Λόγω δουλειάς αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου.

Because of work I am postponing today’s meeting with my friend.

Breakdown of Λόγω δουλειάς αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου.

• η δουλειά: the work
• η φίλη: the female friend
• μου: my
• με: with
• η συνάντηση: the meeting
• λόγω: because of
• σημερινός: today’s
• αναβάλλω: to postpone

Questions & Answers about Λόγω δουλειάς αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου.

Why is δουλειάς in the genitive case after Λόγω?

Λόγω is a preposition-like word that means “because of / due to” and it always takes the genitive case.

• δουλειά (work) – nominative singular
• δουλειάς – genitive singular

So Λόγω δουλειάς literally means “because of work” (work = the cause), and Greek shows that “cause” relationship by using the genitive.

You will usually see:

• Λόγω + [noun in genitive]
  
  • Λόγω βροχής = because of rain
  • Λόγω κούρασης = because of tiredness

Why is there no article with δουλειάς? Could I say Λόγω της δουλειάς?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

• Λόγω δουλειάς
  
  • More general, like “because of work” in general / work-related reasons.
• Λόγω της δουλειάς
  
  • More specific: “because of the work” / “because of my job”, referring to some particular, known work situation.

In everyday speech, Λόγω δουλειάς (without article) is extremely common and sounds very natural for “because of work” as a general excuse.

What exactly does Λόγω δουλειάς mean compared to επειδή δουλεύω or εξαιτίας της δουλειάς?

All three can express a reason, but there are differences:

• Λόγω δουλειάς = “because of work / due to work”
  
  • Very common, neutral, sounds a bit compact and slightly more formal than a full clause.
• επειδή δουλεύω = “because I am working”
  
  • Full clause with a verb (δουλεύω), more explicit about the fact that I am working.
• εξαιτίας της δουλειάς = “because of the work / on account of the work”
  
  • Often feels a bit heavier or more negative/strong, especially εξαιτίας.

In your sentence, Λόγω δουλειάς is the most natural way to say “because of work” as a short, standard explanation.

Why is the verb αναβάλλω in the present tense if this is about a future meeting?

Greek often uses the present tense for decisions about the near future, similar to English:

• English: “I’m cancelling / I’m postponing tonight’s meeting.”
• Greek: Αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση.

Here αναβάλλω can mean:

• “I (now) decide and announce that I’m postponing it.”
• Implies the future consequence (the meeting will not take place as planned).

You could also use the future:

• Θα αναβάλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση. = I will postpone today’s meeting.

But in a message or call explaining what you’re doing now, the simple present αναβάλλω feels very natural.

What is the difference between αναβάλλω and ακυρώνω?

They are not the same:

• αναβάλλω = to postpone, to put off to a later time
  
  • The event is moved to another time (at least in theory).
  • Αναβάλλω το ραντεβού. = I’m postponing the appointment.
• ακυρώνω = to cancel
  
  • The event is completely called off.
  • Ακυρώνω το ραντεβού. = I’m cancelling the appointment (it will not happen).

So in your sentence, αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση clearly means the meeting is being postponed, not definitively cancelled.

Why is it written τη σημερινή and not την σημερινή?

The full form of the feminine accusative article is την, but in modern Greek the ν is often dropped before most consonants in everyday writing and always in speech (unless we need it for sound clarity).

So:

• την σημερινή συνάντηση → usually τη σημερινή συνάντηση

Basic modern rule (in practice):

• Keep ν (write την) usually:
  • before vowels: την ώρα
  • and often before κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ (for clearer pronunciation).
• Otherwise, many people write simply τη.

In your sentence, both τη σημερινή συνάντηση and την σημερινή συνάντηση are acceptable; τη is very common in casual writing.

Why does σημερινή end in -ή?

Σημερινή is an adjective meaning “today’s / of today” and it has to agree with the noun συνάντηση in:

• Gender: feminine
• Number: singular
• Case: accusative

The pattern is:

• Masculine: σημερινός (ο σημερινός αγώνας)
• Feminine: σημερινή (η σημερινή συνάντηση)
• Neuter: σημερινό (το σημερινό μάθημα)

In your sentence, τη σημερινή συνάντηση = “today’s meeting”, with σημερινή in the feminine singular accusative to match συνάντηση (also feminine, singular, accusative).

Why is it τη σημερινή συνάντηση and not η σημερινή συνάντηση?

Because τη is the accusative form of the article η.

• η σημερινή συνάντηση = subject (nominative)
  
  • “Today’s meeting (is at 5).”
• τη σημερινή συνάντηση = object (accusative)
  
  • “I postpone today’s meeting.”

In your sentence, τη σημερινή συνάντηση is the direct object of the verb αναβάλλω, so it needs the accusative form τη.

Why is it με τη φίλη μου? Which case is φίλη here?

The preposition με (“with”) in modern Greek always takes the accusative case.

The noun φίλη (female friend) is a feminine noun with:

• Nominative: η φίλη
• Accusative: τη φίλη

After με, we therefore use the accusative:

• με τη φίλη μου = with my (female) friend

Note that the form of the noun φίλη is the same in nominative and accusative; the article changes:

• Subject: Η φίλη μου έρχεται. = My friend is coming.
• Object / after a preposition: Πάω για καφέ με τη φίλη μου. = I’m going for coffee with my friend.

So here φίλη is accusative singular, even though it looks like the nominative.

Why is φίλη used instead of φίλο?

Greek marks the gender of the friend:

• ο φίλος (masculine) – male friend
• η φίλη (feminine) – female friend

In your sentence, τη φίλη μου clearly refers to a female friend. If you wanted to refer to a male friend, you would say:

• με τον φίλο μου = with my (male) friend

So φίλη is chosen because the friend is female.

Why does μου come after φίλη instead of before it?

Μου here is a weak (clitic) possessive pronoun meaning “my”. In Greek, this type of possessive normally comes after the noun (and article):

• η φίλη μου = my friend
• το βιβλίο μου = my book
• η δουλειά μου = my job

You do not say μου φίλη in standard Greek for “my friend”, unlike English where “my” comes before the noun. The usual pattern is:

• [article] + [noun] + [μου / σου / του / της / μας / σας / τους]

In your sentence: τη φίλη μου = “my friend” in the object (accusative) form.

Why is there no εγώ in the sentence? How do we know it means “I postpone…”?

Greek is a “pro-drop” language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός, etc.) are normally omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

The verb αναβάλλω is:

• 1st person singular: (εγώ) αναβάλλω = I postpone
• 2nd person singular: (εσύ) αναβάλλεις = you postpone
• 3rd person singular: (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) αναβάλλει = he/she/it postpones

Since the verb form is αναβάλλω, we automatically understand “I postpone / I’m postponing”, even without εγώ.

You would only add εγώ for emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ αναβάλλω τη συνάντηση, όχι εσύ.
  = I am postponing the meeting, not you.

Can I change the word order, e.g. say Αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση λόγω δουλειάς?

Yes, word order in Greek is relatively flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like Λόγω δουλειάς.

Some natural variants:

• Λόγω δουλειάς αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου.
• Αναβάλλω, λόγω δουλειάς, τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου.
• Αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου λόγω δουλειάς.

Differences are mainly in emphasis:

• Starting with Λόγω δουλειάς emphasizes the reason.
• Ending with λόγω δουλειάς can feel like adding the reason after stating the action.

All of these are grammatically correct and natural.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it be okay in a message to a friend?

The sentence is neutral in register and completely fine for both informal and semi-formal use.

• To a friend: very natural, clear Greek.
• In a polite email: still acceptable, though in a more formal work email you might slightly expand it, e.g.
  
  • Λόγω δουλειάς, θα πρέπει να αναβάλω τη σημερινή μας συνάντηση.

As written, Λόγω δουλειάς αναβάλλω τη σημερινή συνάντηση με τη φίλη μου. is a standard, natural sentence you can safely use in everyday life.