Learn Hardcore Greek: Η καινούρια συσκευή στην κουζίνα δεν δουλεύει αν δεν έχει ρεύμα στην πρίζα. - The new device in the kitchen does not work if there is no electricity in the socket.

In Greek, every noun has grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.
συσκευή (device/appliance) is feminine, so it takes the feminine article η in the nominative singular:

η συσκευή = the device
της συσκευής = of the device (genitive)
τη(ν) συσκευή = the device (accusative)

Many inanimate objects are neuter (like το βιβλίο, το τραπέζι), but plenty are feminine or masculine (η καρέκλα, ο υπολογιστής, η συσκευή). The gender has to be memorized with each noun.

What’s the difference between καινούρια and νέα? Could I say Η νέα συσκευή instead?

Both καινούρια and νέα can translate as new, but they have slightly different typical uses:

καινούρια συσκευή: emphasizes newness as an object (recently bought, unused, not old or worn).
- Closer to “brand-new” / “not second-hand”.
νέα συσκευή: often emphasizes new in relation to something else (new in a series, new model, new compared to the old one).
- Closer to “a new/another device” or “the new model”.

In many everyday contexts, they overlap and Η νέα συσκευή στην κουζίνα would still be understood and acceptable.
Here, καινούρια nicely captures “the brand-new appliance we just got for the kitchen.”

What does στην mean, and where does it come from in στην κουζίνα and στην πρίζα?

στην is a contracted form of the preposition σε + the feminine article την:

σε
- την κουζίνα → στην κουζίνα (in the kitchen)
σε
- την πρίζα → στην πρίζα (in/at the socket)

Similarly:

σε + τον → στον (e.g. στον τοίχο – on the wall)
σε + το → στο (e.g. στο σπίτι – at home)

So στην basically means “in the / at the / on the” for feminine nouns in the accusative.

Why do we say δουλεύει for a device? Doesn’t δουλεύω mean “I work (a job)”?

δουλεύω has two common uses:

For people: “to work” (have a job)
- Δουλεύω σε γραφείο. = I work in an office.
For machines/devices: “to work / to function”
- Η συσκευή δουλεύει. = The device works / is working.

So in this sentence, δεν δουλεύει means “does not work / does not function.”

There are also other verbs:

λειτουργώ: more formal/technical: Η συσκευή δεν λειτουργεί.
εργάζομαι: “to be employed”, more formal, only for people, not for machines.

For everyday speech about machines, δουλεύω is absolutely natural and very common.

Why is δεν used twice: δεν δουλεύει αν δεν έχει ρεύμα? Is that like a double negative?

Each δεν negates its own verb in its own clause:

δεν δουλεύει = it does not work
αν δεν έχει ρεύμα = if it does not have electricity

Greek generally uses one negative word per verb/clause (and does not stack negatives the way some English dialects do). Here we simply have:

Main clause: Η συσκευή δεν δουλεύει
Conditional clause: αν δεν έχει ρεύμα

So it’s not a logical “double negative”; it’s two separate negatives in two separate clauses.

Who or what is the subject of δεν έχει ρεύμα? It just says “if it doesn’t have electricity” without “it.”

Greek often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending usually shows the subject. But here, the subject is actually understood from context, not from the ending.

Grammar-wise, έχει is 3rd person singular (he/she/it has), so it is implied. We understand:

(Αυτή η συσκευή) δεν έχει ρεύμα στην πρίζα.
→ (This device) doesn’t have electricity at the socket.

The subject η συσκευή from the main clause carries over naturally into the conditional clause. That’s very typical in Greek; you don’t repeat the subject if it’s obvious.

What exactly does ρεύμα mean here? I thought it was “current,” like water current.

ρεύμα literally means current and can refer to:

electric current / electricity
- Δεν έχει ρεύμα. = There’s no electricity.
air current/draft
- Έχει ρεύμα από το παράθυρο. = There’s a draft from the window.
water current in a river/sea
metaphorical “current” (political, artistic, etc.)

In this sentence, ρεύμα clearly means electricity / electric power.

So αν δεν έχει ρεύμα στην πρίζα = if there is no electricity in the socket (if the socket is not live / powered).

Why do we say ρεύμα στην πρίζα? How does στην πρίζα fit in?

πρίζα means power socket / outlet.

The phrase έχει ρεύμα στην πρίζα is literally:

“it has electricity in the socket”
i.e. the device has access to electricity via the socket.

More naturally in English, we might say:

“if there is no power at the outlet”
“if the socket is not live”
“if there’s no electricity coming from the socket”

You might also hear:

Δεν είναι στην πρίζα. = It’s not plugged in.
Δεν παίρνει ρεύμα από την πρίζα. = It’s not getting power from the socket.

But έχει ρεύμα στην πρίζα is a very natural Greek way to talk about having power available at the socket.

Why do we use the definite article in στην κουζίνα and στην πρίζα? Why not just σε κουζίνα, σε πρίζα?

Greek uses the definite article much more than English does.

στην κουζίνα = literally “in the kitchen”, but often used like English “in the kitchen” or even simply “in the kitchen” without any special emphasis.
στην πρίζα = “at the socket (the wall plug)”, usually referring to the relevant/obvious socket.

Using σε κουζίνα or σε πρίζα without an article would sound unnatural here, unless you meant something like “in a random kitchen / some socket,” which isn’t what we want.

So στην κουζίνα and στην πρίζα are the normal, idiomatic ways to say this.

Could we use όταν instead of αν? What’s the difference between αν δεν έχει ρεύμα and όταν δεν έχει ρεύμα?

Both αν and όταν can introduce clauses referring to conditions/time, but:

αν = if (conditional; may or may not happen)
- αν δεν έχει ρεύμα = if it doesn’t have electricity (on that occasion)
όταν = when/whenever (time; more like a repeated/general situation)
- Όταν δεν έχει ρεύμα στην πρίζα, δεν δουλεύει.
  = When(ever) there’s no electricity at the socket, it doesn’t work.

In your sentence, αν is the more natural choice because we’re talking about a condition: if there’s no electricity, it won’t work.
Όταν would sound more like a general statement about what happens every time the power is out.

What tense and person is δουλεύει, and how is it formed?

δουλεύει is:

Present tense
Active voice
3rd person singular of δουλεύω (to work/function)

Basic present-tense forms of δουλεύω:

(εγώ) δουλεύω – I work
(εσύ) δουλεύεις – you work (singular)
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) δουλεύει – he/she/it works
(εμείς) δουλεύουμε – we work
(εσείς) δουλεύετε – you work (plural/polite)
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) δουλεύουν(ε) – they work

So here, δουλεύει corresponds to “it works / it is working” referring to η καινούρια συσκευή.