less likely without για)
- I read the next chapter for a little while.
Most native speakers would first understand it as a bit of the next chapter.
If you clearly wanted time, you would usually say:
- Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω για λίγο το επόμενο κεφάλαιο…
During the break I read the next chapter for a little while…
You can, but it sounds less natural and can slightly change the feel.
Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω λίγο το επόμενο κεφάλαιο…
The usual, natural order. λίγο is closely tied to the action of reading and the object.Στο διάλειμμα διαβάζω το επόμενο κεφάλαιο λίγο.
Possible, but it can sound a bit marked or as if you are adding λίγο as an afterthought, or emphasising how much of the chapter you read.
In Greek, adverbs like λίγο, πολύ, συχνά often come before the object, as in the original sentence.
το is the definite article (the), and it serves two purposes:
- It makes κεφάλαιο definite: το κεφάλαιο = the chapter.
- It links the adjective επόμενο to κεφάλαιο, so they agree.
In Greek, when you have article + adjective + noun, the article is normally required:
- το επόμενο κεφάλαιο = the next chapter
- ένα επόμενο κεφάλαιο = a next chapter (very rare usage; usually context-specific)
- επόμενο κεφάλαιο without an article is possible only in some special contexts (titles, headings, or more abstract uses), not here.
Here you are talking about the next chapter of a specific book, so το is needed.
Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe in:
- gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
- number (singular / plural)
- case (nominative / accusative / etc.)
κεφάλαιο is:
- neuter
- singular
- accusative (as the direct object of διαβάζω)
So the adjective επόμενος must also be neuter singular accusative:
- Masculine: επόμενος (nom.), επόμενο (acc.)
- Feminine: επόμενη (nom./acc.)
- Neuter: επόμενο (nom./acc.)
Therefore:
- το επόμενο κεφάλαιο = the next chapter
του is the genitive singular article for masculine and neuter nouns.
In του βιβλίου μου it marks βιβλίου as genitive, which often corresponds to of in English:
- το κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου = the chapter of the book
So the structure is:
- του (of the) + βιβλίου (book, in genitive) + μου (my)
Together: του βιβλίου μου = of my book.
In Greek, the unstressed possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun:
- το βιβλίο μου = my book
- του βιβλίου μου = of my book
The typical order is:
- [article] + [noun] + [possessive clitic]
So του βιβλίου μου is the normal order.
Putting μου before the noun (μου βιβλίο) is either wrong in standard Greek or sounds very marked / dialectal.
If you want to emphasise possession, you use δικός / δική / δικό:
- το δικό μου βιβλίο = my book (as opposed to someone else’s)
Then you’re no longer saying my book, just the book:
το επόμενο κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου
= the next chapter of the book (some specific book already known from context)το επόμενο κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου μου
= the next chapter of my book
So removing μου simply removes the idea of personal ownership.
Both forms are possible in Greek, with a small nuance:
διαβάζω λίγο το επόμενο κεφάλαιο
- Very natural, everyday phrasing.
- Implies you read a bit of the next chapter, without highlighting the idea of “part of a whole” very strongly.
διαβάζω λίγο από το επόμενο κεφάλαιο
- Emphasises more clearly that you read a portion taken from the chapter, i.e. some of the next chapter.
So the original sentence is already perfectly normal Greek.
Adding από is also correct, just a bit more explicit about reading part of the chapter rather than all of it.