Κάθε πρωί στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου πριν πιω καφέ.

the coffee

Breakdown of Κάθε πρωί στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου πριν πιω καφέ.

• πίνω: to drink
• μου: my
• πριν: before
• κάθε πρωί: every morning
• στρώνω το κρεβάτι: to make the bed

Questions & Answers about Κάθε πρωί στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου πριν πιω καφέ.

What is the literal meaning of στρώνω, and is it the normal way to say “make the bed” in Greek?

Στρώνω literally means “to spread / lay out / arrange (a surface)”.

Common uses:

• στρώνω το κρεβάτι = I make the bed
• στρώνω το τραπέζι = I lay/set the table
• στρώνω χαλί = I lay a carpet

So στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου is the standard, natural way to say “I make my bed” in Greek.

Why is it το κρεβάτι μου and not μου το κρεβάτι?

In Greek, the unstressed possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun they belong to:

• το κρεβάτι μου = my bed
• το βιβλίο σου = your book
• το σπίτι μας = our house

This is the neutral and most common order.

You can sometimes see μου το κρεβάτι, but that is:

• less common, and
• used mostly for emphasis or in more expressive / poetic language.

So in everyday speech, you should stick with το κρεβάτι μου.

What tense and person is στρώνω, and how would I translate it?

Στρώνω is:

• Present tense
• 1st person singular
• Indicative mood
• From the verb στρώνω (to make/lay/spread).

So στρώνω = “I make / I am making / I do make” (depending on context, English normally just uses “I make” here).

In the sentence:

• Κάθε πρωί στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου = Every morning I make my bed.

What is the function of κάθε in κάθε πρωί?

Κάθε means “every / each”.

• πρωί = morning
• κάθε πρωί = every morning

It’s used with singular time words to express regular habits:

• κάθε μέρα = every day
• κάθε βράδυ = every evening
• κάθε Σάββατο = every Saturday

So κάθε πρωί tells us this is a habitual action (a routine).

Could I put κάθε πρωί somewhere else in the sentence, like at the end?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are grammatical:

• Κάθε πρωί στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου πριν πιω καφέ.
• Στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου κάθε πρωί πριν πιω καφέ.
• Στρώνω κάθε πρωί το κρεβάτι μου πριν πιω καφέ.

Differences:

• Putting κάθε πρωί at the beginning slightly emphasizes the time (“As for every morning, here’s what I do…”).
• Inside the sentence (στρώνω κάθε πρωί το κρεβάτι μου) sounds a bit more neutral.

All are natural; context and rhythm decide which sounds better.

Why is it πριν πιω καφέ and not πριν πίνω καφέ?

Greek uses different aspects:

• πίνω = present tense, imperfective aspect (ongoing, repeated)
• πιω = aorist, perfective aspect (a single, complete event)

After πριν (before), when it is followed by a verb, Greek normally uses the aorist subjunctive for a single event that happens once before something else:

• πριν πιω καφέ = before I (have) a coffee / before I drink (a coffee)

Using πριν πίνω καφέ would suggest an ongoing or repeated action at the same time, and is usually wrong or very marked here. For normal “before I do X” in a routine, you want πριν + aorist subjunctive → πριν πιω.

What exactly is πιω? Which tense/mood/person is it?

Πιω is:

• Aorist subjunctive
• 1st person singular
• From the verb πίνω (to drink).

Base forms:

• πίνω = present, indicative (“I drink / I am drinking”)
• πιω = aorist, subjunctive (“(that) I drink / I have a drink (once)”)

You see πιω after:

• να: να πιω (to drink / so that I drink)
• πριν: πριν πιω (before I drink)
• όταν (for future/one-time events): όταν πιω (when I drink (that time))

Why isn’t there an article before καφέ? Why not πριν πιω τον καφέ?

In Greek, many mass nouns or uncountable / “any” type objects can appear without an article.

• πίνω καφέ = I drink coffee / I have (some) coffee
• πίνω τον καφέ = I drink the coffee (a specific one already known or mentioned)

In πριν πιω καφέ, the speaker means “before I have (any) coffee” in general, so the article is omitted.

If they said:

• πριν πιω τον καφέ
  this would sound like a specific coffee: “before I drink that particular coffee” (e.g. the one on the table).

What is the grammatical form of το κρεβάτι?

Το κρεβάτι is:

• Neuter gender
• Singular
• Accusative case
• With the definite article το

Breakdown:

• το = the (neuter, singular, nominative/accusative)
• κρεβάτι = bed

In the sentence, το κρεβάτι μου is the direct object of the verb στρώνω (What do I make? My bed).

Is μου a separate word or like a suffix? How should I think of it?

Μου is a separate word, but it’s unstressed and behaves like an enclitic (it “leans” on the previous word).

Function:

• It’s the 1st person singular possessive pronoun = my.

Typical pattern:

• το κρεβάτι μου = my bed
• το σπίτι μου = my house
• η τσάντα μου = my bag

So you can think of it as a short, unstressed word that normally comes right after the noun it belongs to.

Can I add να and say πριν να πιω καφέ? Is that correct?

Yes, you will hear πριν να πιω καφέ in colloquial spoken Greek, and many speakers use it naturally.

However:

• More standard / formal Greek prefers πριν πιω καφέ (without να).
• Grammars often recommend dropping να after πριν when followed by a verb.

So:

• πριν πιω καφέ = safest, standard, and correct everywhere
• πριν να πιω καφέ = common in speech, but less preferred in formal writing.

Is the subject of both verbs στρώνω and πιω the same person?

Yes. The implied subject “I” (1st person singular) is the same for both:

• (Εγώ) στρώνω το κρεβάτι μου = I make my bed
• πριν (εγώ) πιω καφέ = before I drink coffee

In Greek, the subject pronoun εγώ is usually dropped because the verb ending -ω already shows the person and number.

Can you give me a word-for-word breakdown of the whole sentence?

Κάθε = every
πρωί = morning

στρώνω = I make / I spread / I arrange

το = the (neuter, singular)
κρεβάτι = bed
μου = my

πριν = before
πιω = (that) I drink (aorist subjunctive)
καφέ = coffee

So structurally:
Every morning I-make the bed my before (that)-I-drink coffee.
→ Natural English: Every morning I make my bed before I drink coffee.

Could I say this in the past, like “Every morning I used to make my bed before I drank coffee”? How would that look?

Yes. You would mainly change στρώνω to the imperfect:

• Κάθε πρωί έστρωνα το κρεβάτι μου πριν πιω καφέ.

Notes:

• έστρωνα = I used to make / I was making (imperfect, repeated habit in the past).
• πριν πιω καφέ stays with πιω (aorist subjunctive) even though the main verb is in the past; Greek often keeps that pattern after πριν.

Meaning:
Every morning I used to make my bed before I had coffee.