Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.

English present simple: I spend a quiet day at home (usually / regularly).
English present continuous: I’m spending a quiet day at home (right now / today).

Here, because of σήμερα (today), the meaning is clearly about what is happening today, so in English we naturally use the present continuous:
“Today I’m having/spending a quiet day at home.”

Greek doesn’t need a special continuous form here; the plain present περνάω is enough, and context (σήμερα) gives the “right now / today” meaning.

Why περνάω and not περνώ? Are both forms correct?

Both περνάω and περνώ are correct; they are just two present-tense variants of the same verb περνάω / περνώ (to pass, to spend (time)).

Περνάω is very common in everyday spoken Greek.
Περνώ sounds a bit shorter and is also common, sometimes felt as slightly more formal or literary, but it’s also used in normal speech.

You could say:

Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
Σήμερα περνώ μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.

Both are correct and mean the same thing.

What exactly does περνάω mean in this context? Does it always mean “spend (time)”?

Περνάω is a versatile verb. Common meanings include:

To pass (by/through)
- Περνάω από το σπίτι σου.
  I pass by your house.
To spend (time), to have (a certain kind of time/experience)
- Περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα.
  I’m spending / having a quiet day.
To go by (about time / days)
- Ο καιρός περνάει γρήγορα.
  Time goes by quickly.

In your sentence, περνάω clearly has the second meaning:
to spend / to have (a quiet day).

Why is it μια ήσυχη μέρα and not ένα ήσυχο μέρα?

Because μέρα (day) is feminine in Greek.

η μέρα = the day (feminine)
μια μέρα = a day

Adjectives and the indefinite article must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun. So you get:

μια ήσυχη μέρα
- μια → feminine, singular
- ήσυχη → feminine, singular (adjective)
- μέρα → feminine, singular (noun)

Ένα ήσυχο μέρα is incorrect because ένα / ήσυχο are neuter forms, but μέρα is feminine.

Could I drop μια and just say Σήμερα περνάω ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι?

You could occasionally hear something like that in specific contexts, but in standard, natural Greek, you almost always keep the indefinite article here:

✅ Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.

If you drop μια, you usually get a more generic or slightly unnatural sound in this exact sentence. It’s different from English, where “I’m having quiet day at home” would be clearly wrong; Greek is a bit more flexible, but with countable nouns like μέρα, the article is usually kept when you mean “one/some specific day”.

So for learners, it’s best to keep μια here.

How does adjective agreement work in μια ήσυχη μέρα?

In Greek, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

η μέρα → feminine, singular, nominative
μια μέρα → feminine, singular, accusative (after περνάω)
ήσυχη → feminine, singular, accusative (to match μέρα)

The pattern here is:

Feminine singular article: μια
Feminine singular adjective: ήσυχη
Feminine singular noun: μέρα

So the whole phrase μια ήσυχη μέρα is “feminine, singular, accusative” throughout, because it is the direct object of the verb περνάω.

How flexible is the word order? Can I say Περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι σήμερα instead?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, and all of these are possible and natural, with only slight differences in emphasis:

Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
Neutral; mild emphasis on today at the beginning.
Περνάω σήμερα μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
Emphasis slightly more on what I’m doing today.
Περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα σήμερα στο σπίτι.
Feels very similar; σήμερα just shifts in focus a bit.
Περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι σήμερα.
Natural; putting σήμερα at the end can slightly emphasize “(at home) today”.

All are grammatically correct. The choice mainly affects rhythm and focus, not basic meaning.

Why is it στο σπίτι and not just σπίτι? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

στο σπίτι = στο (σε + το) + σπίτι
Literally “at the house”; in practice, very often means “at home”.
σπίτι on its own can also function adverbially, meaning at home, especially in everyday speech.

So you could say:

Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα σπίτι. (more colloquial)

Both can be understood as “I’m having a quiet day at home.”
Στο σπίτι is a bit more explicit and standard; σπίτι alone sounds a bit more informal / spoken here.

What is the difference between στο σπίτι and στο σπίτι μου in this sentence?

στο σπίτι = at the house / at home (context usually makes it clear it’s your own home).
στο σπίτι μου = at my house / at my home, explicitly specifying my.

So:

Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
→ Today I’m having a quiet day at home (implied: my place).
Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι μου.
→ Today I’m having a quiet day at my house (explicitly yours; can be used if the distinction matters).

How do you pronounce ήσυχη, and what does it literally mean?

Ήσυχη is pronounced approximately: EE-see-hee.

Syllables: ή-συ-χη

ή: “ee” as in “see”
συ: “see” (but shorter)
χη: “hee” (Greek χ is a voiceless sound, like the “ch” in German Bach or Scottish loch; before η it’s a bit softer.)

Ήσυχος / ήσυχη / ήσυχο means quiet, calm, peaceful.
So μια ήσυχη μέρα = a quiet / peaceful day.

Could I say Σήμερα έχω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι instead of περνάω? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can. Both are natural:

Σήμερα περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
Σήμερα έχω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.

The difference is subtle:

περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα → focuses more on the experience of spending/going through the day.
έχω μια ήσυχη μέρα → more like “I’m having a quiet day” in the sense that my day happens to be quiet.

In most contexts, they’re very close in meaning, and both are fine.

If I wanted to talk about a habitual action, like “I usually have quiet days at home”, would I still use περνάω?

Yes. The same present tense works for both habitual and current actions; you make it habitual with adverbs or context.

For example:

Συνήθως περνάω ήσυχες μέρες στο σπίτι.
I usually have/spend quiet days at home.
Κάθε Σαββατοκύριακο περνάω μια ήσυχη μέρα στο σπίτι.
Every weekend I have a quiet day at home.

So περνάω can mean either “I’m spending (now/today)” or “I (usually) spend”, depending on context words like σήμερα, συνήθως, κάθε μέρα, etc.