Learn Hardcore Greek: Χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά. - Without a good blanket and a comfortable pillow I cannot sleep well.

Modern Greek does have words that function like “a / an” (indefinite articles): ένας (masc.), μια / μιά (fem.), ένα (neut.).
However, in many general statements Greek simply omits the indefinite article, especially:

after χωρίς (without)
when talking in a general, not-specific sense

So:

Χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι…
literally: Without good blanket and comfortable pillow…
but in natural English: Without a good blanket and a comfortable pillow…

You could say χωρίς μια καλή κουβέρτα or χωρίς ένα άνετο μαξιλάρι, but it sounds more specific and less general. The sentence as given is the most natural way to express a general habit or need.

What does χωρίς mean exactly, and what case does it take?

Χωρίς means without.

Grammatically, χωρίς is a preposition that is followed by the accusative case:

χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα
→ κουβέρτα is accusative singular feminine
χωρίς άνετο μαξιλάρι
→ μαξιλάρι is accusative singular neuter

In modern Greek, most prepositions (including χωρίς) take the accusative, so you don’t see a special form difference here compared with the nominative for these particular nouns; but conceptually, they’re in the accusative.

Why does the adjective change form: καλή κουβέρτα but άνετο μαξιλάρι?

Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun in:

gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
number (singular / plural)
case (nominative / accusative / etc.)

Here:

κουβέρτα is feminine singular accusative
→ the adjective is καλή (feminine singular accusative of καλός – καλή – καλό)
μαξιλάρι is neuter singular accusative
→ the adjective is άνετο (neuter singular accusative of άνετος – άνετη – άνετο)

So:

καλή κουβέρτα = good (fem.) blanket (fem.)
άνετο μαξιλάρι = comfortable (neut.) pillow (neut.)

The difference in endings (-ή vs -ο) comes from the different grammatical genders of the nouns.

How do I know that κουβέρτα is feminine and μαξιλάρι is neuter?

In Greek, grammatical gender is mostly lexical: it’s a property you have to learn with each noun, though the ending often gives a strong hint.

η κουβέρτα (the blanket) → usually, many nouns ending in -α with article η are feminine.
το μαξιλάρι (the pillow) → many nouns ending in -ι with article το are neuter.

There are patterns:

Feminine often: -α, -η with article η
Neuter often: -ι, -ο, -μα with article το

But there are plenty of exceptions, so it’s safest to learn nouns together with their article:

η κουβέρτα = feminine
το μαξιλάρι = neuter

What does δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ literally mean?

Δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ breaks down as:

δεν = not (negation used with indicative verbs like μπορώ)
μπορώ = I can / I am able (1st person singular, present tense)
να
- κοιμηθώ = to sleep (literally: that I sleep; a subjunctive form)

So literally: “I am not able that I sleep”, which in natural English is “I can’t sleep.”

The complete sentence:

Χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά.
→ Without a good blanket and a comfortable pillow I can’t sleep well.

What form is κοιμηθώ, and what verb does it come from?

Κοιμηθώ is:

1st person singular
aorist subjunctive
of the verb κοιμάμαι (to sleep)

So the base verb is:

κοιμάμαι = I sleep (present tense, middle/passive in form but active in meaning)

The aorist subjunctive of κοιμάμαι is να κοιμηθώ = that I sleep / to sleep (once, as an event).

In modern Greek, this να + subjunctive structure is used where English often uses an infinitive (to sleep), because Greek no longer uses a true infinitive in everyday language.

Why is it να κοιμηθώ and not να κοιμάμαι?

The difference is aspect (how the action is viewed):

να κοιμηθώ → aorist subjunctive: the action as a single, complete event
(to get some sleep / to fall asleep and sleep as one whole event)
να κοιμάμαι → present subjunctive: the action as ongoing / repeated
(to be sleeping / to keep sleeping)

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about being able to have a proper night’s sleep as a single event, so να κοιμηθώ is the natural choice:

Δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά.
= I can’t (manage to) sleep well / get a good sleep.

Να κοιμάμαι καλά would sound more like “to be sleeping well (generally, as a state)”, and would usually appear in a different kind of structure (e.g. θέλω να κοιμάμαι καλά – I want to sleep well (as a general habit)).

What is the function of καλά at the end of the sentence?

Καλά here is an adverb meaning well.

να κοιμηθώ = to sleep
να κοιμηθώ καλά = to sleep well

So καλά describes how the person sleeps.

Placing καλά at the end is very natural in Greek. You could also say:

Δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι.

The meaning doesn’t change; you just slightly shift the rhythm and emphasis. Greek word order is relatively flexible.

Could the word order be different, for example starting with Δεν μπορώ?

Yes. Greek allows quite flexible word order, as long as the relationships are clear. All of these are grammatical:

Χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά.
Δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι.
Δεν μπορώ, χωρίς καλή κουβέρτα και άνετο μαξιλάρι, να κοιμηθώ καλά. (with commas for extra emphasis)

The differences are mostly about focus and style:

Starting with Χωρίς… highlights the condition (Without a good blanket and comfortable pillow…).
Starting with Δεν μπορώ… highlights the inability (I can’t sleep well…).

Why is it δεν μπορώ and not μην μπορώ? What’s the difference between δεν and μην?

Both δεν and μην are negative particles, but they’re used in different environments:

δεν is used with indicative verbs (normal statements):
- Δεν μπορώ. = I can’t.
- Δεν θέλω. = I don’t want.
μην is used mainly with:
- να
  - subjunctive (Don’t do X):
    - Μην πας. = Don’t go.
- some imperative-like or wish structures:
  - Μακάρι να μην βρέξει. = I hope it doesn’t rain.

In this sentence, μπορώ is in the indicative, so we must use δεν:

Δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ καλά. = I can’t sleep well.

Are κουβέρτα and μαξιλάρι singular or plural, and why?

They are singular:

κουβέρτα = one blanket
μαξιλάρι = one pillow

The speaker is talking in a general way: a good blanket and a comfortable pillow as concepts or typical items. Greek often uses the singular in this kind of general statement, just like English does here.

If you wanted plural, you’d say:

χωρίς καλές κουβέρτες και άνετα μαξιλάρια
(without good blankets and comfortable pillows)

Is there any special pronunciation or stress I should notice in this sentence?

Yes, Greek uses written accents to mark the stressed syllable. In your sentence:

Χωρίς → χο-ΡΗΣ (kho-REEs)
καλή → κα-ΛΗ (ka-LEE)
κουβέρτα → κου-ΒΕΡ-τα (koo-VER-ta)
άνετο → Α-νε-το (A-ne-to)
μαξιλάρι → μα-ξι-ΛΑ-ρι (ma-xi-LA-ri)
μπορώ → μπο-ΡΩ (bo-RO)
κοιμηθώ → κοι-μη-ΘΩ (kee-mee-THO)
καλά → κα-ΛΑ (ka-LA)

Every content word in Greek has exactly one stressed syllable, and the accent mark shows you which one. Getting the stress right is important for sounding natural and sometimes even for distinguishing between different words.