Learn Hardcore Greek: Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ. - I wake up early so that I have time to rest in the evening.

It is 1st person singular, present tense, active voice.
The subject is “I” (εγώ), but in Greek you normally drop the pronoun because the ending -ω already shows the person.

You may also see the shorter form ξυπνώ.

Ξυπνάω and ξυπνώ are both correct and mean the same thing in modern Greek.
Ξυπνάω is a bit more common in everyday speech; ξυπνώ can sound slightly more formal or “standard,” but both are fine.

Why is there no εγώ in the sentence? How do we know it means “I wake up”?

Greek is a “pro-drop” language: subject pronouns (like εγώ, εσύ, αυτός) are usually omitted unless you need to emphasize or clarify something.

The verb ending -ω in ξυπνάω clearly indicates:

Person: 1st
Number: singular

So ξυπνάω automatically means “I wake up”.
If you said Εγώ ξυπνάω νωρίς, it would sound like you are emphasizing “I”, e.g.:

Εγώ ξυπνάω νωρίς (I’m the one who wakes up early, as opposed to someone else).

What part of speech is νωρίς, and what’s the difference between νωρίς, νωρίτερα, and πιο νωρίς?

νωρίς is an adverb meaning “early.”

Ξυπνάω νωρίς = I wake up early.

Related forms:

νωρίτερα = “earlier” (comparative)
- Ξύπνησα νωρίτερα σήμερα. = I woke up earlier today.
πιο νωρίς = literally “more early,” also used for “earlier”
- Θέλω να ξυπνάω πιο νωρίς. = I want to wake up earlier.

In everyday speech both νωρίτερα and πιο νωρίς are common for “earlier.”
For simple “early,” you use νωρίς.

What does ώστε να mean here? Is it the same as για να?

In this sentence, ώστε να introduces a purpose clause:

ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο…
= I wake up early *so that I have time…*

ώστε να can mean:

“so that,” “in order that” (purpose) – like here.
“so (that)” showing result, especially in other structures (e.g., έτσι ώστε να…).

για να is also used for purpose:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς για να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.

This is very natural and common too.

Difference in feel:

για να = the default way to say “in order to / so that”, especially in speech.
ώστε να = can sound a bit more formal or written, or a bit more explicit/emphatic about the purpose, but it’s also used in everyday speech.

In this sentence, both:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο…
Ξυπνάω νωρίς για να έχω χρόνο…

are correct and natural.

What is the role of να in ώστε να έχω? Is έχω in the subjunctive?

The particle να is what marks the subjunctive in modern Greek.

έχω (without να) is the present indicative – “I have.”
να έχω is the present subjunctive – used after να, often translated as “(so that) I have,” “(that) I may have,” etc.

The structure is:

ώστε
- να
  - verb in subjunctive (έχω)

So ώστε να έχω χρόνο = “so that I have time.”

In modern Greek, the verb form έχω looks the same in present indicative and present subjunctive; what tells you it’s subjunctive is the να (and the context).

Why is it χρόνο and not ώρα or καιρό for “time”?

Greek has several words that translate as “time,” but they’re used differently:

χρόνος (here in the accusative: χρόνο)
- Means time in general, as an available resource or duration.
- να έχω χρόνο = to have (enough) time.
ώρα
- Means “hour” or “o’clock,” or a specific time of day.
- Τι ώρα είναι; = What time is it?
- Δεν έχω ώρα is not used like “I don’t have time” in English.
καιρός
- Primarily means “weather.”
- Also “a (right) time / opportunity” in some expressions.
- Έχω καιρό να σε δω. = It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.

In να έχω χρόνο, we mean having enough time available, so χρόνο is the correct word.

What does για do in για ξεκούραση? Could we just say χρόνο ξεκούραση?

Here, για means “for.”

χρόνο για ξεκούραση = “time for rest.”

You cannot say χρόνο ξεκούραση in this sense; you need the preposition για in modern Greek to link “time” with what that time is for:

χρόνο για διάβασμα = time for studying
χρόνο για φαγητό = time for food
χρόνο για ξεκούραση = time for rest

So για + noun = “for” + noun.

What is ξεκούραση exactly, and how is it related to ξεκουράζομαι?

ξεκούραση is a noun meaning “rest” or “relaxation.”
ξεκουράζομαι is a verb meaning “I rest,” “I relax.”

From a verb to a noun:

ξεκουράζομαι → ξεκούραση (resting → rest)

In this sentence:

χρόνο για ξεκούραση = “time for rest / relaxation.”

You could also express the idea with a verb:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να ξεκουράζομαι το βράδυ.
= I wake up early so that I rest / can rest in the evening.

Or with a one-off (aorist) idea:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να ξεκουραστώ το βράδυ.
= I wake up early so that I can (have a) rest in the evening (at some point).

Why do we say το βράδυ and not just βράδυ? Is the article το necessary?

το βράδυ literally means “the evening,” but in time expressions it often functions like “in the evening.”

το βράδυ = in the evening
το πρωί = in the morning
το απόγευμα = in the afternoon

In this sentence, το βράδυ is the natural, standard phrase.
You can sometimes drop the article, especially in more elliptical contexts:

Βράδυ δουλεύω. = In the evening I work. (more colloquial)

But το βράδυ is what you’ll normally use in a full sentence like this.
So:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.
sounds perfectly natural and idiomatic.

Could we change the word order, e.g. move νωρίς or το βράδυ? Would it still be correct?

Yes, Greek allows some flexibility in word order, especially with adverbs of time like νωρίς and time phrases like το βράδυ.

Some possibilities:

Νωρίς ξυπνάω ώστε να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.
(Fronting νωρίς adds a bit of emphasis to “early.”)
Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο το βράδυ για ξεκούραση.
(Emphasis shifts slightly to “in the evening.”)

All of these can be grammatically correct, but the original:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.

is the most neutral, natural-sounding order for learners:
[verb] [adverb] … [time expression].

Could we use για να instead of ώστε να here, and does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can absolutely use για να here:

Ξυπνάω νωρίς για να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.

This is very common and completely natural.

Meaning:
Both ώστε να and για να express purpose here (“in order to / so that”), and in this sentence the meaning is practically the same.

Style:

για να = more neutral, very frequent in spoken Greek.
ώστε να = can sound slightly more formal, or a bit more “structured”/explicit.

For everyday conversation, για να is often the default choice. For writing or more careful speech, ώστε να is also very good.

How would I say “I will wake up early so that I have time to rest in the evening” in Greek?

You can keep the sentence almost the same and just add the future:

Θα ξυπνάω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.

This means roughly:

“I will (habitually) wake up early so that I have time to rest in the evening.”

If you mean a single future occasion, many speakers would also say:

Θα ξυπνήσω νωρίς ώστε να έχω χρόνο για ξεκούραση το βράδυ.

Here:

Θα ξυπνάω = I will be waking up (repeated habit).
Θα ξυπνήσω = I will wake up (once, on that occasion).

Both use ώστε να έχω χρόνο for “so that I have time.”

How do you pronounce the sentence, and where is the stress in each word?

Here’s the sentence with stressed syllables marked in capitals (rough guide):

ΞυπΝΑω (or ΞυπΝΩ)
νωΡΙΣ
ΩΣτε
να
ΕΧω
ΧΡΟνο
για
ξεΚΟΥραση
το
ΒΡΑδυ

Approximate phonetic rendering (simplified):

/ksiˈpna.o noˈris ˈoste na ˈe.xo ˈxrono ʝa kseˈku.rasi to ˈvra.ði/

Stresses:

Ξυπνάω – on νά
νωρίς – on ρίς
ώστε – on ώ
έχω – on έ
χρόνο – on χρό
ξεκούραση – on κού
βράδυ – on βρά