Breakdown of Το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι πριν να πιω καφέ.
Questions & Answers about Το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι πριν να πιω καφέ.
In Greek, time expressions often use the definite article where English does not.
- το πρωί literally is the morning, but in many contexts it means in the morning / mornings / every morning, depending on the rest of the sentence.
- Common patterns: το πρωί (in the morning), το βράδυ (in the evening), τη Δευτέρα (on Monday), etc.
You cannot say ~στο πρωί βγαίνω~ here; the natural expression is το πρωί βγαίνω….
βγαίνω literally means I go out / I exit / I come out from somewhere enclosed to outside.
- βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι means I go out onto the balcony (from inside the house).
- πάω στο μπαλκόνι would be more neutral: I go to the balcony. It doesn’t emphasize the idea of coming out from inside.
So βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι paints the picture of stepping outside onto the balcony.
βγαίνω is:
- Present tense
- Imperfective aspect (ongoing / repeated action)
- 1st person singular (I)
In Greek, the present tense covers:
- I go out (habitual / regular)
- I am going out (right now)
In this sentence, combined with το πρωί, it is understood as a habit:
- Το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι…
→ In the morning I go out onto the balcony… (usually / regularly)
στο is a contraction of:
- σε (to / in / at / on) +
- το (the, neuter singular)
So:
- σε το μπαλκόνι → στο μπαλκόνι
Meaning-wise, σε is very flexible and can mean to / at / in / on, depending on the noun and context. Here στο μπαλκόνι is best rendered as onto the balcony / on the balcony.
Greek verb endings show the person and number, so the subject pronoun is usually dropped:
- βγαίνω already means I go out (the ending -ω = 1st person singular).
You only add εγώ when you need emphasis or contrast:
- Εγώ το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι, όχι εσύ.
→ I go out on the balcony in the morning, not you.
Here πριν introduces a before-clause, and the verb after it is in the subjunctive. The little word να is the marker of the subjunctive.
- να πιω = (that I) drink in the subjunctive (aorist).
About να after πριν:
- Both πριν πιω καφέ and πριν να πιω καφέ are widely heard in everyday Greek.
- In more formal or “textbook” style, many prefer πριν πιω καφέ (without να).
- In casual speech, πριν να πιω καφέ is very common.
So να is not absolutely required after πριν, but it is not “wrong” in everyday language.
πίνω and πιω are two different forms of the same verb to drink, expressing different aspects:
- πίνω = present, imperfective (ongoing / repeated)
- e.g. Πίνω καφέ τώρα. → I am drinking coffee now.
- πιω = aorist subjunctive, perfective (single, complete event)
- used after να, πριν, όταν (when, in the future), etc., when we talk about one completed action in time.
With πριν, Greek almost always uses the aorist subjunctive:
- πριν (να) πιω καφέ
→ before I drink coffee (before I have my coffee)
Using πριν (να) πίνω καφέ here would sound strange; it would suggest an ongoing / repeated process as a reference point, which is not how πριν normally works. πριν + πιω is the natural pattern.
Yes, you can say:
- Το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι πριν πιω καφέ.
Meaning: exactly the same in everyday use – before I drink coffee.
Differences:
- πριν πιω καφέ – a bit more neutral / standard.
- πριν να πιω καφέ – very common in spoken Greek, slightly more colloquial in the eyes of some speakers.
For understanding and normal conversation, both are fine.
πριν να πίνω καφέ is not natural in this sentence.
- Grammatically, it uses the imperfective, suggesting repetition or ongoing action, but with πριν we normally use the aorist subjunctive (πιω), not the present (πίνω).
- Native speakers would almost always say πριν (να) πιω καφέ.
πριν να θα πιω καφέ is incorrect.
- θα πιω is future (I will drink).
- After πριν you do not combine να or πριν with θα.
- You just use the subjunctive: πριν (να) πιω.
καφές (coffee) is a countable noun that can be used both as:
- A mass noun (coffee in general)
- A count noun (one coffee / a cup of coffee)
In this sentence:
- πριν να πιω καφέ = before I drink (any) coffee / before having coffee in general, not focusing on one specific cup.
If you say:
- πριν να πιω έναν καφέ
→ before I drink a coffee / a cup of coffee
That focuses more on a specific, countable drink. Both are possible; the original is more general/habitual.
Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are grammatical:
- Το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι πριν να πιω καφέ.
- Το πρωί, πριν να πιω καφέ, βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι.
- Πριν να πιω καφέ, το πρωί βγαίνω στο μπαλκόνι. (less natural, but possible in context)
The main constraints are:
- Words that belong together (like πριν (να) πιω καφέ) generally stay together.
- Moving phrases around changes emphasis, not basic meaning.
The two dots are a diaeresis (Greek: διαλυτικά) and they show that the ο and ι are pronounced as two separate vowels, not as a single sound.
- πρωί is pronounced roughly pro-EE (two syllables: προ-ϊ).
- Without the dots (~προι~), a reader might incorrectly try to read οι as a single sound.
So πρωί = morning, with two syllables.
By default, with:
- το πρωί
- present tense βγαίνω
the sentence is understood as a habitual action:
- In the morning(s), I go out onto the balcony before I drink coffee.
→ something you usually / regularly do.
If you want to talk about one specific morning, you would normally add something like σήμερα:
- Σήμερα το πρωί βγήκα στο μπαλκόνι πριν να πιω καφέ.
→ This morning I went out onto the balcony before I drank coffee. (past, one specific event)
μπαλκόνι is a neuter noun.
- Nominative: το μπαλκόνι
- Accusative: το μπαλκόνι (same form)
The preposition σε takes the accusative, so:
- σε + το μπαλκόνι → στο μπαλκόνι
στον is σε + τον, used for masculine singular (e.g. στον φίλο μου – to my friend). Since μπαλκόνι is neuter, you use στο, not στον.