Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο.

δουλεύω ends in -ω, which shows 1st person singular = I work / I am working.
If it were δουλεύεις, it would mean you work; δουλεύει means he/she/it works, etc.

So Σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο. already means “Today I am working a lot at the office.” without needing εγώ. You could say Εγώ σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο, but that puts extra emphasis on I (as in “I’m the one who’s working a lot today”).

In English we say “I’m working a lot today”. Why does Greek use the simple present δουλεύω and not some continuous form?

Modern Greek has only one present tense form and it covers both:

English simple present: I work
English present continuous: I am working

So δουλεύω can mean either “I work” or “I’m working”, depending on context and time expressions like σήμερα (today), τώρα (now), etc.

Here, because we have Σήμερα, the natural translation is “Today I’m working a lot at the office.”

What exactly does πολύ mean here, and why does it come after δουλεύω?

In this sentence, πολύ is an adverb meaning “a lot / much” and it modifies the verb δουλεύω:

δουλεύω πολύ = I work a lot / I’m working a lot.

As an adverb, πολύ is invariable (it doesn’t change form for gender, number, or case).

Its usual position is after the verb when it modifies that verb:

δουλεύω πολύ (natural)
πολύ δουλεύω (possible but sounds marked/emphatic, like “I really work a lot / How much I work!”)

Be careful not to confuse it with the adjective forms:

πολύς (masc.), πολλή (fem.), πολύ (neut.) = much / many before nouns, e.g.
- πολλή δουλειά = a lot of work
- πολλά γραφεία = many offices

Here we are not describing a noun; we are describing how much we work, so the adverb πολύ is used.

What does στο mean, and why is it written as one word?

στο is a contraction of the preposition σε + the neuter article το:

σε = in, at, on, to (general preposition of place/direction)
το = the (neuter singular)

So:

σε + το γραφείο → στο γραφείο

This contraction is extremely common and almost always used in speech and writing. Similarly:

σε + τον → στον (masculine)
σε + την → στη(ν) (feminine)

So στο γραφείο literally means “in/at the office”.

Why does Greek say στο γραφείο with “the office”, while in English we often just say “at work”?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English, especially with common places:

στο γραφείο = at the office
στο σχολείο = at (the) school
στο σπίτι = at home / in the house

In English, we sometimes use an article (“at the office”) and sometimes don’t (“at work”, “at school”), but in Greek you normally must have the article: στο γραφείο, not σε γραφείο when you mean your usual workplace.

So even if the natural English translation is “I’m working a lot at work today”, Greek keeps the definite article: στο γραφείο.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Δουλεύω πολύ σήμερα στο γραφείο?

Yes, Greek has fairly flexible word order, and all of these are possible:

Σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο.
Δουλεύω πολύ σήμερα στο γραφείο.
Σήμερα στο γραφείο δουλεύω πολύ.

The basic meaning stays the same: “Today I’m working a lot at the office.”

However, word order affects emphasis:

Starting with Σήμερα emphasizes “today” (as opposed to other days).
Moving σήμερα after the verb (Δουλεύω πολύ σήμερα…) can feel slightly more neutral or conversational.
Putting πολύ right after δουλεύω keeps the strong link “work a lot”.

What you cannot do naturally here is break apart στο γραφείο in a strange way or separate δουλεύω and πολύ with unrelated words in between.

How do you pronounce Σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο?

Here is a simple phonetic guide (using approximate English sounds):

Σήμερα → SEE-me-ra
- Stress on the first syllable (Σήμερα).
δουλεύω → thu-LE-vo
- δ sounds like the th in this; stress on -λεύ-.
πολύ → po-LEE
- Stress on -λύ.
στο → sto (as in stop without the final p).
γραφείο → gra-FEE-o
- Stress on -φεί- (the -φείο part is two syllables: -fee-o).

Overall stress pattern: ΣΗμερα δουΛΕβω ποΛΥ στο γραΦΕΙο.

What gender and case is το γραφείο here, and why does it look the same in different roles?

Γραφείο is a neuter noun. Its nominative and accusative forms are identical in the singular:

Nominative singular: το γραφείο (subject)
Accusative singular: το γραφείο (object / after prepositions)

After most prepositions (like σε), Greek uses the accusative case. So in στο γραφείο, the noun is actually in the accusative:

σε + το (accusative) → στο γραφείο

You don’t see the difference because neuter nominative and accusative are the same in form, but grammatically, this is the accusative.

What’s the difference between δουλεύω and εργάζομαι for “to work”? Could I say Σήμερα εργάζομαι πολύ στο γραφείο?

Both verbs mean “to work”, but they differ in style and usage:

δουλεύω is everyday, neutral, very common.
εργάζομαι is more formal / official, often used in written language, CVs, job descriptions, news, etc.

So:

Σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο. → very natural, everyday speech.
Σήμερα εργάζομαι πολύ στο γραφείο. → grammatically correct but sounds more formal or “bookish” in casual conversation.

For normal spoken Greek, δουλεύω is the default choice.

Could I say στο δουλειά instead of στο γραφείο to mean “at work”?

No, στο δουλειά is incorrect for two reasons:

δουλειά is feminine, so it needs the feminine article:
- στη δουλειά, not στο δουλειά.
δουλειά means “work / job”, while γραφείο is specifically “office”.

So:

στο γραφείο = at the office (literally the physical office space).
στη δουλειά = at work (more about being at your job, not necessarily in an office).

Both are common, but in your sentence, the given version is στο γραφείο.

What’s the difference between πολύ and πάρα πολύ in sentences like this?

Both are adverbs of degree, but πάρα πολύ is stronger:

δουλεύω πολύ = I work a lot / I work much / I’m working a lot.
δουλεύω πάρα πολύ = I work *too much / I work an awful lot / I’m working a huge amount.*

In your sentence:

Σήμερα δουλεύω πολύ στο γραφείο. = Today I’m working a lot at the office.
Σήμερα δουλεύω πάρα πολύ στο γραφείο. = Today I’m working far too much / an excessive amount at the office.

So πάρα πολύ adds the feeling of “very, very much / too much.”