Το βράδυ ζεσταίνω λίγο νερό στην κατσαρόλα.

the water

Breakdown of Το βράδυ ζεσταίνω λίγο νερό στην κατσαρόλα.

• λίγος: little
• το βράδυ: in the evening
• σε: in

Questions & Answers about Το βράδυ ζεσταίνω λίγο νερό στην κατσαρόλα.

Why does Το βράδυ mean in the evening / at night even though there is no preposition like “in” or “at”?

In Greek, a time expression like το πρωί, το μεσημέρι, το βράδυ often works on its own as an adverbial of time and is translated as in the morning / at noon / in the evening.

Literally, το βράδυ is the evening / the night (neuter noun το βράδυ). But when used this way in a sentence, it means in the evening / at night without needing a separate preposition.

For habitual actions you’ll also hear:

• Τα βράδια ζεσταίνω λίγο νερό… = In the evenings I heat a bit of water… (regularly, on most evenings)

Why isn’t there an explicit “I” in the Greek sentence?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• ζεσταίνω = I warm / heat (1st person singular)
  So Εγώ ζεσταίνω is grammatically correct but normally unnecessary unless you want to emphasize I (as opposed to someone else):

• Εγώ ζεσταίνω λίγο νερό… = I (and not someone else) warm a bit of water…

What exactly does ζεσταίνω mean, and which tense is it?