Learn Hardcore Greek: Σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι και πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο. - I turn off the light in the living room and go to the bedroom.

In the sentence, το φως is the direct object of σβήνω, so it’s in the accusative singular neuter, which looks the same as the nominative:

(Εγώ) σβήνω τι; → το φως.

Some key points:

It’s neuter, not feminine or masculine, so not *η φως or *ο φως, but το φως.
If it were plural (lights), it would be τα φώτα (accent shifts):
- Sing.: το φως – the light
- Pl.: τα φώτα – the lights

Why do we use the definite article at all — why “the light” and not just “light”?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.

In this sentence, we’re talking about a specific light (the main light in the living room), so Greek uses the definite article just like English does in “I turn off *the light in the living room.”*

More generally in Greek:

You almost always use an article with countable nouns when they’re specific:
- Πού είναι το βιβλίο; – Where is the book?
Greek even uses the definite article in some places where English wouldn’t:
- Μου αρέσει ο καφές. – I like coffee.

Here, το φως is that particular light, so the definite article το is natural and required.

What is στο in στο σαλόνι? Is it one word or two?

Στο is a contraction of the preposition σε and the definite article το:

σε + το = στο

Σε roughly corresponds to in/on/at/to, depending on context. With neuter singular nouns like σαλόνι, you get:

σε το σαλόνι → στο σαλόνι – in the living room

Other common contractions:

σε + τον = στον (masculine)
- στον κήπο – in the garden
σε + την = στην (feminine)
- στην κουζίνα – in the kitchen
σε + τα = στα (neuter plural)
- στα δωμάτια – in the rooms

You almost always use the contracted forms (στο, στον, στην, στα) in normal speech and writing.

What exactly does “στο σαλόνι” mean? Is it “in the living room” or “to the living room”?

Στο with a static location usually means “in/at”, and with verbs of motion it can mean “to”.

In this sentence, στο σαλόνι belongs with σβήνω το φως and describes where the light is:

Σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι
= I turn off the light in the living room (the light that’s in the living room)

For motion, you could also get “to”:

Πάω στο σαλόνι. – I go to the living room.

So the exact English preposition depends on the verb, but Greek just uses σε / στο for both.

What does σαλόνι mean exactly? Is it the same as “living room”?

Yes, το σαλόνι is usually translated as “the living room” or “the lounge”.

A couple of related words:

σαλόνι – living room, lounge (most common word)
καθιστικό – sitting room / living room (more literal “sitting area”)

In everyday modern Greek, σαλόνι is very common for a normal home living room.
Καθιστικό can sound a bit more neutral or slightly more formal in some contexts, but they often overlap in meaning.

Why is it πάω and not πηγαίνω? Do they mean the same thing?

Both πάω and πηγαίνω mean “I go”, but there are some nuances:

πάω is very common in everyday speech and often feels shorter and more colloquial.
πηγαίνω is a bit more formal or neutral and is the full verb form.

In the present tense:

(εγώ) πάω – I go / I’m going
(εγώ) πηγαίνω – I go / I’m going

In most spoken contexts, people say πάω:

Πάω στο σπίτι. – I’m going home.

You could also say:

Πηγαίνω στο σπίτι. (correct, a bit more formal or careful speech)

In your sentence, πάω is exactly what you’d expect in normal, everyday Greek.

Why is the present tense used here? In English this could describe a habit or something I’m doing right now.

Greek present tense covers both:

Habitual / repeated action:
- Κάθε βράδυ σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι και πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο.
  Every night I turn off the light in the living room and go to the bedroom.
Action happening right now / a sequence of actions:
- (Narrating what you’re doing)
  Σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι και πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο.
  I’m turning off the light in the living room and going to the bedroom.

Greek doesn’t have a separate present continuous form like English (I turn off vs I am turning off).
The simple present (σβήνω, πάω) can cover both meanings; context clarifies which one is intended.

How is υπνοδωμάτιο formed, and are there more common words for “bedroom”?

Υπνοδωμάτιο is a compound:

ύπνος – sleep
δωμάτιο – room

So literally “sleep-room”, i.e. bedroom.

Other common words:

κρεβατοκάμαρα – bedroom (very common and colloquial; literally “bed-chamber”)
υπνοκάμαρα – bedroom (less common, a bit more formal / old-fashioned)

So you might hear:

Πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο. – I’m going to the bedroom.
Πάω στην κρεβατοκάμαρα. – I’m going to the bedroom.

All are correct; κρεβατοκάμαρα is very common in everyday speech, υπνοδωμάτιο is a bit more “dictionary-standard.”

Can the word order change? For example, can I say “Σβήνω στο σαλόνι το φως”?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, and your example is grammatically fine.

The neutral, most common order is:

Σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι
(verb – object – place)

But you can also say:

Σβήνω στο σαλόνι το φως.

That version puts slight emphasis on στο σαλόνι, almost like:

In the living room, I’m turning off the light (not somewhere else).

Other variations are also possible for emphasis, though some may sound more marked or poetic.
The important parts are:

The verb σβήνω stays conjugated correctly.
The object το φως and the phrase στο σαλόνι remain clearly attached to it.

So yes, word order is flexible, but the version you have is the most neutral and typical.

How do I make this sentence negative in Greek?

To negate a present-tense verb in Greek, you put δεν directly before the verb.

For your sentence:

Δεν σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι και πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο.
I don’t turn off the light in the living room and (I) go to the bedroom.

If you want both actions negative, you repeat δεν:

Δεν σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι και δεν πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο.
I don’t turn off the light in the living room and I don’t go to the bedroom.

Key rule: δεν + [verb] (and pay attention to the word that follows; if it starts with certain sounds like κ, π, τ, sometimes you get a slight assimilation in casual speech, but spelling stays δεν).

Any tips for pronouncing Σβήνω το φως στο σαλόνι και πάω στο υπνοδωμάτιο?

A few pronunciation points:

Σβήνω:
- σβ- is pronounced together as [zv] (like “zv” in “Zvonimir”).
- Stress on Σβή-: ΣΒΗ‑νω.
φως:
- Single syllable, like “fos” (foss), with o as in “soft” (but a bit tenser).
σαλόνι:
- Stress in the middle: σα‑ΛΟ‑νι.
- o again like in “soft”.
πάω:
- Sounds like “PA-o”, often reduced in fast speech to one syllable-ish, like “pao”.
υπνοδωμάτιο:
- Break it down: υπ‑νο‑δω‑ΜΑ‑τι‑ο.
- Stress on ‑μά‑: υπνο‑ΔΩ‑μά‑τι‑ο (you’ll often hear it as 4–5 syllables in natural speech, roughly eep-no-tho-MA-tyo).
- υπν‑ tends to sound like “ipn” (short i, then pn together).

Stress marks show you where to put the emphasis: Σβήνω, φως, σαΛΟνι, ΠΑω, υπνοΔΩμάτιο.