Το πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους πριν από τη δουλειά.

In the morning I take a quick shower before work.

Breakdown of Το πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους πριν από τη δουλειά.

• η δουλειά: the work
• το πρωί: in the morning
• πριν από: before
• κάνω ντους: to take a shower
• γρήγορος: quick

Questions & Answers about Το πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους πριν από τη δουλειά.

What does Το πρωί literally mean, and why is there an article (το) in front of πρωί?

Το πρωί literally means “the morning”, but in this sentence it’s best translated as “in the morning”.

In Greek, it’s very common to use the definite article (το, “the”) with times of day:

• το πρωί – in the morning
• το μεσημέρι – at noon
• το βράδυ – in the evening / at night

So Το πρωί κάνω… is the natural way to say “In the morning I do…”. Omitting the article would sound odd in standard Greek here.

Can I drop Το and just say Πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους…?

Normally, no. Πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους… sounds incomplete or non‑standard to a native speaker.

The usual, natural forms are:

• Το πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους… – In the morning I take a quick shower…
• Or, less commonly and more “headline‑like”: Κάθε πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους… – Every morning I take a quick shower…

So you either keep το, or you add something like κάθε (“every”) in front of πρωί.

Why is the verb κάνω used with ντους? It looks like “I do a shower.”

Yes, κάνω ντους literally is “I do a shower”, but idiomatically it means “I take a shower”.

Greek often uses κάνω (“to do/make”) with nouns to form common expressions:

• κάνω ντους – to take a shower
• κάνω μπάνιο – to take a bath / to bathe
• κάνω γυμναστική – to exercise
• κάνω διάλειμμα – to take a break

So κάνω ντους is the standard, everyday way to say “I shower / I take a shower.”

What’s the difference between κάνω ντους and κάνω μπάνιο?

Both describe washing yourself, but with a nuance:

• κάνω ντους – specifically to take a shower (standing under running water).
• κάνω μπάνιο – literally “to take a bath” (in a tub), but in casual speech many Greeks use it more generally for washing, especially with children or pets.

In this exact sentence, ντους fits best because in English we say “quick shower”, not usually “quick bath.”

Why is it γρήγορο ντους and not γρήγορη ντους or something else?

Because ντους is grammatically neuter in Greek, so the adjective must also be neuter.

• ντους – neuter noun (indeclinable; same form in all cases)
• γρήγορος, γρήγορη, γρήγορο – masculine, feminine, neuter forms of “fast/quick”

Adjective agreement:

• masculine: γρήγορος καφές (quick coffee)
• feminine: γρήγορη δουλειά (quick job / quick work)
• neuter: γρήγορο ντους (quick shower)

So γρήγορο ντους is the correct combination.

How do you pronounce ντους, and why does ντ sound like an English “d”?

ντους is pronounced roughly like English “doos” (similar to French douche but shorter).

• ντ in Modern Greek is usually pronounced like /d/, especially at the beginning of a word or syllable.
• ου is pronounced like “oo” in “food.”

So: ντους → /dus/.

This spelling comes from how Greek represents foreign sounds in loanwords. The word itself is borrowed (ultimately from French douche via English).

What is the role of πριν από here, and how is it different from just πριν?

In the sentence, πριν από τη δουλειά means “before work”.

• πριν on its own is a conjunction or adverb:
  
  • Πριν πάω στη δουλειά… – Before I go to work…
• πριν από is used as a preposition followed by a noun (or pronoun):
  
  • πριν από τη δουλειά – before work
  • πριν από το μάθημα – before the lesson

So:

• πριν + verb → Πριν πάω, πριν φύγεις, πριν φάτε…
• πριν από + noun/pronoun → πριν από τη δουλειά, πριν από μένα…

Using πριν από τη δουλειά here is exactly what you want, because it’s followed by the noun δουλειά.

Why is it τη δουλειά and not η δουλειά? What case is this?

Δουλειά is a feminine noun, and τη is the feminine definite article in the accusative case.

The forms of the feminine article (singular) are:

• η δουλειά – nominative (subject) → the job / the work
• τη(ν) δουλειά – accusative (object, after many prepositions) → the job / the work

Prepositions like σε, για, μετά, πριν από typically take the accusative:

• σε τη δουλειά → στη δουλειά – to/at work
• για τη δουλειά – for the job / for work
• πριν από τη δουλειά – before work

So τη δουλειά is accusative singular feminine, required after πριν από.

Can δουλειά mean both “work” in general and “job” as in employment?

Yes, δουλειά covers both meanings, depending on context:

1. Work in general / a task

   • Έχω πολλή δουλειά. – I have a lot of work.
   • Τελείωσα τη δουλειά μου. – I finished my work.

2. Job / employment

   • Πάω στη δουλειά. – I’m going to work (to my job).
   • Έχασα τη δουλειά μου. – I lost my job.

In πριν από τη δουλειά, it naturally reads as “before (going to) work / before my job.”

Why is the present tense κάνω used, when in English we’d often say “I take a quick shower” as a habitual action?

In Greek, the simple present is the normal tense for describing habits and routines, just like English’s “I do / I go / I eat”:

• Κάθε μέρα πίνω καφέ. – I drink coffee every day.
• Το πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους. – In the morning I take a quick shower.

You don’t need a special tense like “I am doing” or an auxiliary like “will” or “do” to express a routine; just present simple (κάνω) is enough. Context (“Το πρωί…”) already shows it’s a habitual action.

Could I also say Το πρωί κάνω ένα γρήγορο ντους πριν από τη δουλειά with ένα? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

• Το πρωί κάνω γρήγορο ντους…
• Το πρωί κάνω ένα γρήγορο ντους…

Both are natural. Adding ένα (the neuter “a / one”) makes the phrase a bit closer to English “a quick shower”, but in practice the meaning is the same: it describes one quick shower in the morning as part of your routine. Many speakers freely include or omit ένα in such expressions.