Learn Hardcore Greek: Στο ταμείο ο ταμίας βάζει την έκπτωση στον λογαριασμό χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα. - At the checkout the cashier applies the discount to the bill without me doing anything.

If you just said ταμείο on its own, it would sound like a label (“cash desk!”) or a very telegraphic style (e.g. on a sign). As a normal sentence, you need the preposition σε (in/at/to) and the article το.

So Στο ταμείο sets the location: At the checkout…

Why does ο ταμίας have the article ο? In English we just say “cashier” without “the”.

In Greek, singular countable nouns almost always take a definite article when they refer to a specific person/thing in a real situation, including professions and roles:

ο ταμίας = the cashier
η σερβιτόρα = the waitress
ο γιατρός = the doctor

English often leaves the article out in a general description (“At the checkout, the cashier applies the discount” vs “At checkout, cashier applies discount”), but in Greek, ο ταμίας sounds natural and is basically required here.

So the article ο is not “extra”; it’s how Greek normally introduces the subject noun.

Why is βάζει used here? Doesn’t βάζω literally mean “to put”?

Yes, βάζω literally means to put, but it’s also used more broadly like “to apply” or “to add” something:

βάζω αλάτι στο φαγητό = I put/add salt in the food.
βάζω υπογραφή = I sign (literally: I put a signature).
βάζω την έκπτωση στον λογαριασμό = I apply the discount to the bill.

So in this sentence, βάζει την έκπτωση στον λογαριασμό means “(he) applies the discount to the bill,” with βάζει capturing the idea of “putting” the discount onto the total.

Why is it την έκπτωση? What does the form tell me?

έκπτωση (discount) is:

gender: feminine
nominative singular: η έκπτωση
accusative singular: την έκπτωση

In the sentence, την έκπτωση is the direct object of βάζει (what does he put? the discount), so it must be in the accusative case. The article την shows feminine accusative singular and agrees with έκπτωση.

So:

η έκπτωση (subject) → “the discount” (as subject)
την έκπτωση (object) → “the discount” (as object)

Here we need the object form, so την έκπτωση.

What exactly is στον λογαριασμό? Why στον and not σε τον?

στον is the contracted form of σε + τον:

σε = in / at / on / to (very general preposition)
τον = the (masculine accusative singular)

So:

σε τον λογαριασμό → στον λογαριασμό = onto the bill / to the bill / on the bill

Modern Greek doesn’t have a separate dative case like Ancient Greek. Instead, it uses σε + accusative to express “to / in / on / at”. So λογαριασμό is accusative (from ο λογαριασμός).

στον λογαριασμό therefore literally means “to the bill” or “on the bill,” and in this context “on the bill” is the natural English translation.

Could the word order be different, like Ο ταμίας στο ταμείο βάζει την έκπτωση…?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. You could say:

Ο ταμίας στο ταμείο βάζει την έκπτωση στον λογαριασμό…
Ο ταμίας βάζει στο ταμείο την έκπτωση στον λογαριασμό… (less natural here)
Στο ταμείο βάζει ο ταμίας την έκπτωση στον λογαριασμό…

The original Στο ταμείο ο ταμίας… puts the place first for emphasis or scene‑setting: At the checkout, the cashier…

Changing the order usually changes the focus/emphasis slightly but not the basic meaning. The given order is very natural: location → subject → verb → objects.

What does χωρίς να κάνω correspond to in English grammar? Is κάνω an infinitive?

κάνω here is not an infinitive; Greek doesn’t have a separate infinitive form in modern usage.

The structure is:

χωρίς + να + (subjunctive form of the verb)

So να κάνω is a subjunctive-like form, often translated with English to do or doing, depending on the context.

χωρίς να κάνω = without (me) doing / without (me) having to do.

In English:

“without doing anything”
“without me doing anything”

So χωρίς να κάνω is “without me doing,” using να + κάνω to express the action after χωρίς (“without”).

Should there be a negation like μην with κάνω, e.g. χωρίς να μην κάνω?

No. χωρίς already carries a negative meaning (“without”), so you do not add μη(ν) here.

Correct:

χωρίς να κάνω τίποτα = without me doing anything

Incorrect:

✗ χωρίς να μην κάνω τίποτα

Adding μην would be a double negation in the wrong place and is ungrammatical here. The negation is expressed through χωρίς plus the “negative‑polarity” word τίποτα (anything/nothing).

Why is the verb κάνω in the present tense? The whole situation seems like a general rule.

Greek present tense (βάζει, κάνω) covers:

current actions
habitual/general actions
timeless facts

In this sentence, it’s describing a general, habitual situation (what usually happens at the checkout), and the Greek present works perfectly for that.

So:

ο ταμίας βάζει = the cashier puts/applies (generally, whenever this situation arises)
χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα = without me doing anything (in such situations)

English might say “puts” or “will put” in some contexts, but Greek just uses the present.

Why is εγώ placed after κάνω? Could you leave εγώ out?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person:

κάνω already tells you “I do”.

So χωρίς να κάνω τίποτα (without εγώ) is already complete and natural.

Adding εγώ:

χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα

puts extra emphasis on “I”:

without *me doing anything* (the emphasis is “me, personally”).

Position:

χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα is the most natural for contrastive emphasis.
χωρίς εγώ να κάνω τίποτα is possible but sounds a bit more marked/poetic or strongly contrastive.

So yes, you can drop εγώ normally, and when you keep it, its position helps emphasise it.

Why is τίποτα used here, and how does it end up meaning “anything” or “nothing”?

τίποτα is an indefinite pronoun that:

in positive contexts can mean “something (or other)” (informal),
in negative contexts means “anything / nothing”.

With χωρίς (“without”), which is a negative context, τίποτα means anything/nothing:

χωρίς να κάνω τίποτα = without doing anything = doing nothing.

This is similar to English where “anything” often appears in negative contexts and is translated as “τίποτα”:

I don’t see anything. → Δεν βλέπω τίποτα.
Without saying anything. → Χωρίς να πω τίποτα.

Can I change the order inside χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα? For example, χωρίς να κάνω τίποτα εγώ?

Yes, several orders are possible, with small differences in emphasis:

χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα
Neutral/natural way to emphasise I.
χωρίς να κάνω τίποτα εγώ
Emphasises I a bit more at the end; still acceptable.
χωρίς εγώ να κάνω τίποτα
Stronger or more marked focus on I; can sound more contrastive or stylistic.

The most standard-sounding version in everyday speech, if you want to stress that you personally do nothing, is χωρίς να κάνω εγώ τίποτα.

Can you summarise the case and article patterns for the main nouns in this sentence?

Yes, here are the key nouns with their forms in this sentence:

ταμείο
- nominative: το ταμείο (the cash desk)
- here: στο ταμείο = σε + το ταμείο → “at the cash desk” (location, neuter)
ταμίας
- nominative: ο ταμίας (the cashier, masculine)
- here as subject: ο ταμίας βάζει…
έκπτωση
- nominative: η έκπτωση (the discount, feminine)
- accusative: την έκπτωση
- here: βάζει την έκπτωση (direct object)
λογαριασμός
- nominative: ο λογαριασμός (the bill)
- accusative: τον λογαριασμό
- with σε: στον λογαριασμό = σε + τον λογαριασμό → “onto the bill”

All articles agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case, and σε + article contracts to στο / στη(ν) / στον, etc.