Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.

I go to Greece every year.

Breakdown of Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.

• πάω: to go
• σε: to
• η Ελλάδα: Greece
• κάθε χρόνο: every year

Questions & Answers about Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.

What exactly is στην, and why is it written that way instead of σε την?

Στην is a contraction of the preposition σε + the feminine definite article την.

• σε = to, in, at
• την = the (feminine, singular, accusative)
• σε + την Ελλάδα → στην Ελλάδα

In modern Greek, these combinations are almost always contracted in writing and speech:

• σε + την → στην
• σε + τη → στη
• σε + τον → στον
• σε + το → στο

You keep the final -ν of στην when the next word begins with:

• a vowel (like Ελλάδα),
• or certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ).

So here, because Ελλάδα starts with a vowel, you must write στην Ελλάδα.

Why doesn’t Ελλάδα have its own article η in this sentence?

It does have an article; it’s just already included in στην:

• Basic form: η Ελλάδα = Greece (as a subject)
• With σε + την: σε την Ελλάδα → στην Ελλάδα = to (the) Greece / in Greece

So you don’t say στην η Ελλάδα; that would be like saying “to the the Greece.”

Examples:

• Η Ελλάδα είναι όμορφη. – Greece is beautiful. (subject, nominative)
• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα. – I go to Greece. (object of motion, accusative)

Why is the verb in the present tense πηγαίνω here? Does it mean “I go” or “I am going”?

Greek has just one present tense form for what English expresses as both:

• I go (simple present, habitual)
• I am going (present continuous, right now / around now)

Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο uses the present to express a habitual action:

• Πηγαίνω = I go / I am going
• With κάθε χρόνο (every year), the meaning is clearly habitual: I go (there) every year.

Context tells you whether it’s habitual or happening now:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα τώρα. – I’m going to Greece now.
• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο. – I go to Greece every year.

What’s the difference between πηγαίνω and πάω? Could I say Πάω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο?

Yes, you can say:

• Πάω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.

Differences:

• πηγαίνω
  • Slightly more “full” / neutral form.
  • Very common in spoken and written Greek.
• πάω
  • Shorter, very common in everyday speech.
  • Often feels a bit more colloquial or casual, but still perfectly correct.

In a sentence like this, they’re interchangeable:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.
• Πάω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.

Both sound natural.

How is πηγαίνω conjugated in the present tense, and what is its simple past?

Present tense of πηγαίνω (to go):

• εγώ πηγαίνω – I go
• εσύ πηγαίνεις – you go (singular)
• αυτός/αυτή/αυτό πηγαίνει – he/she/it goes
• εμείς πηγαίνουμε – we go
• εσείς πηγαίνετε – you go (plural / formal)
• αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά πηγαίνουν(ε) – they go

Simple past (aorist) is from πάω: πήγα:

• πήγα – I went
• πήγες – you went
• πήγε – he/she/it went
• πήγαμε – we went
• πήγατε – you went (pl./formal)
• πήγαν(ε) – they went

So you can say:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο. – I go to Greece every year.
• Πήγα στην Ελλάδα πέρυσι. – I went to Greece last year.

Why is there no εγώ in the sentence? Is the subject pronoun missing?

In Greek, subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending shows the person:

• πηγαίνω already tells you it’s I (first person singular).

So:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο. = I go to Greece every year.

You add εγώ only for emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο, αλλά ο αδερφός μου ποτέ.
  • I go to Greece every year, but my brother never does.

Can the word order change? For example, is Κάθε χρόνο πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα also correct?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible, and these are all correct:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.
• Κάθε χρόνο πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα.
• Στην Ελλάδα πηγαίνω κάθε χρόνο.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes slightly:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.
  Neutral; slight focus on “every year” at the end.
• Κάθε χρόνο πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα.
  Emphasizes the frequency “every year.”
• Στην Ελλάδα πηγαίνω κάθε χρόνο.
  Emphasizes the destination “to Greece” (as opposed to somewhere else).

What does κάθε mean exactly, and why is χρόνο singular and not plural?

κάθε means each / every and it is followed by a singular noun, normally in the accusative:

• κάθε μέρα – every day
• κάθε εβδομάδα – every week
• κάθε χρόνο – every year

So:

• χρόνος = year (masculine, nominative singular)
• χρόνο = year (masculine, accusative singular)

After κάθε, you use the singular χρόνο, not a plural:

• ✅ κάθε χρόνο – every year
• ❌ κάθε χρόνια (ungrammatical in standard Greek)

You may also hear:

• κάθε χρονιά – also “every year,” a bit more colloquial / emotional, often about a specific cycle (school year, football season, etc.).

Which case is Ελλάδα in here, and why does it look the same as the subject form?

In Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα, Ελλάδα is in the accusative case, because it’s the destination (object of motion).

Feminine nouns ending in -α often have the same form in nominative and accusative:

• η Ελλάδα – Greece (nominative, subject)
• την Ελλάδα – Greece (accusative, object)

You see the case change in the article, not in the noun:

• Η Ελλάδα είναι όμορφη. – Greece is beautiful. (nominative)
• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα. – I go to Greece. (accusative)

How do you pronounce Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο?

Approximate pronunciation (standard Greek):

• Πηγαίνω → [piˈʝeno]
  • η = [i] (like ee in see)
  • γ before ε/αι/η/ι/ει/οι = [ʝ], somewhat like the y in you but voiced and fricative
  • Stress on -γαί-: πηγαίνω
• στην → [stin]
  • Sounds like steen
• Ελλάδα → [eˈlaða]
  • λλ is just a single [l] sound
  • δ = [ð], like English th in this
  • Stress on -λά-: Ελάδα
• κάθε → [ˈkaθe]
  • θ = [θ], like English th in think
  • Stress on κά: κάθε
• χρόνο → [ˈxrono]
  • χ = , like a strong h or the ch in German Bach
  • Stress on χρό: χρόνο

Full sentence:
[piˈʝeno stin eˈlaða ˈkaθe ˈxrono]

Is this sentence formal or informal? Is it natural in everyday speech?

The sentence:

• Πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο.

is completely natural and neutral. You can use it:

• in everyday casual conversation,
• in more formal settings,
• in spoken or written Greek.

In very casual speech, many people might prefer Πάω στην Ελλάδα κάθε χρόνο, but both πηγαίνω and πάω sound normal and idiomatic.