Στην καφετέρια παραγγέλνουμε καφέ και ένα μικρό σνακ πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι.

At the café we order coffee and a small snack before we go back home.

Breakdown of Στην καφετέρια παραγγέλνουμε καφέ και ένα μικρό σνακ πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι.

• ο καφές: the coffee
• και: and
• το σπίτι: the home
• σε: at
• πριν: before
• ένα: one
• μικρός: small
• παραγγέλνω: to order
• το σνακ: the snack
• η καφετέρια: the café
• γυρίζω: to go back

Questions & Answers about Στην καφετέρια παραγγέλνουμε καφέ και ένα μικρό σνακ πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι.

Why is it Στην καφετέρια and not σε την καφετέρια?

In modern Greek, the preposition σε usually contracts with the definite article:

• σε + την → στην
• σε + τον → στον
• σε + το → στο
• σε + τις → στις
• σε + τους → στους

So σε την καφετέρια is grammatically understandable but not natural; speakers almost always use the contracted form στην καφετέρια.

Also note that καφετέρια is feminine, so the article in the accusative case is την → στην.

Why is it στην and not στη before καφετέρια?

The -ν at the end of στην is often dropped in speech and informal writing, giving στη.

However, standard spelling keeps the ν before certain consonants (and vowels), including κ:

• Before κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ and before a vowel → keep the ν: στην καφετέρια, στον κόσμο, στην πόλη.
• Before other consonants it’s often dropped: στη σχολή, στο φίλο.

So στην καφετέρια is the standard form; στη καφετέρια is very common in casual speech.

What is the grammatical role of Στην καφετέρια in this sentence?

Στην καφετέρια expresses place: where the action happens.

Grammatically, it’s a prepositional phrase (σε + accusative) functioning as an adverbial of place, roughly “at the café”. It modifies the verb παραγγέλνουμε (“we order”).

What form of the verb is παραγγέλνουμε, and what is the dictionary form?

Παραγγέλνουμε is:

• Person: 1st person
• Number: plural
• Tense: present
• Mood: indicative
• Voice: active

It corresponds to English “we order / we are ordering”.

The form you look up in the dictionary is the 1st person singular present: παραγγέλνω (“I order”).
Present tense paradigm:

• εγώ παραγγέλνω
• εσύ παραγγέλνεις
• αυτός/αυτή/αυτό παραγγέλνει
• εμείς παραγγέλνουμε
• εσείς παραγγέλνετε
• αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά παραγγέλνουν(ε)

Why is there no explicit we (εμείς) in the sentence?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• παραγγέλνουμε can only mean “we order”, so εμείς is not needed.
• You add εμείς only for emphasis or contrast:
  Εμείς παραγγέλνουμε καφέ, όχι τσάι. – We order coffee, not tea.

How do you pronounce παραγγέλνουμε, and why is it written with γγ?

Spoken slowly, it’s approximately: pa-ran-YÉL-nu-me.

The γγ in Greek is usually pronounced like the ng in “finger” or “singer + g”: [ŋg]. So παραγγέλνουμε sounds roughly like parang*GHEL*nume.

Orthographically:

• παρα‑ (prefix “para-”, “order” here as in παραγγέλνω)
• ‑γγ‑ gives the [ŋg] sound
• ‑έλ‑νου‑με carries the main stress on γέλ: παραγέλνουμε.

Why is it just καφέ and not έναν καφέ?

Both are possible; the nuance is slightly different:

• Παραγγέλνουμε καφέ…
  Treats καφέ more like a mass noun (“coffee” in general), or is just a bit looser/colloquial.
• Παραγγέλνουμε έναν καφέ…
  Emphasizes “one coffee (one cup of coffee)”.

In practice, people often say παραγγέλνουμε καφέ when the exact number isn’t important, or it’s clear from context.

What is the grammatical form of καφέ here?

The base noun is ο καφές (masculine):

• Nominative: ο καφές
• Genitive: του καφέ
• Accusative: τον καφέ

In the sentence, καφέ is the accusative singular without an article. It’s the direct object of παραγγέλνουμε.

What is going on with ένα μικρό σνακ? Why these forms?

Σνακ is a loanword (from “snack”) and is treated as an indeclinable neuter noun in Greek:

• Singular: το σνακ (same form in all cases)
• Plural (if used): τα σνακ

Since it’s neuter, the article and adjective must also be neuter:

• ένα – neuter singular article for “a/an/one”
• μικρό – neuter singular form of the adjective μικρός, -ή, -ό (“small”)
• σνακ – neuter indeclinable noun

So ένα μικρό σνακ literally: “a small snack”.

Why do we say πριν γυρίσουμε and not πριν γυρίζουμε?

With πριν (“before”) introducing an action that has not yet happened, Greek normally uses the subjunctive, not the present indicative.

• Subjunctive (aorist here): γυρίσουμε – “(that) we return / go back”
• Indicative: γυρίζουμε – “we (usually/now) return”

So:

• πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι – before we (go back) home.
  Correct and natural.
• πριν γυρίζουμε σπίτι – ungrammatical in standard Greek in this meaning.

The aorist subjunctive γυρίσουμε focuses on the single completed action of returning.

Where does γυρίσουμε come from, and what does it mean exactly?

The verb is γυρίζω, meaning “to turn”, and by extension “to return, go back”.

• Dictionary form: γυρίζω (1st person singular present)
• Aorist stem: γυρίσ‑
• 1st person plural aorist subjunctive: να γυρίσουμε → here after πριν, we drop να: πριν γυρίσουμε.

So πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι = “before we go back home / before we return home”.

Why is there no να after πριν? I often see να with the subjunctive.

You’re right that the subjunctive is usually marked with να:

• να γυρίσουμε – (that) we return

But after certain conjunctions, να is typically omitted because the conjunction itself already “calls for” the subjunctive. Πριν is one of these:

• πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι – before we return home
• χωρίς να γυρίσουμε σπίτι – without returning home (here χωρίς keeps να)

You can hear πριν να γυρίσουμε σπίτι, but in modern standard Greek πριν γυρίσουμε σπίτι (without να) is more common and stylistically cleaner.

Why is there no article or preposition with σπίτι? Why not στο σπίτι?

Greek often drops the article and the preposition when σπίτι means “home” in a general, personal sense:

• Πηγαίνω σπίτι. – I’m going home.
• Γυρίζουμε σπίτι. – We go back home.

When you say στο σπίτι, you’re usually referring to “the house / the home” as a specific place or building:

• Γυρίζουμε στο σπίτι των γονιών μου. – We’re going back to my parents’ house.
• Μένω στο σπίτι αυτό. – I live in this house.

In your sentence, σπίτι without article naturally conveys the English idea of “home”.

Can the word order be different, like Παραγγέλνουμε στην καφετέρια καφέ…?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are possible, with only slight changes in emphasis:

• Στην καφετέρια παραγγέλνουμε καφέ…
  Neutral, slightly emphasizing the place first.
• Παραγγέλνουμε στην καφετέρια καφέ…
  Slightly more focus on the action “we order”, then where.
• Καφέ και ένα μικρό σνακ παραγγέλνουμε στην καφετέρια…
  Emphasizes what we order.

The original word order is very natural and typical for a simple narrative sentence.

Does παραγγέλνουμε mean “we order” or “we are ordering”? Which aspect is it?

Modern Greek present tense covers both English “simple present” and “present continuous”:

• Παραγγέλνουμε καφέ…
  Can be understood as:
  • “We order coffee (in general / every time we’re there)”
  • or “We are ordering coffee (now)”

The context usually clarifies the meaning. To emphasize the habitual sense you might add an adverb like συνήθως (usually), and to emphasize “right now” you might use something like τώρα (now).