Learn Hardcore Greek: Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου είναι στο γραφείο, αλλά κάπου μέσα στη μέρα βρίσκω χρόνο για ελληνικά. - My permanent job is at the office, but somewhere during the day I find time for Greek.

Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου = literally the permanent job of mine = my permanent job.
Leaving out the article (Μόνιμη δουλειά μου) is possible only in very specific, usually poetic, headline, or very informal note-like contexts. In normal speech and writing, it sounds incomplete or stylistically marked.

So: when you say my X in Greek, the standard structure is:

ο/η/το + noun + μου
η δουλειά μου, το σπίτι μου, ο φίλος μου

Why is the possessive μου after δουλειά instead of before it, like English my job?

Greek uses a clitic possessive pronoun that typically comes after the noun:

η δουλειά μου = my job
το βιβλίο σου = your book
ο φίλος του = his friend

You can say η δική μου δουλειά for emphasis (literally the own my job → my own job / my job in particular), but the neutral way is:

article + noun + possessive clitic
η μόνιμη δουλειά μου = my permanent job

Could I say Η μόνιμη μου δουλειά instead of Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου?

Yes, η μόνιμη μου δουλειά is also grammatically correct, but the default, most neutral order is:

η μόνιμη δουλειά μου

When you place μου between the adjective and the noun (η μόνιμη μου δουλειά), it often adds a slight emphasis on μου, like:

η μόνιμη δουλειά μου → just a normal statement: my permanent job
η μόνιμη μου δουλειά → feels a bit more like my permanent job (as opposed to someone else’s or some other job).

In everyday speech, people mostly say η μόνιμη δουλειά μου unless they want that nuance.

What is the difference between δουλειά and εργασία?

Both can mean work or job, but they differ in tone:

δουλειά
- Very common, everyday, colloquial.
- Means job, work, task, depending on context.
- Used in speech most of the time.
- Example: Έχω πολλή δουλειά. = I have a lot of work.
εργασία
- More formal, often written language.
- Used in official/legal/academic contexts or for assignment:
  - σύμβαση εργασίας = employment contract
  - σχολική εργασία = school assignment

In Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου..., δουλειά is perfectly natural and conversational.

Why is it είναι στο γραφείο and not είναι σε γραφείο?

The article changes the meaning:

στο γραφείο = σε + το γραφείο = at the office / in the office (a specific, known office, usually my/the usual workplace).
σε γραφείο (without article) would mean in an office (any office, non-specific), which is much less natural here.

In this context, the speaker is talking about their regular workplace, so Greek uses the definite article:

είναι στο γραφείο = is at the office (where I work)

What exactly does κάπου μέσα στη μέρα mean, literally and idiomatically?

Literally:

κάπου = somewhere / at some point
μέσα = inside
στη μέρα = σε + τη μέρα = in the day

So word-for-word: somewhere inside in-the-day.

Idiomatic meaning:
κάπου μέσα στη μέρα = at some point during the day.

It’s a natural, colloquial way to say “sometime in the course of the day”, without specifying exactly when.

Why do we write στη μέρα and not σε τη μέρα?

στη is the contracted form of σε + τη:

σε + τη μέρα → στη μέρα
σε + τον μήνα → στον μήνα
σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι

Greek normally contracts σε + definite article in speech and writing. The full, uncontracted version (σε τη μέρα) is technically understandable, but sounds unnatural in modern Greek outside of specific emphatic or poetic contexts.

What is the difference between μέρα and ημέρα?

They both mean day, but:

μέρα
- Colloquial, everyday form.
- Most common in spoken Greek.
- Used in this sentence: μέσα στη μέρα.
ημέρα
- More formal or standard; used in writing, official language, fixed expressions:
  - καλημέρα (good morning) – here you hear the ημέρα part historically
  - ημερομηνία (date)
  - εργάσιμη ημέρα (working day)

You could say μέσα στην ημέρα as well, but in casual speech μέσα στη μέρα is more natural.

How should I understand βρίσκω χρόνο? Is it literally “I find time”?

Yes, βρίσκω χρόνο literally means I find time and it’s used in Greek just like in English:

κάπου μέσα στη μέρα βρίσκω χρόνο για ελληνικά
= at some point during the day I find time for Greek.

Other examples:

Δε βρίσκω χρόνο για γυμναστήριο. = I can’t find time for the gym.
Βρίσκεις λίγο χρόνο να μιλήσουμε; = Can you find some time for us to talk?

It’s present tense, describing a regular / habitual action.

Why is it για ελληνικά and not something like για την ελληνική γλώσσα?

Greek often uses the neuter plural of adjectives as nouns to refer to languages:

τα ελληνικά = (the) Greek (language)
τα αγγλικά = English
τα γαλλικά = French

In this sentence we have:

για ελληνικά = for Greek (as an activity: studying/doing Greek).

You could say για τα ελληνικά, which sounds a bit more specific (for my Greek [studies]), or the more formal για την ελληνική γλώσσα, but:

για ελληνικά is short, casual, and very common in speech when you mean time to study/do Greek.

Why is there no article in για ελληνικά, but earlier we had η μόνιμη δουλειά μου, στο γραφείο, στη μέρα with articles?

Articles with languages are flexible in Greek:

Both μαθαίνω ελληνικά and μαθαίνω τα ελληνικά are possible.
Without the article, it often feels a bit more general or activity-like:
- μαθαίνω ελληνικά = I’m learning Greek (language/activity).
- μαθαίνω τα ελληνικά = I’m learning the Greek (language) – also fine, but sometimes a bit more specific or school-like.

In βρίσκω χρόνο για ελληνικά, the article is not needed and the bare form ελληνικά sounds very natural, like time for Greek (study/practice) as a general activity.

What is the role of αλλά here, and do we always put a comma before it?

αλλά means but, introducing a contrast:

Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου είναι στο γραφείο, αλλά κάπου μέσα στη μέρα...
= My permanent job is at the office, but at some point during the day...

About the comma:

In most cases, you do put a comma before αλλά when it links two clauses, similar to English , but:
- Θέλω να έρθω, αλλά δεν μπορώ.
Without the comma is sometimes seen in shorter sentences, but using it is standard punctuation and clearer.

So in this sentence, the comma before αλλά is correct and normal.

Can you break down the word order of the whole sentence and map it to English?

Greek:
Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου είναι στο γραφείο, αλλά κάπου μέσα στη μέρα βρίσκω χρόνο για ελληνικά.

Rough structure:

Η μόνιμη δουλειά μου
- the permanent job my
- = my permanent job (subject)
είναι στο γραφείο
- is at-the office
- = is at the office (predicate)
αλλά
- but
κάπου μέσα στη μέρα
- somewhere inside in-the day
- = at some point during the day (adverbial phrase of time)
βρίσκω χρόνο
- I-find time
- = I find time (verb + object)
για ελληνικά
- for Greek (language)
- = for Greek

So, word-by-word it’s close to:

The permanent job my is at-the office, but somewhere inside in-the day I-find time for Greek.

Which corresponds to natural English:

My permanent job is at the office, but at some point during the day I find time for Greek.