Learn Hardcore Greek: Πηγαίνω σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει.

In Greek, when σπίτι means home (not “the physical house” as an object or location), it is often used without an article, especially with verbs of motion:

Πηγαίνω σπίτι – I go home.
Είμαι σπίτι – I’m at home.

If you say Πηγαίνω στο σπίτι, it tends to emphasize the house as a place, like “I go to the (or my) house,” which can sound a bit more concrete or specific.

So:

Πηγαίνω σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει – natural, everyday “I go home when it gets dark.”
Πηγαίνω στο σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει – also correct, but feels more like “I go to the house when it gets dark.”

What tense is Πηγαίνω here? Does it mean “I am going” or “I go (usually)”?

Πηγαίνω is in the present tense, but in Greek the present tense can express both:

Right now / ongoing action – “I am going.”
Habitual or repeated action – “I (usually) go / I go whenever.”

With όταν νυχτώνει (“when it gets dark”), the sentence clearly describes a habitual action:

Πηγαίνω σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει = “I (usually) go home when it gets dark.”

Context tells you it’s about a routine, not a one-time action.

Why is it όταν νυχτώνει (present) and not something like όταν νύχτωσε (past)?

Όταν νυχτώνει uses the present tense to express a general, repeated condition: “whenever it gets dark / when it gets dark (in general).”

If you say όταν νύχτωσε (past), you’re talking about one or repeated events in the past, e.g.:

Πήγαινα σπίτι όταν νύχτωνε. – I used to go home when it was getting dark.
Πήγα σπίτι όταν νύχτωσε. – I went home when it got dark (that time).

In your sentence, we are talking about what you normally do, so the present νυχτώνει is used.

What kind of verb is νυχτώνει? Who is the subject?

Νυχτώνει is an impersonal verb, like “it gets dark” in English. There is no real, concrete subject; grammatically, you can think of it as “it is getting dark,” where it doesn’t refer to a person or thing.

So:

νυχτώνει = “it gets dark / it is getting dark”

In Greek we don’t actually say the “it”; the verb stands alone:

Νυχτώνει νωρίς τον χειμώνα. – It gets dark early in winter.
Πηγαίνω σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει. – I go home when it gets dark.

Could the sentence mean “I am going home when it gets dark (tonight)” or is it only habitual?

Isolated, Πηγαίνω σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει is normally understood as habitual:

“I go home when it gets dark (as a rule).”

To refer specifically to tonight’s plan, Greeks would usually add a time expression or use a different structure:

Σήμερα θα πάω σπίτι όταν νυχτώσει. – Today I’ll go home when it gets dark.

Here θα πάω and νυχτώσει (subjunctive) make it sound like a specific future event rather than a general habit.

Why is it όταν νυχτώνει and not όταν να νυχτώνει?

In Greek, να introduces the subjunctive (e.g. να πάω, να φάω). You do not use να after όταν when you are describing a general time or repeated situation:

όταν νυχτώνει – when it gets dark (in general)
όταν έχω χρόνο – when I have time

You might see όταν να in some dialects or very colloquial speech, but in standard Greek it is considered incorrect. The correct form here is όταν νυχτώνει.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Όταν νυχτώνει, πηγαίνω σπίτι?

Yes, both orders are correct:

Πηγαίνω σπίτι όταν νυχτώνει.
Όταν νυχτώνει, πηγαίνω σπίτι.

The second version just places more emphasis on the time clause (“when it gets dark”). In speech, a short pause (and a comma in writing) usually separates Όταν νυχτώνει from the main clause.

How do I pronounce Πηγαίνω and νυχτώνει?

Approximate pronunciations (in IPA and English-like hints):

Πηγαίνω → /piˈʝeno/
- πη- like “pee”
- -γαί- is pronounced /ʝe/ like “ye” in “yes” with a soft “y” sound
- -νω like “no”
So it sounds roughly like pee-YE-no (stress on -γΑΙ-: -γέ-).
νυχτώνει → /niχˈtoni/
- νυ- like “nee”
- χτ has a rough ch (like German Bach) followed by t
- -ώνει like O-nee with stress: -ΤΩ-
Approx: nee-CHTO-nee, stress on -χτώ-.

Why does νυχτώνει have the accent on -τών-? How is that formed?

The verb comes from the noun νύχτα (night). The verb νυχτώνω roughly means “to become night / to get dark.”

The present tense is:

εγώ νυχτώνω – I darken / it gets dark
αυτό νυχτώνει – it gets dark

In νυχτώνει, the accent falls on -τών-: νυ-ΧΤΩ-νει. That position is regular for this conjugation type; the accent is part of the verb’s dictionary form (νυχτώνω). You just need to memorize it with the stress on -χτώ-.

Is σπίτι in a particular case here? Why doesn’t it change form?

Greek nouns change form for case, but νεuter singular nouns like σπίτι often have the same form in:

nominative (subject)
accusative (object or after movement prepositions)
vocative

In your sentence, σπίτι is in the accusative, as the destination after the verb of motion πηγαίνω:

Πηγαίνω σπίτι. – I go home.

The form looks identical to the nominative, but its function is accusative.

Could I replace σπίτι with στο σπίτι μου? Would the meaning change?

You can say:

Πηγαίνω στο σπίτι μου όταν νυχτώνει. – I go to my house when it gets dark.

The meaning is very close, but there is a slight nuance:

σπίτι (no article, no possessive) = “home” in a more abstract, personal sense.
στο σπίτι μου = “to my house,” more literal and specific.

Both are correct; σπίτι alone is more idiomatic for “home.”

How would I say “I went home when it got dark” referring to one specific time in the past?

Use the aorist (simple past) for both verbs:

Πήγα σπίτι όταν νύχτωσε.

Breakdown:

Πήγα – I went (aorist of πηγαίνω / πάω)
σπίτι – home
όταν νύχτωσε – when it got dark (aorist of νυχτώνει/νυχτώνω in this meaning)

This clearly refers to a specific completed event in the past.