Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο, γιατί η φίλη μου δουλεύει εκεί. - Today I am going to the market in the center, because my female friend works there.

πάω is 1st person singular (I go).
From the form πάω, a Greek speaker automatically knows it means I go.
You could say Εγώ σήμερα πάω… for emphasis (I today am going…), but it’s not necessary and sounds more contrastive.

What does πάω mean exactly, and how is it different from πηγαίνω?

Both πάω and πηγαίνω mean I go / I am going.

πάω is more colloquial and very common in everyday speech.
πηγαίνω is a bit more formal or neutral; you’ll see it more often in writing or in slightly more careful speech.
In most everyday contexts, you can use them interchangeably:
- Σήμερα πάω στην αγορά.
- Σήμερα πηγαίνω στην αγορά.
  Both are fine: Today I’m going to the market.

What exactly is στην in στην αγορά?

στην is a contraction of the preposition σε (in / at / to) plus the feminine article την (the):

σε + την = στην

It’s used before feminine nouns in the accusative case:

στην αγορά = to the market / at the market / in the market

Greek almost always uses σε + article with specific places where English might just say to market or to work without the.

Why is it αγορά and not something like αγοράς?

αγορά is a feminine noun:

Nominative singular: η αγορά (the market) – subject
Accusative singular: την αγορά (to the market) – object of σε

With σε, we use the accusative:

στην αγορά (σε + την αγορά) → accusative form is αγορά, not αγοράς.
αγοράς is the genitive singular (e.g. της αγοράς = of the market), so it would be wrong here.

Why do we need the in Greek (στην αγορά) when in English we can just say “go to market”?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English:

You normally say:
- Πάω στην αγορά. = I’m going (to the) market.
Leaving the article out (πάω σε αγορά) is unusual and would feel like I’m going to a market (one of several).

So:

στην αγορά is the natural, idiomatic way to say to the market in Greek.

What does στο κέντρο literally mean?

στο κέντρο is:

σε + το = στο (to / in the)
κέντρο = center (neuter noun, accusative here)

Literally: to the center / in the center.

In everyday Greek, το κέντρο normally means:

The city center / downtown.

So στην αγορά στο κέντρο suggests the market (that is) in the city center / downtown.

Why is there a comma before γιατί?

In Greek, a comma is usually placed before γιατί when it means because and introduces a subordinate clause:

…, γιατί η φίλη μου δουλεύει εκεί.
…, because my friend works there.

Without a comma, γιατί can still mean because, but the comma helps clearly separate the main clause from the reason clause. In questions or more compact sentences, you might not see a comma, especially when γιατί means why.

How can γιατί mean both why and because?

γιατί has two main uses:

As a question word = why
- Γιατί πας στην αγορά; = Why are you going to the market?
As a conjunction = because
- Πάω στην αγορά, γιατί η φίλη μου δουλεύει εκεί.
  I’m going to the market, because my friend works there.

You tell the meaning from:

Word order
Punctuation (question mark vs period/comma)
Whether it starts or joins a clause.

Why is it η φίλη μου and not μου φίλη for my friend?

Greek normally puts the possessive pronoun after the noun:

η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
ο φίλος μου = my (male) friend

Key points:

μου is an enclitic (unstressed) pronoun; it follows the noun and doesn’t usually carry its own stress.
Saying μου φίλη is not normal; that word order is wrong in standard Greek.
With emphasis you might hear η δική μου φίλη (my own friend), but the possessive still follows the noun.

What is the difference between η φίλη and ο φίλος?

Both mean friend, but they show gender:

η φίλη = female friend (feminine)
- Article η marks feminine gender.
ο φίλος = male friend (masculine)
- Article ο marks masculine gender.

So η φίλη μου is my (female) friend. If you were talking about a male friend, you’d say ο φίλος μου.

What does the verb ending in δουλεύει tell us?

δουλεύει comes from δουλεύω (to work).

The ending -ει here marks:

3rd person singular, present tense: he / she / it works / is working

So:

η φίλη μου δουλεύει = my friend works / is working

In this sentence:

η φίλη μου is the subject.
δουλεύει agrees with it as 3rd person singular.

Is there a difference between δουλεύω and εργάζομαι?

Both mean to work, but their style/usage differs:

δουλεύω:
- Most common in everyday speech.
- Neutral, natural in conversation.
εργάζομαι:
- More formal, often used in official contexts, CVs, written language.

In this sentence, η φίλη μου δουλεύει εκεί is exactly what a native would say in normal conversation.

Why is εκεί (there) placed at the end of the sentence?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but place expressions (like εκεί = there) often come near the end:

η φίλη μου δουλεύει εκεί = my friend works there.

You could say η φίλη μου εκεί δουλεύει, but that would sound marked or emphatic (focusing on there).
The neutral, natural order is what you see in the sentence: δουλεύει εκεί.

Why does Σήμερα πάω… use the present tense, even though it’s about a future action?

Modern Greek often uses the present tense for near-future, planned actions, especially with a time word like σήμερα (today):

Σήμερα πάω στην αγορά. = Today I’m going to the market.

This is similar to English I’m going to the market today (present continuous for future).
You could also say:

Σήμερα θα πάω στην αγορά. = Today I will go / I’m going to go to the market.

Both are correct; the simple present with σήμερα is very common and sounds natural.

Can σήμερα go in a different position, like Πάω σήμερα στην αγορά?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible, and σήμερα (today) can move:

Σήμερα πάω στην αγορά…
Πάω σήμερα στην αγορά…
Πάω στην αγορά σήμερα…

All are grammatical. Differences are mainly about emphasis and rhythm:

Putting Σήμερα first slightly emphasizes today.
Putting it later sounds a bit more neutral or conversational.