Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά κάθε βράδυ.

I read this text once every evening.

Breakdown of Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά κάθε βράδυ.

• αυτός: this
• διαβάζω: to read
• κάθε βράδυ: every evening
• το κείμενο: the text
• μία φορά: once

Questions & Answers about Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά κάθε βράδυ.

Why is there no separate word for “I” in Διαβάζω?

In Greek, the verb ending usually shows who the subject is, so a separate pronoun is not needed.

• Διαβάζω ends in -ω, which marks 1st person singular (I).
• So Διαβάζω by itself already means “I read / I am reading”.

You only add εγώ (Εγώ διαβάζω…) when you want to emphasize I (e.g. I read it, not someone else).

Does Διαβάζω mean “I read” or “I am reading”?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Greek present tense covers:

• ongoing action right now:
  Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο. = I am reading this text (right now).
• habitual / repeated action:
  With μία φορά κάθε βράδυ, it clearly means a habit:
  Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά κάθε βράδυ. = I read this text once every night.

Greek does not normally use a form like “είμαι διαβάζοντας” for the present continuous the way English does.

Why do we say αυτό το κείμενο and not just αυτό κείμενο?

In Greek, demonstratives like αυτό (this) are normally used together with the definite article:

• Correct: αυτό το κείμενο (this the text)
• Incorrect: ✗ αυτό κείμενο

The usual pattern is:

• αυτό το κείμενο = this text
  (demonstrative + article + noun)

The demonstrative (αυτό) and the article (το) must both agree with κείμενο in gender, number, and case (all three here are neuter singular accusative).

What exactly is the word κείμενο? Is it just “text”?

Yes, κείμενο means “text” in a general sense:

• Any written passage: a paragraph, a short passage in a book, an exercise in a textbook, an article, etc.
• It does not mean a whole “book” (βιβλίο) and it’s more general than “article” (άρθρο).

So αυτό το κείμενο is “this specific piece of writing / this passage.”

What gender and case is το κείμενο here, and why?

• κείμενο is a neuter noun.
• In το κείμενο, το is the neuter singular definite article.
• In the sentence, αυτό το κείμενο is the direct object of Διαβάζω, so it is in the accusative case.

For neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• Nominative: το κείμενο
• Accusative: το κείμενο

So the form doesn’t change, but its function in the sentence is accusative.

What’s the difference between αυτό το κείμενο and το κείμενο αυτό?

Both mean “this text.” The difference is nuance and emphasis:

• αυτό το κείμενο – neutral, very common way to say this text.
• το κείμενο αυτό – a bit more emphatic on αυτό (“this text (as opposed to another)”); slightly more formal or contrastive.

In everyday speech and writing, αυτό το κείμενο is more typical.

Why is it μία φορά and not ένα φορά?

Because φορά (time / occasion) is feminine, and the numeral must agree in gender:

• μία – feminine form of the numeral “one”
• ένα – neuter form

So:

• μία φορά = one time / once
  (not ✗ ένα φορά)

This phrase μία φορά is a very common way to say “once” in Greek.

What’s the difference between μία and μια?

In modern usage:

• μία (with stress) is historically the feminine numeral “one”.
• μια (often written without stress) is historically the indefinite article “a / an” (feminine).

In practice today, especially in everyday writing:

• Many speakers use μια for both meanings.
• You will also see μία used where the “one” sense is emphasized (as in μία φορά = once).

So:

• μία φορά / μια φορά – both very common and usually understood as “once”.
  In careful writing, μία φορά makes the “one time” meaning clearer.

Why do we say κάθε βράδυ with singular βράδυ and not a plural like κάθε βράδια?

With κάθε (every), Greek normally uses the singular:

• κάθε μέρα – every day
• κάθε βράδυ – every night
• κάθε εβδομάδα – every week

So κάθε + singular is the standard pattern for “every …”.
You can see κάθε βράδια in some colloquial or poetic uses, but κάθε βράδυ is the normal, standard form.

Why is βράδυ in the accusative, and how can I tell?

Expressions of time in Greek very often use the accusative case without a preposition to mean “when”:

• κάθε μέρα – every day
• την Τρίτη – on Tuesday
• κάθε βράδυ – every night

So βράδυ here is in the accusative after κάθε.

For neuter nouns like βράδυ, nominative and accusative singular are identical in form:

• Nominative: το βράδυ
• Accusative: το βράδυ

You recognize it as accusative here from its function (time expression) and from the pattern κάθε + accusative.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Διαβάζω μία φορά αυτό το κείμενο κάθε βράδυ?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, especially with adverbials like μία φορά and κάθε βράδυ.

Your original sentence:

• Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά κάθε βράδυ.

Other natural options:

• Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο κάθε βράδυ μία φορά.
• Κάθε βράδυ διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά.
• Μία φορά κάθε βράδυ διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο.

All of these are understandable and correct.
The most neutral and common is very close to the original, with:

• verb → object → frequency phrase → time phrase
  (Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά κάθε βράδυ.)

How do you pronounce Διαβάζω and βράδυ?

Approximate pronunciation:

• Διαβάζω: [ðja-ˈva-zo]

  • δ = th as in this
  • δια- sounds like ðja (similar to “thya”)
  • Stress on the second syllable: δια-βά-ζω

• βράδυ: [ˈvra-ði]

  • β = v
  • δ again = th as in this
  • Stress on the first syllable: βρά-δυ

So the stressed syllables are -βά- in Διαβάζω and βρά- in βράδυ.

Why don’t we use something like είμαι διαβάζοντας to say “I am reading”?

Modern Greek does not form the present continuous with “είμαι + -οντας” the way English uses “be + -ing”.

Instead:

• The simple present Διαβάζω covers both:
  • I read (regularly)
  • I am reading (right now)

To make it clear that it’s right now, you normally rely on context or add an adverb:

• Τώρα διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο. – I am reading this text now.
• Συχνά διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο. – I often read this text.

In your sentence, μία φορά κάθε βράδυ makes it clearly habitual.