Learn Hardcore Greek: Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι.

When you talk about a regular, repeated action (a habit) that happens every weekend, Greek very often uses a plural noun with the definite article:

Τις Δευτέρες διαβάζω. = On Mondays I read.
Τα πρωινά πίνω καφέ. = In the mornings I drink coffee.

So τα σαββατοκύριακα is a natural way to say “on weekends (in general)” by using a plural time expression.

Is the article τα necessary? Could I just say σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι?

You can sometimes drop the article, but:

Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι.
is the most natural and most common way to say “On weekends I watch movies at home.”

Without τα, it still makes sense, but it sounds a bit more like bare “weekends” as a notion, and less like a regular time phrase. For a learner, it’s safer and more idiomatic to keep the article in this kind of habitual time expression.

So: prefer Τα σαββατοκύριακα… here.

What is the singular form of σαββατοκύριακα, and what gender is it?

The singular is:

το σαββατοκύριακο = the weekend (neuter)

Basic forms:

Singular:
- Nominative/Accusative: το σαββατοκύριακο
- Genitive: του σαββατοκύριακου
Plural:
- Nominative/Accusative: τα σαββατοκύριακα
- Genitive: των σαββατοκύριακων

The article shows you it’s neuter: το (sg.), τα (pl.).

What tense is βλέπω here, and why does it mean a habitual action (“I watch”)?

Βλέπω is present tense, active, 1st person singular of βλέπω (to see / to watch).

In Greek, the simple present tense is used both for:

actions happening right now
- Τώρα βλέπω ταινία. = I’m watching a movie (right now).
habitual or repeated actions
- Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία. = On weekends I (usually) watch a movie.

Context (especially τα σαββατοκύριακα) tells us that here it describes a habit, not something happening at this exact moment.

Why is there no εγώ before βλέπω? How do we know it means “I watch”?

Greek verbs are conjugated, and each form shows the subject person and number.

βλέπω = I see / I watch
βλέπεις = you see / you watch
βλέπει = he/she/it sees / watches

Because the verb ending -ω already tells you the subject is “I”, the pronoun εγώ is usually omitted unless you want to add emphasis:

Εγώ βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι.
= I watch a movie at home (maybe in contrast to someone else).

Why does ταινία have no article? Shouldn’t it be μια ταινία or την ταινία?

All three are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

Βλέπω ταινία.
Literally: “I watch movie.”
In practice: I watch movies / I watch a movie (in general).
The bare singular noun often expresses an activity in general:
- Πίνω καφέ. = I drink coffee.
- Παίζω ποδόσφαιρο. = I play football.
Βλέπω μια ταινία.
= I’m watching a movie (one movie, not specified which).
Βλέπω την ταινία.
= I’m watching the movie (a specific movie that both speaker and listener know about).

In your sentence, ταινία without an article works well because we’re talking about the activity of watching movies on weekends, not about a specific individual movie.

Why is ταινία singular in Greek if the English meaning is often “I watch movies on weekends”?

Greek can use a singular countable noun to express a repeated activity:

Τα βράδια πίνω μπίρα.
Literally: “In the evenings I drink beer.” (one beer each time, or just the activity)
Κάθε μέρα διαβάζω εφημερίδα.
= Every day I read the newspaper / a newspaper.

Similarly:

Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία.
Focus: the habit of watching a movie each weekend.

If you want to emphasize plural more clearly, you can say:

Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινίες στο σπίτι.
= On weekends I watch movies at home (more than one, in general).

Both are grammatical; the singular is just very natural for a habitual “one each time” idea.

What case is ταινία in, and why?

Ταινία here is in the accusative singular:

Nominative: η ταινία (subject)
Accusative: (βλέπω) ταινία (direct object)

In this sentence, ταινία is the direct object of the verb βλέπω (what do I watch?), so it must be in the accusative case.

What exactly is στο in στο σπίτι? Is it one word or two?

Στο is a contraction of the preposition σε + the neuter article το:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the, neuter singular) → στο

Similar contractions:

σε + τον → στον (masc. sg.)
σε + την → στη(ν) (fem. sg.)
σε + τους → στους (masc. pl.)
σε + τις → στις (fem. pl.)
σε + τα → στα (neuter pl.)

So στο σπίτι literally means “in/at the house”.

Why doesn’t σπίτι have an article of its own here? Why not στο το σπίτι?

The article is already included in στο (σε + το), so you cannot add another το:

✅ στο σπίτι = in/at the house
❌ στο το σπίτι (incorrect – double article)

Σπίτι on its own is το σπίτι (the house, neuter).
When you add σε, it contracts:

σε το σπίτι → στο σπίτι

Does στο σπίτι mean “at home” or literally “at the house”? How do I say “at my home”?

Στο σπίτι often translates as “at home” in English, not just “at the house”. It’s the normal, neutral way to say you’re at home.

If you want to be more explicit:

στο σπίτι μου = at my home / at my house
στο σπίτι σου = at your home

In many everyday contexts:

Είμαι στο σπίτι. = I’m at home.
no need to add μου unless you want to contrast with someone else’s house.

Can I change the word order? For example, is Βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι τα σαββατοκύριακα okay?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially for time expressions. All of these are grammatical:

Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι.
Βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι τα σαββατοκύριακα.
Στο σπίτι βλέπω ταινία τα σαββατοκύριακα.

The most neutral and common for a learner is the original:

Τα σαββατοκύριακα βλέπω ταινία στο σπίτι.

Moving elements (time, place) usually changes emphasis, not basic meaning.

How do you pronounce σαββατοκύριακα and where is the stress?

The stress is on the third syllable from the end:

σα-ββα-το-ΚΥ-ρι-α-κα

Roughly:

σα – “sa”
ββα – like “vva” (double β but pronounced as a single v)
το – “to”
ΚΥ – “KEE” (this is where the stress is)
ρι – “ree”
α – “a” (as in father)
κα – “ka”

So: σαββατοΚΥριακα.