Breakdown of Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία.
Questions & Answers about Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία.
Προλαβαίνω literally means something like “to catch (something) in time / to make it in time”.
In this sentence, δεν προλαβαίνω is best translated as “I don’t have time (for it)” or “I can’t manage (to do it) in time”.
So:
- Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία.
≈ Today I don’t have time to do the homework / I can’t manage to get the homework done today.
It adds a nuance that you are too busy or you won’t manage within a time limit, not just a simple lack of ability.
In Greek, the normal position of the negative particle δεν (or δε in more colloquial speech) is directly in front of the verb:
- Δεν προλαβαίνω = I don’t have time / I don’t manage
- Δεν κάνω = I don’t do
- Δεν θέλω = I don’t want
So in this sentence:
- δεν
- προλαβαίνω is the main negation,
- the whole idea is “it is not the case that I have time / I manage.”
You don’t say:
✗ προλαβαίνω δεν να κάνω
✗ προλαβαίνω να δεν κάνω (this would be a different structure if you negated the subordinate verb).
Modern Greek does not have an infinitive like English “to do”.
Instead, Greek uses να + verb to form what functions roughly like:
- an infinitive (“to do”), or
- a subordinate clause (“that I do”).
Here:
- να is a particle that introduces a subordinate clause,
- κάνω is 1st person singular, present subjunctive of κάνω (“I do”).
So να κάνω literally is more like “(for) me to do / that I do”, but in English we naturally say “to do”.
Δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία
≈ “I don’t have time to do the homework.”
Προλαβαίνω in this sentence is present tense, 1st person singular. It usually corresponds to English present simple or present continuous, depending on context:
- Δεν προλαβαίνω = I don’t have time / I’m not managing (right now / today).
Some useful forms:
- Present:
- (Εγώ) προλαβαίνω – I have time / I manage (in time)
- Past (aorist):
- (Εγώ) πρόλαβα – I managed (in time) / I did have time (on that occasion)
- Δεν πρόλαβα να κάνω την εργασία. = I didn’t manage to do the homework.
- Future:
- (Εγώ) θα προλάβω – I will manage (in time) / I will have time
- Αύριο δεν θα προλάβω να την κάνω. = Tomorrow I won’t have time to do it.
In the original sentence, σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω describes your situation today, in general or right now.
Greek verb endings already show the subject. Προλαβαίνω clearly marks 1st person singular (“I”). Because of that, the subject pronoun εγώ is usually omitted unless you want to emphasize it.
- (Εγώ) προλαβαίνω. = I have time / I manage.
- (Εγώ) δεν προλαβαίνω. = I don’t have time.
So:
- Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία. is the normal, neutral way: “Today I don’t have time to do the homework.”
- Εγώ σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία. puts extra stress on “I” (e.g. contrast: “I don’t have time today, maybe someone else does”).
Την is the definite article for feminine, singular, accusative. It corresponds to English “the”.
- η εργασία = the work / the assignment / the homework (subject)
- την εργασία = the work / homework (object of the verb)
In this sentence, εργασία is the direct object of κάνω (“to do”), so it must be in the accusative and the article has to agree:
- feminine: η / την
- singular: εργασία
- accusative object: την εργασία
You would not normally omit the article here if you mean “the homework (that we all know about)”:
- να κάνω την εργασία = to do the homework (e.g. the assignment given by the teacher)
Εργασία is a general word that can mean:
- work, labor:
- Η εργασία είναι σημαντική. = Work is important.
- job / employment:
- Ψάχνω για εργασία. = I’m looking for work.
- assignment / paper / project / homework:
- Έχω μια εργασία για το πανεπιστήμιο. = I have an assignment for university.
- Έχω εργασία στα μαθηματικά. = I have math homework.
In the sentence Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία, in a school/university context it is normally understood as “the homework / the assignment” that has been given to you.
Yes, you can change the word order. Greek word order is fairly flexible, though there are typical patterns.
All of these are possible:
- Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία.
- Δεν προλαβαίνω σήμερα να κάνω την εργασία.
- Δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω την εργασία σήμερα.
They all basically mean “Today I don’t have time to do the homework.”
- Putting σήμερα at the beginning (version 1) sounds neutral and slightly emphasizes the time frame (“As for today, I don’t have time…”).
- Moving σήμερα after δεν προλαβαίνω (version 2) is also fine and very natural.
- Putting σήμερα at the end (version 3) can add a slight nuance of contrast with other times (“I don’t have time to do it today (maybe on another day I will)”).
But practically, all three are very common and natural.
Yes, you can say:
- Σήμερα δεν έχω χρόνο να κάνω την εργασία.
= Today I don’t have time to do the homework.
Difference in nuance:
- Δεν προλαβαίνω = I don’t manage / can’t make it in time; I’m too busy, my schedule doesn’t allow it. There is a sense of time pressure or deadline.
- Δεν έχω χρόνο = I don’t have (enough) time in a more literal way.
In many everyday contexts they overlap and both are fine. Δεν προλαβαίνω often sounds a bit more colloquial and focused on fitting something into your day/schedule.
In this sentence, the negation applies to the main verb:
- δεν προλαβαίνω (I do not have time / I do not manage)
- να κάνω (to do) is inside the complement clause and is not negated.
If you wanted to negate the subordinate verb, you would use μη(ν):
- Προλαβαίνω να μην κάνω την εργασία.
≈ I have time not to do the homework (a bit odd in meaning, but grammatically correct).
General rule:
- Use δεν before a normal finite verb in the indicative:
- δεν προλαβαίνω, δεν κάνω, δεν θέλω.
- Use μη(ν) with να-clauses, imperatives, and some other structures:
- να μην κάνω, μην πας, μην το λες.
In your sentence, we are negating προλαβαίνω, so we correctly use δεν.
Προλαβαίνω: pro-la-VÉ-no
- Stress on -βαίν-: προλαβαίνω
- The αι here sounds like “e” in “get”.
Εργασία: er-ga-SEE-a
- Stress on -σί-: εργασία
- It has four syllables: ερ-γα-σί-α.
Full sentence (with stressed syllables in caps):
- ΣΉμερα δεν προλαΒΑΙνω να ΚΆνω την εργαΣΊα.
Yes, it works very similarly to English “do homework / do an assignment”.
- κάνω την εργασία = do the homework / do the assignment
- Έκανα την εργασία. = I did the homework.
- Πρέπει να κάνω την εργασία. = I have to do the homework.
In many contexts, instead of repeating εργασία, people might also say just:
- να την κάνω = to do it
(την refers back to την εργασία)
For example:
- Σήμερα δεν προλαβαίνω να την κάνω.
= Today I don’t have time to do it.