Πριν το ντους πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.

Before the shower I wash my hands with soap.

Breakdown of Πριν το ντους πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.

• μου: my
• με: with
• πριν: before
• πλένω: to wash
• το σαπούνι: the soap
• το χέρι: the hand
• το ντους: the shower

Questions & Answers about Πριν το ντους πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence?

Greek is a pro‑drop language, which means subject pronouns are usually omitted when the verb ending already shows the person.

• πλένω = I wash
  
  • stem: πλέν-
  • ending: ‑ω → 1st person singular, present indicative

Because the form πλένω can only mean “I wash,” adding εγώ (I) is normally unnecessary:

• Πλένω τα χέρια μου. = I wash my hands.
• Εγώ πλένω τα χέρια μου. = I wash my hands (with emphasis on “I”).

So εγώ is only used when you want to stress the subject (for contrast or emphasis).

Why is it πριν το ντους and not πριν από το ντους? Are both correct?

Both are correct, and in most everyday contexts they mean the same thing.

• πριν το ντους
• πριν από το ντους

Points to know:

1. πριν can be:

   • a preposition: πριν το ντους
   • a conjunction before a clause: πριν (να) κάνω ντους

2. With a noun phrase, you can say:

   • πριν το ντους (more concise, very common in speech)
   • πριν από το ντους (a bit more explicit/formal, also very common)

There is no real meaning difference here; both mean before the shower. A learner can safely treat them as interchangeable in this context.

Why do we say το ντους with an article, when English usually says just “before showering” without “the”?

Greek uses the definite article more often than English, especially with:

• daily activities: το ντους, το μπάνιο, τον ύπνο
• body parts: τα χέρια, τα δόντια

So:

• πριν το ντους literally: before the shower
• But it corresponds to English “before showering” / “before a shower”.

In Greek, saying πριν το ντους is perfectly natural and idiomatic. If you want to avoid the article, you usually change the structure, e.g.:

• Πριν κάνω ντους, πλένω τα χέρια μου… = Before I shower, I wash my hands…

So the article is normal in Greek even when English doesn’t use “the”.

What gender is ντους, and does it change form?

ντους is:

• neuter in gender
• indeclinable (it keeps the same form in all cases and numbers)

So you get:

• το ντους – the shower (nominative/accusative singular)
• του ντους – of the shower (genitive singular; only the article changes)
• τα ντους – the showers (nominative/accusative plural; same noun, plural article)

You rely on the article (το, του, τα etc.) to show case/number, because ντους itself doesn’t change.

Could the word order be different, like Πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι πριν το ντους?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible, and all of the following are possible and natural:

• Πριν το ντους πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.
• Πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι πριν το ντους.
• Πλένω πριν το ντους τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι. (less typical, but still correct)

Basic rules:

• The verb often appears early, but not necessarily first.
• Adverbial phrases like πριν το ντους (before the shower) can go at the beginning or end of the sentence.
• The default, neutral feel is something like:
  • Πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι πριν το ντους.

Putting πριν το ντους at the beginning can slightly highlight the time (“Before the shower, I wash my hands…”), but in everyday speech there’s no big meaning difference.

Why is τα χέρια plural here instead of singular το χέρι?

Because you normally wash both hands, Greek uses the plural:

• το χέρι = the hand
• τα χέρια = the hands

Just like in English, “I wash my hands” (not my hand), Greek says:

• Πλένω τα χέρια μου.

You would only use singular το χέρι if you specifically meant one hand:

• Πλένω το χέρι μου. = I wash my (one) hand.
  (e.g. if only one is dirty or injured)

For symmetrical body parts (hands, feet, eyes, ears), Greek very often uses the plural when talking about normal actions involving both.

Why do we need μου after τα χέρια? Isn’t it obvious that they are my hands?

In Greek, for body parts belonging to the subject, the usual pattern is:

definite article + noun + weak possessive pronoun

So:

• τα χέρια μου = the hands of mine → my hands
• τα δόντια σου = your teeth
• τα μαλλιά του = his hair

Even when it is obvious whose body parts they are, Greek still normally includes the possessive pronoun:

• Πλένω τα χέρια μου. = I wash my hands.
• Βουρτσίζω τα δόντια μου. = I brush my teeth.

If you leave out μου and say Πλένω τα χέρια, it sounds incomplete or impersonal — like “I wash the hands” (not clearly whose).

Position is also important: in neutral order, the weak pronoun μου comes after the noun:

• ✅ τα χέρια μου (normal)
• ❌ μου τα χέρια (possible only in special structures with emphasis or clitic doubling, not here as a simple object).

Why is it πλένω and not the reflexive πλένομαι?

Greek has both:

• πλένω = I wash (something) – active voice
• πλένομαι = I wash myself / I am washed – middle/passive voice

Usage:

1. When you mention the specific part of the body, you normally use the active verb + object:

   • Πλένω τα χέρια μου. = I wash my hands.
   • Πλένω το πρόσωπό μου. = I wash my face.

2. When you talk about washing yourself in general, without naming the specific body part, you can use πλένομαι:

   • Πλένομαι κάθε πρωί. = I wash (myself) every morning.

So in your sentence, because we explicitly say τα χέρια μου, the standard and most natural form is πλένω, not πλένομαι.

What exactly does με mean in με σαπούνι, and why is σαπούνι without an article?

με is a preposition that most often means:

• with (accompaniment or instrument)

In με σαπούνι, it expresses the means/instrument:

• με σαπούνι = with soap / using soap

As for the lack of article:

• σαπούνι here is an uncountable substance in a general sense.

• In Greek, when you talk about a material/substance in general or “some amount of it,” you often omit the article:

  • με σαπούνι = with (some) soap
  • με νερό = with water
  • με γάλα = with milk

If you say με το σαπούνι, you are referring to a specific piece or kind of soap already known from context:

• με το σαπούνι που αγόρασες = with the soap that you bought.

So με σαπούνι in your sentence is the natural way to express “with soap” in general.

What tense is πλένω, and does it mean I do this regularly or only this one time?

πλένω is:

• present tense
• active voice
• imperfective aspect
• 1st person singular: “I wash / I am washing”

In Greek, the present tense with imperfective aspect can express:

1. Habitual actions (regular routines)

   • Πριν το ντους πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.
     = I (usually / always) wash my hands with soap before the shower.

2. Right-now actions, depending on context:

   • (Ποιος κάνει θόρυβο;)
     Πλένω τα χέρια μου. = I’m washing my hands.

In isolation, your sentence most naturally sounds like a habit/routine. To refer clearly to a single future action, you’d normally say:

• Πριν κάνω ντους, θα πλύνω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.
  (future: I will wash my hands)

Which case are the nouns in, and how can I tell?

In this sentence, all the nouns appear in the accusative:

1. το ντους – accusative singular

   • because it is the complement of πριν used as a preposition (πριν
     • accusative)

2. τα χέρια – accusative plural

   • because it is the direct object of πλένω

3. σαπούνι – accusative singular

   • because it is the complement of the preposition με (με
     • accusative)

You can tell mainly by:

• The articles:
  • nominative: το χέρι, τα χέρια
  • accusative: το χέρι, τα χέρια (for neuters, nominative = accusative, so here form is same)
• The role in the sentence:
  • object of a verb or of a preposition → accusative

μου is a weak genitive pronoun showing possession; it does not change the case of τα χέρια (which stays accusative).

Can I replace πριν το ντους with a clause like πριν κάνω ντους? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can, and both versions are very natural:

• Πριν το ντους πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.
• Πριν κάνω ντους, πλένω τα χέρια μου με σαπούνι.

Differences:

1. Structure:

   • πριν το ντους: preposition + noun phrase
   • πριν κάνω ντους: conjunction πριν
     • verb in the subjunctive-like form (κάνω)

2. Nuance:

   • πριν το ντους: focuses slightly more on the event as a noun (“before the shower”).
   • πριν κάνω ντους: focuses slightly more on the action (“before I have/take a shower”).

In everyday speech, they are almost interchangeable in meaning. You might also hear:

• Πριν να κάνω ντους, πλένω τα χέρια μου…

The να is optional in modern Greek after πριν; many speakers use πριν κάνω, many others say πριν να κάνω, with no significant difference in meaning in this context.