Κάθε Σάββατο πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο.

Every Saturday I go to the market in the center.

Breakdown of Κάθε Σάββατο πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο.

• πάω: to go
• σε: to
• σε: in
• το κέντρο: the center
• η αγορά: the market
• κάθε Σάββατο: every Saturday

Questions & Answers about Κάθε Σάββατο πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο.

Why is Σάββατο in the singular and not plural, even though English says “every Saturday”?

In Greek, after κάθε (every / each), the noun is normally in the singular:

• κάθε μέρα – every day
• κάθε μήνα – every month
• κάθε Σάββατο – every Saturday

So κάθε already carries the “every/all of them” idea; the noun stays singular. Saying κάθε Σάββατα would sound wrong in standard Greek.

What exactly does κάθε do in this sentence?

Κάθε means every or each and shows repetition / habit over time.

• Κάθε Σάββατο πάω… = I habitually go every Saturday.

Without κάθε, Σάββατο πάω στην αγορά would more likely mean “(This) Saturday I’m going to the market,” referring to one specific Saturday, not a regular habit.

Is Σάββατο normally capitalized in Greek like “Saturday” is in English?

In standard modern Greek, names of days are not usually capitalized unless they start the sentence. So normally you’d write:

• Κάθε Σάββατο πάω… → here only Κάθε must be capital (it’s first word); σάββατο is usually lowercase: Κάθε σάββατο πάω…

However, in practice many people do capitalize days of the week, influenced by English or just out of habit. So Σάββατο with a capital is common in informal writing, even if school grammars prefer σάββατο.

Why is there no “I” (εγώ) in πάω? How do I know it means “I go”?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός, etc.) are usually left out because the verb ending already shows the person:

• πάω = I go
• πας = you go
• πάει = he/she/it goes

So πάω on its own means I go. You only add εγώ πάω if you want to emphasize “I go (as opposed to someone else).”

What tense and form is πάω, and how is it different from πηγαίνω?

Πάω is the 1st person singular, present tense of the verb πάω / πηγαίνω (to go).

• πάω is the shorter, very common everyday form.
• πηγαίνω is a bit more formal or neutral; it can also emphasize the ongoing/repeated nature of going.

In this sentence you could say either:

• Κάθε Σάββατο πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο.
• Κάθε Σάββατο πηγαίνω στην αγορά στο κέντρο.

Both are correct. The meaning is practically the same here; πάω just sounds a bit more casual/colloquial.

What is στην exactly, and why is it different from στο?

Both στην and στο come from the preposition σε (in, at, to) + the definite article:

• σε + την → στην (contracted form)
• σε + το → στο (contracted form)

In the sentence:

• στην αγορά: αγορά is feminine, so we need την → στην αγορά
• στο κέντρο: κέντρο is neuter, so we need το → στο κέντρο

So the form depends on the gender of the noun that follows.

What case are αγορά and κέντρο in, and why?

Both αγορά and κέντρο are in the accusative case:

• στην αγορά
• στο κέντρο

In modern Greek, the preposition σε (in/at/to) usually takes the accusative, especially when expressing movement towards a place:

• πάω στην αγορά – I go to the market
• πάω στο κέντρο – I go to the centre

So here the verb of motion (πάω) + σε → accusative objects of destination.

Why do we say στην αγορά but στο κέντρο?

Because the two nouns have different grammatical genders:

• η αγορά (the market) → feminine
  
  • accusative with article: την αγορά → στην αγορά
• το κέντρο (the center) → neuter
  
  • accusative with article: το κέντρο → στο κέντρο

The preposition σε contracts differently with each article:

• σε + την → στην
• σε + το → στο

What exactly does αγορά mean here? Is it like “supermarket”?

Αγορά means market in a general sense, but in everyday Greek it often suggests:

• an open market,
• a place with many shops / stalls, often outdoors,
• sometimes specifically a street market or farmers’ market (often called λαϊκή αγορά).

So πάω στην αγορά is more like “I go to the market area / the (street) market,” not specifically “I go to the supermarket,” which would be πάω στο σουπερμάρκετ.

What does στο κέντρο mean exactly? Is it “in the middle” or “downtown”?

In this context, στο κέντρο usually means in the city centre / downtown.

Literally it’s in the center, but when Greeks say:

• Μένω στο κέντρο. – I live in the city center.
• Πάω στο κέντρο. – I’m going downtown.

they normally mean the central, busy, commercial area of the town or city, not just “in the middle” of some random space.

Can I change the word order, for example put κάθε Σάββατο or στο κέντρο somewhere else?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible, especially with time and place expressions. All of these are natural, with small differences of emphasis:

• Κάθε Σάββατο πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο. (neutral)
• Πάω κάθε Σάββατο στην αγορά στο κέντρο. (small focus on the habit)
• Πάω στην αγορά στο κέντρο κάθε Σάββατο. (small focus on the time)

The basic information doesn’t change; you’re still saying that every Saturday you go to the market which is in the centre.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

A rough phonetic guide (using English-like sounds):

• Κάθε → KÁ-the (KÁ like “car” but shorter; th as in “this”)
• Σάββατο → SÁ-va-to (stress on ΣΑ; the double ββ is just v, not longer)
• πάω → PA-o (two syllables: PA-o, often flows like “PA‑o”)
• στην → stin (like “steen”)
• αγορά → a-go-RÁ (stress on last syllable, r rolled/lightly trilled)
• στο → sto (as in “stole” without the le)
• κέντρο → KÉN-dro (stress on KÉN, dr like “dr” in “dry”)

So the whole sentence:

[KÁ-the SÁ-va-to PA-o stin a-go-RÁ sto KÉN-dro].