Learn Hardcore Greek: Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή αλλά αξίζει.

Normally, no. In this sentence, η δουλειά refers to some specific work (today’s work, your workday, your tasks), and Greek usually uses the article with specific, concrete things:

Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή. = The work today is hard.

Δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή sounds very marked or a bit “telegraphic” and would usually not be said in normal speech.

You can drop the article in more general statements:

Δουλειά δεν είναι παιχνίδι. = Work is not a game. (work in general)

But here, with σήμερα, you are talking about today’s particular work, so the article η is natural.

Why is σήμερα placed after η δουλειά? Could I say Σήμερα η δουλειά είναι σκληρή instead?

Yes, you can say both:

Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή…
Σήμερα η δουλειά είναι σκληρή…

Both are correct and very natural. Word order is flexible in Greek.

Nuance (very small difference):

Σήμερα η δουλειά είναι σκληρή… slightly emphasizes today: Today, the work is hard… (maybe unlike other days).
Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή… slightly emphasizes the work and then you specify today: The work, today, is hard…

In everyday speech, both would be understood the same way.

Does είναι change for gender? Why is it just είναι with a feminine subject η δουλειά?

The verb είμαι (to be) in the 3rd person singular is είναι for all genders:

Αυτός είναι καλός. (He is good.)
Αυτή είναι καλή. (She is good.)
Αυτό είναι καλό. (It is good.)
Η δουλειά είναι σκληρή. (The work is hard.)

Greek verbs change for person and number (I/you/he/she/it/we/you/they), but not for gender. Gender agreement happens in nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and articles, not in the verb form.

What form is σκληρή, and why does it end in -ή?

Σκληρή is an adjective meaning hard / tough. Its basic forms in the singular are:

Masculine: σκληρός
Feminine: σκληρή
Neuter: σκληρό

In Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή…, the adjective must agree with η δουλειά in:

gender: feminine
number: singular
case: nominative (subject of the sentence)

So we use the feminine singular nominative form σκληρή.

If the noun were masculine, you’d say:

Ο καιρός σήμερα είναι σκληρός. (The weather today is harsh.)

If it were neuter:

Το πρόγραμμα σήμερα είναι σκληρό. (The schedule today is tough.)

Could I use δύσκολη instead of σκληρή? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι δύσκολη αλλά αξίζει.

Both are natural, but there’s a nuance:

σκληρή = hard / tough / harsh (often with a sense of being demanding, exhausting, maybe emotionally or physically tough)
δύσκολη = difficult (more about complexity or difficulty in doing it)

So:

σκληρή δουλειά = hard, demanding work (physically or mentally)
δύσκολη δουλειά = difficult work (maybe complicated tasks, high level of skill)

In many contexts, they overlap and both translations “hard work” / “difficult work” can work.

What does αξίζει literally mean, and why is there no word for “it” as in “it’s worth it”?

Αξίζει is the 3rd person singular of the verb αξίζω, which means to be worth, to have value / be worthwhile.

Literally, αξίζει means (it) is worth / has value.

Greek often does not use an explicit subject pronoun when the subject is obvious or impersonal. Here, the idea is:

(Η δουλειά) αξίζει. → (The work) is worth it.
Or more loosely: It’s worth it.

You can make it more explicit:

Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή αλλά αξίζει τον κόπο.
= The work today is hard, but it’s worth the effort.

Here τον κόπο literally means the effort / the trouble.

Is αξίζει always used without an object, like just “it’s worth it”?

No, you can use αξίζω with or without an explicit object.

Without explicit object (as in your sentence):
- Αξίζει. = It’s worth it.
- Δεν αξίζει. = It’s not worth it.
With an object in the accusative:
- Αξίζει τον κόπο. = It’s worth the effort.
- Αξίζει τα λεφτά της. = It’s worth its money / It’s worth the money.
- Αξίζει την προσοχή σου. = It deserves your attention.

In Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή αλλά αξίζει, the context provides the “it”: “it” = “the work today”.

Why is the present tense είναι / αξίζει used, instead of something like “is being hard” in English?

Greek does not have a separate present continuous form like English (“is working”, “is being”). The simple present in Greek covers both:

είναι = is / is being
δουλεύω = I work / I am working

So:

Η δουλειά σήμερα είναι σκληρή can be understood as:
- The work today is hard, or
- The work today is being hard (today it happens to be hard).

Context decides whether you interpret it as a general state or something more temporary, but the verb form is the same.

How do you pronounce δουλειά? What do the letters ει and ια do here?

Δουλειά is pronounced approximately like [ðuliˈa]:

δ = voiced “th” as in this
ου = “oo” as in food
λει here is pronounced λι (the combination ει is usually pronounced like ι /i/)
ά = “a” as in father, with stress on that syllable

So syllables: δου-λιά. The stress mark (´) shows the stressed syllable: δουλειά.

The ια sequence here is effectively ια pronounced together as -ya sound in fast speech, giving something close to doo-lyá.

What is the plural of this sentence? How would I say “The jobs today are hard but (they) are worth it”?

You would make both the noun and the adjective plural, and also the verb αξίζουν:

Οι δουλειές σήμερα είναι σκληρές αλλά αξίζουν.

Breakdown:

Οι δουλειές = the jobs / pieces of work (feminine plural)
σκληρές = feminine plural form of σκληρή
αξίζουν = 3rd person plural of αξίζω → “they are worth (it)”

So it literally says: The jobs today are hard but (they) are worth (it).

What’s the difference between δουλειά and εργασία? Could I use εργασία here?

Both can mean work, but their usage is different:

δουλειά:
- very everyday / colloquial
- “work”, “job”, “shift”, “tasks”
- used in normal conversation
εργασία:
- more formal or technical
- “work”, “task”, “assignment” (e.g. school assignment, scientific work, office work)
- used in formal writing, academic or official contexts

You could say:

Η εργασία σήμερα είναι σκληρή αλλά αξίζει.

It is grammatically correct, but in everyday speech about your day’s work, η δουλειά sounds much more natural. Η εργασία might feel more like “the (formal) work/assignment today is hard but worth it.”