Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα η δουλειά μου είναι εύκολη και τελειώνει νωρίς. - Today my work is easy and finishes early.

η δουλειά μου = literally “the work my” → “my work”
Leaving the article out (δουλειά μου) is possible in some specific structures, but the normal way, especially as a subject, is with the article.

So here η is just the regular definite article, and η δουλειά μου is the natural way to say “my work / my job” as the subject of the sentence.

Why is μου after δουλειά and not before it, like in English “my work”?

Greek possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους are clitics and normally follow the noun:

η δουλειά μου = my work
το σπίτι σου = your house
το βιβλίο μας = our book

Putting them before the noun (μου δουλειά) is not grammatical in modern everyday Greek. The normal pattern is:

article + noun + possessive
η δουλειά μου, το παιδί του, η μητέρα της, etc.

What gender is δουλειά, and why is εύκολη in the form εύκολη and not εύκολο or εύκολος?

δουλειά is a feminine noun.

Adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. The base adjective is εύκολος (easy):

masculine: εύκολος
feminine: εύκολη
neuter: εύκολο

Since δουλειά is feminine singular in the nominative case, the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:

η δουλειά μου είναι εύκολη
(not είναι εύκολος or είναι εύκολο)

Why do we need είναι here? Could we just say Σήμερα η δουλειά μου εύκολη?

No. In Greek you still need the verb είμαι (“to be”) to link a subject to a describing word, just like in English:

η δουλειά μου είναι εύκολη = my work is easy

Leaving out είναι would be ungrammatical in standard modern Greek. Greek does sometimes drop forms of είμαι in very fixed expressions (e.g. τι ώρα; instead of τι ώρα είναι;), but in a normal sentence like this you must say είναι.

What is the subject of τελειώνει in …και τελειώνει νωρίς? Why is there no noun in front of it?

The subject of τελειώνει is still η δουλειά μου from earlier in the sentence. Greek doesn’t repeat the subject when it’s clear from context, especially when it’s already been mentioned immediately before:

Σήμερα η δουλειά μου είναι εύκολη και (η δουλειά μου) τελειώνει νωρίς.

The second η δουλειά μου is simply omitted because it’s understood. The verb ending -ει in τελειώνει already tells you it’s 3rd person singular (“he/she/it finishes”), so you don’t need to say the subject again.

What tense is τελειώνει, and how can it talk about something that happens “today” (in the near future)?

τελειώνει is present tense (3rd person singular) of τελειώνω (“I finish, I end”).

In Greek, the present tense can also be used for very near or scheduled future events, especially when they are seen as certain or part of a routine:

Αύριο φεύγω για Λονδίνο. = Tomorrow I leave / I’m leaving for London.
Σήμερα η δουλειά μου… τελειώνει νωρίς. = Today my work finishes / will finish early.

If you want to make the future meaning very explicit, you can say:

Σήμερα η δουλειά μου θα τελειώσει νωρίς.

Both are correct; the sentence with simple present feels like a statement about today’s schedule or normal routine.

Why is Σήμερα at the beginning? Can I move it somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially for adverbs like σήμερα.

All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

Σήμερα η δουλειά μου είναι εύκολη και τελειώνει νωρίς.
(neutral; “Today, my work is easy…” – focus on today first)
Η δουλειά μου σήμερα είναι εύκολη και τελειώνει νωρίς.
(focus more on “my work today” as a unit)
Η δουλειά μου είναι σήμερα εύκολη και τελειώνει νωρίς.
(emphasizes “is easy today”)

Putting σήμερα at the start is very common and natural when you’re setting the time frame for the whole sentence.

What exactly does νωρίς mean here, and how is it different from νωρίτερα?

νωρίς is an adverb meaning “early”.

τελειώνει νωρίς = “it finishes early”

νωρίτερα means “earlier” (comparative form):

τελειώνει νωρίτερα = “it finishes earlier (than usual / than something else)”

So:

Use νωρίς to say something happens early in an absolute sense.
Use νωρίτερα when you are comparing with another time (earlier than before, earlier than usual, etc.).

What is the difference between δουλειά and εργασία? Could we say Σήμερα η εργασία μου είναι εύκολη…?

Both δουλειά and εργασία can mean “work”, but they differ in tone and typical use:

δουλειά
- very common in everyday speech
- can mean “job”, “work”, “task” in a broad sense
- used for both your job (employment) and any kind of work you have to do
εργασία
- more formal/technical
- often used for academic work, projects, official “employment”, legal/administrative contexts
- in speech it can sound more formal or specific

In this everyday-sounding sentence, δουλειά is the most natural choice.
You could say Σήμερα η εργασία μου είναι εύκολη…, but it would feel more formal or like you’re talking about a specific assignment, paper or official task, rather than just “my work” in general.

Why is the conjunction και used between είναι εύκολη and τελειώνει νωρίς? Is it joining adjectives, verbs, or whole clauses?

Here και is linking two predicates (two things that are said about the same subject):

η δουλειά μου
1. είναι εύκολη (is easy)
2. (η δουλειά μου) τελειώνει νωρίς (finishes early)

So και is effectively joining two clauses that share the same subject:

[η δουλειά μου είναι εύκολη] και [τελειώνει νωρίς].

This is very similar to English “My work is easy and finishes early.”