Learn Hardcore Greek: Μήπως έχεις λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα; - Do you have a little time this afternoon, by any chance?

Έχεις λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;
= Do you have some time this afternoon? (fairly direct)
Μήπως έχεις λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;
= Do you perhaps / by any chance have some time this afternoon?
This sounds more tentative, more polite, less demanding. It suggests:
- You’re not assuming they are free.
- It’s okay if the answer is no.

It’s a common way in Greek to make requests sound more polite or less pushy.

Where does μήπως usually go in the sentence? Can I move it around?

In everyday speech, μήπως most commonly appears at the beginning:

Μήπως έχεις λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;

But it can also appear after the verb or later in the sentence, especially in spoken Greek:

Έχεις μήπως λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;
Σήμερα το απόγευμα, μήπως έχεις λίγο χρόνο;

All of these are grammatical. Moving μήπως mainly affects rhythm and slight emphasis, not the basic meaning. Sentence‑initial μήπως is the most neutral and common way to say it.

Why is it λίγο χρόνο and not something like λίγη χρόνος? What’s going on grammatically?

Two things are happening:

Case of the noun
- The basic form (nominative) is ο χρόνος (time, masculine).
- In this sentence, χρόνο is in the accusative singular, because it’s the direct object of the verb έχεις:
  - (εσύ) έχεις (τι;) λίγο χρόνο.
    (you have what? a little time)
So we say λίγο χρόνο, not λίγος χρόνος.
Agreement with the adjective
- λίγος (a little, few) is an adjective.
- It must agree with χρόνος in gender, number, and case.
- Accusative masculine singular of λίγος is λίγο.
- Accusative masculine singular of χρόνος is χρόνο.
Therefore: λίγο χρόνο = a little time / some time.

Χρόνος here is used as a mass/uncountable concept (like “time” in English), not as a countable number of times.

Could I say κάποιο χρόνο instead of λίγο χρόνο? Is there a difference?

You could say κάποιο χρόνο, but here it would sound unusual or too formal/literary.

Typical options are:

λίγο χρόνο = a little time / some time (most natural here)
καθόλου χρόνο = any time (in negatives)
- Δεν έχω καθόλου χρόνο. = I don’t have any time.

Κάποιο χρόνο is more commonly used in contexts like:

Έζησε κάποιο χρόνο στην Ελλάδα.
= He/She lived in Greece for some time.

In your sentence, λίγο χρόνο is the natural, everyday choice.

Why do we say σήμερα το απόγευμα? Isn’t το απόγευμα already “this afternoon”?

Το απόγευμα by itself means “the afternoon”, but in everyday Greek it often functions like “this afternoon / in the afternoon”, depending on context.

Σήμερα το απόγευμα literally: today the afternoon
Natural translation: this afternoon.

You can say just το απόγευμα if the day is already clear from context, for example:

Θα σε πάρω τηλέφωνο το απόγευμα.
= I’ll call you this afternoon.

Adding σήμερα makes it explicit that you mean today, not another day’s afternoon. It’s very common and sounds natural, not redundant.

What is the role of το in το απόγευμα? Do I always need the article with parts of the day?

Το is the definite article (the).

Greek often uses the definite article with parts of the day when referring to them in a general time‑of‑day sense:

το πρωί = (in) the morning
το μεσημέρι = (at) noon / lunchtime
το απόγευμα = (in) the afternoon
το βράδυ = (in) the evening / at night

So σήμερα το απόγευμα follows this pattern. Omitting the article here (σήμερα απόγευμα) would usually sound odd or foreign in standard modern Greek. In most time expressions with parts of the day, you should include the article.

Is this sentence formal or informal? How would I say it politely to someone I don’t know well?

As written, it is informal, because έχεις is the 2nd person singular (talking to one person you know well: friend, family, colleague you’re close to).

For a polite or formal version (talking to a stranger, a superior, or a group), you should use έχετε:

Μήπως έχετε λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;
= Do you perhaps have some time this afternoon? (formal / plural “you”)

So:

Informal: Μήπως έχεις λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;
Formal or plural: Μήπως έχετε λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;

Why is the verb έχεις here? In English we might say “Are you free this afternoon?”. Is “to have time” the normal way in Greek?

Yes, using “to have time” with χρόνος is very common and natural in Greek for this idea:

Έχεις λίγο χρόνο; = Do you have a bit of time?
Δεν έχω χρόνο. = I don’t have time.

There are also other common ways to ask if someone is free:

Είσαι ελεύθερος / ελεύθερη σήμερα το απόγευμα;
= Are you free this afternoon?
Μπορείς σήμερα το απόγευμα;
= Can you (make it) this afternoon?
Είσαι καθόλου διαθέσιμος / διαθέσιμη σήμερα το απόγευμα;
= Are you available at all this afternoon?

But Έχεις λίγο χρόνο…; (with or without μήπως) is very standard and polite.

How would I pronounce Μήπως έχεις λίγο χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα; and where is the main stress?

Each Greek word has one main stressed syllable (marked by the accent in writing):

ΜΉ-πως (Μήπως)
Έ-χεις (έχεις)
ΛÍ-γο (λίγο)
ΧΡÓ-νο (χρόνο)
ΣÍ-με-ρα (σήμερα)
το
α-ΠÓ-γευ-μα (απόγευμα)

In natural speech:

The overall intonation rises toward the end because it’s a yes/no question.
You don’t pause much between the words; it flows as one phrase:
- ΜΗπως ΕΧεις ΛΙγο ΧΡΟνο ΣΗμερα το απΟΓΕυμα;

Make sure to clearly stress the syllables with accents: ΜΗ‑, Ε‑, ΛΙ‑, ΧΡΟ‑, ΣΗ‑, ‑ΠΟ‑.

Could I also say Μήπως έχεις καθόλου χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα;? How does that differ from λίγο χρόνο?

Yes, Μήπως έχεις καθόλου χρόνο σήμερα το απόγευμα; is also possible and natural.

Nuance:

λίγο χρόνο = a bit of time / some time
Suggests you hope they can spare at least a small amount.
καθόλου χρόνο in questions = roughly “any time at all”
It sounds more open‑ended and sometimes a bit more desperate or uncertain:
- Μήπως έχεις καθόλου χρόνο…; = Do you have any time at all…?

Both are polite, but λίγο χρόνο is slightly more neutral and is very common for friendly requests.