Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

At night I look at the sky from the window.

Breakdown of Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

• από: from
• το παράθυρο: the window
• το βράδυ: at night
• ο ουρανός: the sky
• κοιτάω: to look

Questions & Answers about Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

What does Το βράδυ literally mean, and why is there an article το?

Το βράδυ literally means “the evening / the night” (the period in the evening or night).

In Greek, time expressions very often use the definite article, even when English would not.

• Το βράδυ ≈ “in the evening / at night”
• Το πρωί ≈ “in the morning”
• Το μεσημέρι ≈ “at noon / midday”

So το here doesn’t mean a specific, one-time evening; it’s a normal, idiomatic way to say “in the evening” in general.

If you wanted to emphasize every evening, you could also say:

• Κάθε βράδυ = every evening / every night

What is the difference between βράδυ and νύχτα?

Both relate to night, but they’re not identical:

• βράδυ = evening, the time after sunset and into the night. It’s often a bit earlier, the start of night.
  
  • e.g. around 7–11 p.m. (roughly)
• νύχτα = (the) night, usually the later, darker hours when people normally sleep.
  
  • e.g. around midnight, 1–4 a.m.

So:

• Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό
  = In the evening / at night I look at the sky.
• Τη νύχτα κοιμάμαι
  = At night I sleep.

Why isn’t there an “I” in the Greek sentence? Where is the subject?

Greek normally drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

• κοιτάω is 1st person singular: “I look / I am looking”.
• The ending -ω on κοιτάω tells you the subject is “I”.

So:

• (Εγώ) κοιτάω τον ουρανό.
  
  • Εγώ = I (often omitted)
• Most natural Greek: Κοιτάω τον ουρανό.

You only add εγώ when you want to stress I (as opposed to someone else), e.g. Εγώ κοιτάω, όχι εσύ. = I’m the one looking, not you.

Does κοιτάω mean “I look” or “I am looking”?

It can mean both. Modern Greek doesn’t distinguish simple vs continuous present as clearly as English does.

κοιτάω =

• “I look” (habitual or general action)
• or “I am looking” (right now)

Context usually makes it clear.

In this sentence, depending on the situation, it could mean:

• A habit: “In the evenings, I (usually) look at the sky from the window.”
• A current action (e.g. describing what you’re doing): “(Right now) this evening I’m looking at the sky from the window.”

What’s the difference between κοιτάω and κοιτάζω? Are both correct?

Yes, both are correct and very common. They mean essentially the same thing: “to look (at), to gaze, to watch.”

• κοιτάω (also written κοιτώ) – very common in everyday speech
• κοιτάζω – also common; can feel slightly more formal or neutral, but the difference is small in practice

You can say:

• Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.
• Το βράδυ κοιτάζω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

Both are acceptable and natural.

Why is it τον ουρανό and not ο ουρανός or just ουρανό?

τον ουρανό is in the accusative case, used for the direct object (the thing you are looking at).

• ο ουρανός = the sky (nominative, when it’s the subject)
• τον ουρανό = the sky (accusative, when it’s the object)

The pattern for masculine singular with the definite article:

• Nominative (subject): ο ουρανός – the sky (does something)
• Accusative (object): τον ουρανό – I see / look at / like the sky

In this sentence, I (understood) am the subject, and the sky is what I look at → direct object → accusative τον ουρανό.

Greek also uses the definite article much more often than English, even with general nouns:

• Μου αρέσει ο καφές. = I like coffee. (the coffee)
• Κοιτάω τον ουρανό. = I look at the sky. (the sky)

Why is ουρανό masculine (τον ουρανό)? How do I know its gender?

The noun ουρανός (sky, heaven) is masculine in Greek. Its article shows that:

• ο ουρανός (nominative)
• του ουρανού (genitive)
• τον ουρανό (accusative)

There’s no easy way to guess gender 100% of the time, but many masculine nouns end in -ος in the nominative singular (like ουρανός). You generally have to learn the noun together with its article, e.g.:

• ο ουρανός – the sky (masculine)
• το παράθυρο – the window (neuter)

Why is it από το παράθυρο and not something like μέσα από το παράθυρο or “through the window”?

The preposition από basically means “from”.

In this sentence από το παράθυρο expresses the point or place you are looking from, your vantage point:

• κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο
  = I look at the sky from the window.

In English you might also say “through the window”, but Greek usually just uses από here.

You can say:

• κοιτάω τον ουρανό μέσα από το παράθυρο

This emphasizes more strongly that you’re looking through the glass / from inside. It’s not wrong, just more explicit. In everyday speech, από το παράθυρο alone is perfectly natural.

Why does παράθυρο also have το? Could I drop the article and say από παράθυρο?

In standard Greek, with a concrete, countable thing like παράθυρο, you almost always use the article when it’s specific.

• το παράθυρο = the window (a particular window in the situation)
• από το παράθυρο = from the window

από παράθυρο (without το) is unusual here and would sound incomplete or unnatural in most contexts.

Greek tends to use the definite article where English might use “the” or no article:

• I look at the sky from the window.
• Greek: Κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

You would normally omit the article only in special patterns (e.g. some idioms, some professions, etc.), not in a simple phrase like this.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Το βράδυ, από το παράθυρο κοιτάω τον ουρανό?

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English. The basic meaning remains the same, but word order can slightly change emphasis. All of these are possible:

• Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.
• Το βράδυ από το παράθυρο κοιτάω τον ουρανό.
• Το βράδυ κοιτάω από το παράθυρο τον ουρανό.
• Κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο το βράδυ.

The original version is very natural and neutral. Moving phrases around can put a bit more focus on the time, place, or object, but all are understandable and correct.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with CAPITAL letters):

• Το ΒΡΑ-δυ → /to VRA-thi/
• κοι-ΤΑ-ω → /ki-TA-o/ (often sounds like ki-TA-o in everyday speech)
• τον ου-ρα-ΝΟ → /ton u-ra-NO/
• α-ΠΟ → /a-PO/
• το πα-ΡΑ-θυ-ρο → /to pa-RA-thi-ro/

Spoken smoothly, it sounds like:
to VRA-thi ki-TA-o ton u-ra-NO a-PO to pa-RA-thi-ro

How would I say “Last night I looked at the sky from the window”?

You switch to the aorist (simple past) of κοιτάω → κοίταξα.

One natural version:

• Χθες το βράδυ κοίταξα τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.
  
  • Χθες = yesterday
  • το βράδυ = in the evening / at night
  • κοίταξα = I looked (once, completed action)

So:
Χθες το βράδυ κοίταξα τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο. =
“Last night I looked at the sky from the window.”

Is Το βράδυ talking about one specific evening or evenings in general?

By itself, Το βράδυ can refer either to:

1. In general (“at night / in the evenings” as a habit), or
2. A specific evening in the right context (“this evening / tonight” or “that evening”).

Context decides which is meant:

• As a general habit:
  
  • Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.
    = In the evenings I (usually) look at the sky from the window.
• In a specific conversation about tonight:
  
  • Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο. Δεν βγαίνω έξω.
    = Tonight I’m looking at the sky from the window. I’m not going out.

If you clearly want “every evening”, you can say:

• Κάθε βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο.

Could I say Βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο without Το?

In normal, standard Greek you need the article here:

• Το βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο. ✔️ natural
• Βράδυ κοιτάω τον ουρανό από το παράθυρο. ❌ sounds wrong or at best very marked/poetic

Time expressions like το βράδυ, το πρωί, το μεσημέρι almost always take the article in everyday language.