Learn Hardcore Greek: Τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό και μετά χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι. - On Saturdays we make a simple dinner and then relax in the living room.

Τα Σάββατα literally means “the Saturdays”, but in Greek this plural is often used to talk about a repeated, habitual action that happens on that day of the week.

Τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε… = On Saturdays we make… (every/most Saturdays, as a habit).
Το Σάββατο φτιάχνουμε… = On Saturday we’re making… (this coming Saturday / one specific Saturday).

So the plural here tells you the speaker is talking about a regular routine, not one particular Saturday.

Why do we use the article Τα with Σάββατα? In English we don’t say “the Saturdays”.

Greek uses the definite article with days of the week much more freely than English, especially when talking about general habits:

Τα Σάββατα = On Saturdays (as a general rule)
Τις Κυριακές = On Sundays
Τις Δευτέρες = On Mondays

You could also hear:

Κάθε Σάββατο φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό… = Every Saturday we make a simple dinner…

So:

Τα Σάββατα ≈ “On Saturdays”
Κάθε Σάββατο ≈ “Every Saturday”

Both are natural. The article Τα is grammatically required with the plural noun Σάββατα in this construction; you can’t just say Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε… in normal standard Greek.

What does the verb φτιάχνουμε mean exactly, and how is it different from κάνουμε or μαγειρεύουμε?

φτιάχνουμε is the 1st person plural of φτιάχνω and basically means “to make / to put together / to prepare”.

In this context:

φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό = we make a simple dinner.

Compared to other verbs:

κάνουμε (κάνω) = “to do / to make”
- Very general. Κάνουμε βραδινό is understandable, but less idiomatic than φτιάχνουμε here.
μαγειρεύουμε (μαγειρεύω) = “to cook”
- Focuses specifically on cooking. Μαγειρεύουμε για βραδινό = we cook for dinner.

φτιάχνουμε βραδινό sounds natural and colloquial, like saying “we fix / put together dinner” in English.

Why is there no article in απλό βραδινό? Could we say ένα απλό βραδινό?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό
Literally: we make simple dinner
This sounds like a general description of what “our Saturdays” are like. It’s a routine formula: we (just) have a simple dinner, not something fancy.
φτιάχνουμε ένα απλό βραδινό
Literally: we make a simple dinner
This emphasizes one instance a bit more, and sounds a little more specific or concrete.

In habitual descriptions, omitting the article (as in απλό βραδινό) is very common and natural in Greek, especially with meals:

Τρώμε μεσημεριανό στις δύο. = We eat lunch at two.
Δεν τρώω πρωινό. = I don’t eat breakfast.

So απλό βραδινό fits that pattern.

What is βραδινό grammatically? Is it an adjective or a noun? Why is it neuter?

βραδινό can be either an adjective or a noun, depending on context.

As an adjective: βραδινός, -ή, -ό = evening, nightly
- βραδινό πρόγραμμα = evening program
- βραδινή εκπομπή = evening show
As a noun, the neuter το βραδινό means “dinner / evening meal”.
- Το βραδινό είναι στις οκτώ. = Dinner is at eight.

In απλό βραδινό, it’s used as a neuter noun:

(ένα) απλό βραδινό = (a) simple dinner.

It’s neuter because the underlying noun is το βραδινό, a neuter noun in Greek. Many meal words are neuter:

το πρωινό = breakfast
το μεσημεριανό = lunch
το βραδινό = dinner

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like εμείς (“we”) before φτιάχνουμε and χαλαρώνουμε?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language, meaning it usually drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

φτιάχνουμε ends in -ουμε, which clearly marks 1st person plural (we).
χαλαρώνουμε also ends in -ουμε.

So:

Εμείς τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε… is grammatically correct, but
Just Τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε… is more natural.

You generally add εμείς only for:

emphasis: Εμείς τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε… = We (as opposed to others) on Saturdays make…
contrast with another subject.

Is the present tense φτιάχνουμε and χαλαρώνουμε here talking about now or about a habit?

In Greek, the present tense (imperfective aspect) is used for:

actions happening now, and
repeated, habitual actions.

Here, because of Τα Σάββατα (“on Saturdays”), the meaning is clearly habitual:

Τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό…
= On Saturdays we (usually) make a simple dinner and then (we usually) relax…

There’s no special “habitual tense” in modern Greek; the simple present covers this, just as in English (We eat at six, We go to the gym on Mondays, etc.).

What exactly does μετά mean here, and how is it different from ύστερα or μετά από?

μετά here is an adverb meaning “afterwards / then / after that”.

…και μετά χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι.
= …and then we relax in the living room.

Differences:

μετά (on its own)
= afterwards, then (adverb)
- Τρώμε και μετά χαλαρώνουμε. = We eat and then we relax.
ύστερα
Also “afterwards, then”. It’s a bit more literary or formal in some contexts, but you can use it similarly:
- Τρώμε και ύστερα χαλαρώνουμε.
μετά από
- noun
  = after (preposition)
- Μετά το φαγητό χαλαρώνουμε.
  = After the meal we relax.

In your sentence, you can also say:

…και μετά από αυτό χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι.
(…and after that we relax in the living room.) – but that’s heavier; μετά alone is the natural choice.

What does χαλαρώνουμε mean, literally and in use? Is it like a reflexive verb?

χαλαρώνουμε is the 1st person plural of χαλαρώνω, which means “to relax, to unwind”.

χαλαρώνω by itself usually means “I relax (myself), I calm down”.
Greek doesn’t need a reflexive pronoun here (no “I relax myself”), so it’s not marked as reflexive the way some other languages do.

In your sentence:

…και μετά χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι.
= …and then we relax in the living room.

You can also use it with objects:

χαλαρώνω κάποιον = I relax someone (I help them relax)
Αυτή η μουσική με χαλαρώνει. = This music relaxes me.

What is στο in στο σαλόνι? How is it formed?

στο is a contraction of:

σε (preposition: in, at, to)
το (neuter definite article: the)

So:

σε + το = στο

στο σαλόνι literally = “in/at the living room” → in the living room.

Other common contractions:

σε + τον = στον (masculine)
σε + την = στην (feminine)
σε + τους = στους
σε + τις = στις
σε + τα = στα

You almost always use the contracted form in normal speech and writing:

στο σπίτι = at home / to the house
στο γραφείο = at the office
στο σούπερ μάρκετ = at/to the supermarket

What exactly does σαλόνι mean? Is it the same as καθιστικό?

σαλόνι is a neuter noun (το σαλόνι) and in modern Greek it normally means “living room / lounge / sitting room”.

χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι = we relax in the living room.

καθιστικό (το καθιστικό) also means “living room / sitting room”, and the two words often overlap. Some speakers feel:

σαλόνι = a bit more formal or “main” living room
καθιστικό = the place where people sit / the sitting area

But in everyday conversation, στο σαλόνι and στο καθιστικό can both be used to mean “in the living room”, depending on the house and the speaker’s preference.

Could we change the word order, for example Τα Σάββατα απλό βραδινό φτιάχνουμε or Φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό τα Σάββατα? Would that sound natural?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but some orders sound more natural in neutral speech.

Your original:

Τα Σάββατα φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό και μετά χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι.
This is perfectly natural and neutral.

Other possibilities:

Φτιάχνουμε απλό βραδινό τα Σάββατα και μετά χαλαρώνουμε στο σαλόνι.
- Also natural. Now the focus starts with what you do (we make a simple dinner), and then adds “on Saturdays”.
Τα Σάββατα απλό βραδινό φτιάχνουμε…
- Grammatically correct, but sounds more emphatic / stylized, a bit like:
  “On Saturdays, it’s a simple dinner that we make…” (focusing on simple dinner).

For a neutral, everyday tone, the original word order is the most typical. The others are used when you want to emphasize a particular element.