Learn Hardcore Greek: Τώρα η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ.

In Greek every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.
δουλειά (job / work) happens to be feminine, so it takes the feminine article η.

There isn’t a rule that says “δουλειά must be feminine”; you mostly learn the gender with the noun. However, many nouns ending in -ά are feminine (e.g. η χαρά – joy, η μαμά – mom, η φορά – time/occasion). So:

η δουλειά = the job / the work
Not: το δουλειά (ungrammatical)

When you look up a noun in a dictionary, it will show its gender, often as η δουλειά (f.).

Why is it η δουλειά μου and not μου δουλειά like in English “my job”?

Greek usually places the unstressed possessive pronoun after the noun:

η δουλειά μου = my job
το βιβλίο σου = your book
το σπίτι μας = our house

The forms μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους are enclitics: they “lean” on the preceding word and don’t normally stand alone in front of the noun.

You can say η δική μου δουλειά (“my own job”), but μου δουλειά on its own is wrong. You need:

η δουλειά μου, never μου δουλειά.

Why do we need the article η in η δουλειά μου? Could I just say δουλειά μου?

In Greek, possessive phrases almost always take the definite article:

η δουλειά μου = literally “the job of-me” → “my job”
το αυτοκίνητό μου = my car
η μητέρα σου = your mother

Saying δουλειά μου without η is possible in very specific, often poetic or very informal contexts (and usually in fixed expressions), but the normal, neutral way is with the article:

Τώρα η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ. ✅
Τώρα δουλειά μου εξαρτάται… ❌ (sounds wrong.)

So for everyday speech, keep the article: η δουλειά μου.

What exactly is εξαρτάται? What is the base verb and how is it conjugated?

εξαρτάται is the 3rd person singular, present tense, middle/passive form of the verb εξαρτώμαι (“to depend”).

Very schematically:

εγώ εξαρτώμαι – I depend
εσύ εξαρτάσαι – you depend
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό εξαρτάται – he/she/it depends
εμείς εξαρτόμαστε – we depend
εσείς εξαρτάστε – you (pl.) depend
αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά εξαρτώνται – they depend

In this sentence, the subject is η δουλειά μου (“my job”), which is 3rd person singular, so we use:

η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται = my job depends

You will often see the combination εξαρτάται από + accusative = “depends on”.

Why do we say εξαρτάται από when English uses “depends on”? Why από and not σε?

Prepositions don’t line up one-to-one between languages. In Greek, the verb εξαρτώμαι naturally takes από:

εξαρτώμαι από κάτι = I depend on something
εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ = it depends on the internet

Even though English uses on, Greek uses από here. Think of it as a fixed pattern:

εξαρτάται από = “depends on”

Using σε (εξαρτάται σε) is incorrect in this structure.

What does the preposition από normally mean, and how does that fit here?

The preposition από is very versatile and most often means from, but it can also express:

origin: έρχομαι από την Ελλάδα = I come from Greece
agent (by): γράφηκε από τον Γιάννη = it was written by Giannis
comparison: είμαι καλύτερος από σένα = I’m better than you
cause/source: υποφέρω από άγχος = I suffer from anxiety

With εξαρτάται από, it expresses the source or condition that something depends on. You can think of it as: “My job depends from the internet” (not good English, but it can help you remember that Greek prefers από here.)

Why is ίντερνετ neuter with το? How do I know the gender of foreign words like this?

ίντερνετ is a borrowed word (from English “internet”). In Greek, most foreign, indeclinable nouns are treated as neuter by default. So:

το ίντερνετ = the internet
το πάρκινγκ = the parking lot
το μπαρ = the bar

These words don’t change form for case or number (or change very little), but the article tells you their gender, and here the gender is neuter.

So in this sentence, από το ίντερνετ = “on the internet”.

Do I always have to use the article το with ίντερνετ? Could I say από ίντερνετ?

In standard, neutral Greek it’s much more natural to use the article:

από το ίντερνετ ✅

Leaving out the article (από ίντερνετ) can sound incomplete or foreign-influenced. In very casual speech, you might occasionally hear it without the article, but you should learn and use the version with το:

το ίντερνετ just like το τηλέφωνο, το ραδιόφωνο.

Why is ίντερνετ written with a small letter and in Greek letters? Shouldn’t “Internet” be capitalized?

In modern Greek:

Loanwords are usually written in Greek script: ίντερνετ, κομπιούτερ, σάιτ, etc.
The word ίντερνετ is usually considered a common noun, not a proper name, so it’s written with a lowercase initial: το ίντερνετ.

Some people occasionally write Ίντερνετ with a capital when they treat it like a proper name (similar to “the Internet” in older English usage), but the everyday, standard spelling is:

το ίντερνετ (all lowercase except when it starts a sentence).

How do you pronounce δουλειά and why is it written with so many vowels (ου, ει, ιά)?

Pronunciation: δουλειά is pronounced approximately [ðu‑li‑ˈa]:

δ = like th in this (voiced “th”)
ου = u as in put (Greek /u/)
λ = l
ει = i as in machine
ά = a as in father, stressed

So you hear three syllables: δου‑λει‑ά.

The spelling comes from historical reasons:

ου and ει represent sounds that changed over time in Greek but kept their old spellings.
Modern Greek has several different ways to spell the sound /i/ (ι, η, υ, ει, οι, υι), and δουλειά uses the ει version.

You just have to learn the spelling by heart; pronunciation is simpler than the writing suggests.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Η δουλειά μου τώρα εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ?

Yes. Modern Greek word order is relatively flexible. All of these are grammatical:

Τώρα η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ.
Η δουλειά μου τώρα εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ.
Η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται τώρα από το ίντερνετ.

The basic pattern is still [subject] + [verb] + [complements], but adverbs like τώρα can move around for emphasis or style.

Placing Τώρα at the beginning emphasizes the change in time (“Now, my job depends…”).

What nuance does Τώρα add? How is it different from σήμερα?

τώρα = now, at this moment / in the present period
σήμερα = today

In this sentence:

Τώρα η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ.
→ “Now my job depends on the internet” (it didn’t before, or you’re contrasting past vs present).

If you said:

Σήμερα η δουλειά μου εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ.

it would sound more like “Today (as opposed to another day) my work depends on the internet”, which is a bit odd. Τώρα is the natural choice for “nowadays / at present” in this context.

Is there a more formal or different word for δουλειά if I want to sound more professional?

Yes. δουλειά is very common and neutral, but can sound a bit informal. A more formal word is:

εργασία (feminine) = work, employment, job

So you could say:

Τώρα η εργασία μου εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ.

This sounds more formal, like something you might write in a report or say in a formal presentation. In everyday conversation, δουλειά is perfectly fine.

Could I say Η δουλειά μου στηρίζεται στο ίντερνετ instead of εξαρτάται από το ίντερνετ? Is there a difference?

You can say:

Η δουλειά μου στηρίζεται στο ίντερνετ.

στηρίζεται σε literally means “is supported on / rests on” and is often used metaphorically: “is based on”, “is supported by”. The nuance:

εξαρτάται από = depends on (if you remove it, the job may not function)
στηρίζεται σε = is based on / built on

In many contexts they overlap. In your sentence, both are understandable. εξαρτάται από is the most direct equivalent of “depends on”, and it’s the more typical choice when you’re expressing dependence.