Questions & Answers about Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ.
Breakdown:
- Η – definite article, feminine, singular, nominative. It marks the subject noun δουλειά.
- δουλειά – feminine noun, nominative singular. It is the subject of the verb (the thing that causes the tiredness).
- με – unstressed object pronoun, accusative. It means me and is the direct object of the verb.
- κουράζει – verb, 3rd person singular, present, active. From κουράζω = to tire (someone).
- πολύ – adverb meaning a lot / very much. It modifies the verb κουράζει.
So structurally it is: The work me tires a lot → Work tires me a lot.
In Greek, the definite article is used much more often than in English, including with general concepts.
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ.
Literally: The work tires me a lot.
Natural English: Work tires me a lot.
You normally use η δουλειά when you mean my job / work in general.
Leaving out the article (Δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ) sounds incomplete or very awkward in standard modern Greek.
So: English often drops the article with abstract/general nouns; Greek usually keeps it.
The verbs are related but not the same:
κουράζω (active) = I tire (someone), I exhaust (someone)
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει. = Work tires me.
κουράζομαι (middle/passive) = I get tired / I become tired / I am tired out
- Κουράζομαι στη δουλειά. = I get tired at work.
So:
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ. focuses on work as the cause of your tiredness.
- Κουράζομαι πολύ στη δουλειά. focuses on you getting tired (at work), without making work the grammatical subject.
Both are correct Greek, but the structure and emphasis are different.
In Greek, unstressed object pronouns (like με, σε, τον, την, το etc.) usually come before the verb in simple statements. These are called clitic pronouns.
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει. = Work tires me.
- Η δουλειά σε κουράζει. = Work tires you.
- Η δουλειά τον κουράζει. = Work tires him.
You can only put με after the verb in special constructions (with imperatives, some infinitive-like forms, or for emphasis), e.g.:
- Κούρασέ με! – Tire me out! (imperative)
But in a normal sentence like this, the neutral word order is [subject] + [object pronoun] + [verb]: Η δουλειά με κουράζει.
You can say Η δουλειά κουράζει πολύ, but it does not mean the same thing:
Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ.
→ Work tires me a lot. (personal)Η δουλειά κουράζει πολύ.
→ Work is very tiring / Work tires people a lot. (general statement, not specifically you)
So if you want to say that you personally are tired by your work, you must keep με.
πολύ here is an adverb meaning a lot / very much. It modifies the verb κουράζει:
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ.
→ Work tires me a lot / very much.
Position:
- The most neutral position is at the end of the sentence.
- You could also say Η δουλειά με κουράζει πάρα πολύ. = … tires me extremely / so much.
Other positions like Πολύ με κουράζει η δουλειά are possible but sound more emphatic or stylistic, not the standard everyday word order.
Greek uses different forms of πολύ- depending on its function:
As an adjective (agreeing in gender, number, case):
- πολύς (masc.), πολλή (fem.), πολύ (neut.)
Example: Πολύς κόσμος, πολλή δουλειά, πολύ νερό
→ a lot of people, a lot of work, a lot of water
- πολύς (masc.), πολλή (fem.), πολύ (neut.)
As an adverb (invariable form πολύ):
- δουλεύω πολύ = I work a lot
- με κουράζει πολύ = it tires me a lot
In Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ, πολύ describes how much it tires you, so it is an adverb, and the correct form is always πολύ, not πολλή or πολλά.
Both relate to work, but usage and tone are different:
δουλειά
- Very common, everyday word.
- Means work, job, task, business depending on context.
- Neutral, can be slightly more informal.
- Έχω πολλή δουλειά. = I have a lot of work.
εργασία
- More formal or technical.
- Used in official contexts, academic contexts, contracts, etc.
- Also used for assignment / project in school or university.
- Βρήκε εργασία σε μια εταιρεία. = He/She found employment at a company.
In a personal sentence like … με κουράζει πολύ, δουλειά is the natural choice.
Η εργασία με κουράζει πολύ is grammatically correct but sounds more formal or odd in everyday speech.
Yes. They are from the same root:
- δουλεύω = I work
- η δουλειά = work / job
Example patterns:
- Δουλεύω πολύ. = I work a lot.
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ. = Work tires me a lot.
So you can think of δουλειά as the noun form of δουλεύω.
Greek present tense κουράζει can cover both:
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ.
- Can mean: Work tires me a lot. (general habit)
- Or: Work is tiring me a lot (these days). (current situation)
Context usually makes it clear. If you specifically want the past:
- Η δουλειά με κούρασε πολύ. = Work tired me a lot. (yesterday / earlier)
- Η δουλειά με κούραζε πολύ. = Work used to tire me a lot. (repeatedly in the past)
Yes, Με κουράζει πολύ η δουλειά is grammatically correct, but the emphasis changes.
Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ.
Neutral: introducing what work does to you.Με κουράζει πολύ η δουλειά.
Emphasis is more on η δουλειά as the specific thing that tires you (often after some context, like “Many things are hard, but work in particular really tires me”).
Greek word order is relatively flexible, but:
- Η δουλειά με κουράζει πολύ is the default neutral order.
- Other orders are used mainly to highlight or contrast certain parts of the sentence.