Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.

Once a week I go to the park.

Breakdown of Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.

• πάω: to go
• σε: to
• το πάρκο: the park
• η βδομάδα: the week
• μία φορά: one time

Questions & Answers about Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.

What does Μία φορά τη βδομάδα literally mean, and why is it translated as “once a week”?

Literally, Μία φορά τη βδομάδα means “one time the week”:

• μία = one (feminine)
• φορά = time, occurrence
• τη βδομάδα = the week (in the accusative case)

Together they form a fixed time-expression meaning frequency:
→ μία φορά τη βδομάδα = once per week / once a week.

So even though word‑for‑word it looks different from English, idiomatically it matches “once a week.”

Why is it Μία and not Ένα? Aren’t both “one”?

Greek numerals agree in gender with the noun they modify.

• φορά (time/occurrence) is feminine.
• The feminine form of “one” is μία (or μια).
• The neuter form is ένα, used with neuter nouns (e.g. ένα πάρκο = one park).

So:

• μία φορά = one time (correct, because φορά is feminine)
• ✗ ένα φορά = wrong, mismatched gender

What case is τη βδομάδα, and why is that case used?

Τη βδομάδα is in the accusative singular (feminine).

In Greek, the accusative is often used for:

• Duration:
  
  • Δούλεψα όλη τη μέρα. = I worked all (the) day.
• Frequency / per‑phrases:
  
  • δύο φορές τον μήνα = twice a month
  • μία φορά τη βδομάδα = once a week

So τη βδομάδα here works like “per week” in English, and the accusative is the normal case for this type of time expression.

Why is it τη βδομάδα and not την βδομάδα?

The full feminine accusative article is την, but in modern Greek the final -ν is often dropped in front of many consonants in everyday writing and speech.

Basic rule (as usually taught today):

• Keep the -ν of την, τον, έναν before
  
  • vowels, and
  • the consonants: κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, γκ, μπ, ντ, τσ, τζ.
• It’s optional (and often dropped) before other consonants.

Β is not in the “keep‑ν” list, so many people write and say:

• τη βδομάδα (very common)
• You could also see την βδομάδα, but it feels a bit heavier.

If you use the more formal spelling εβδομάδα (with the initial vowel), then the standard form is:

• την εβδομάδα (the -ν is kept before the vowel ε).

What is the difference between βδομάδα and εβδομάδα?

They mean the same thing: “week.”

• εβδομάδα is the more formal / standard spelling.
• βδομάδα is a colloquial / simplified form that reflects how people actually pronounce the word in rapid speech (the initial ε is often not clearly heard).

Both are widely understood. In more formal writing you’ll normally see:

• μία φορά την εβδομάδα

In everyday speech and informal writing, τη βδομάδα is very common.

Why is the present tense πηγαίνω used for a habitual action like “once a week”? Shouldn’t it be something like “I will go”?

In Greek, the present tense is used, just like in English, to express habitual or repeated actions:

• Κάθε μέρα διαβάζω. = I read / I study every day.
• Πηγαίνω στο γυμναστήριο τρεις φορές την εβδομάδα. = I go to the gym three times a week.

So:

• Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.
  = Literally: One time per week I go to the park.
  = Idiomatic: I go to the park once a week.

You would only use a future form (e.g. θα πηγαίνω) if you explicitly wanted to talk about a future habit you’re planning to have, not your current regular routine.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun εγώ (“I”) used? Shouldn’t it be Εγώ πηγαίνω στο πάρκο?

In Greek, the verb ending usually makes the subject clear, so subject pronouns are often omitted:

• πηγαίνω = I go
• πηγαίνεις = you (sg) go
• πηγαίνει = he/she/it goes

So πηγαίνω already contains the meaning “I go.” Adding εγώ is usually only for emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ πηγαίνω στο πάρκο, αλλά αυτός μένει σπίτι.
  = I go to the park, but he stays home.

In a neutral sentence like this one, you normally just say:

• Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.

What exactly is στο in στο πάρκο? Why not just a preposition like in English?

Στο is a contraction:

• σε (preposition “to / in / at”)
• το (neuter article “the”)
  → στο

So:

• σε το πάρκο → στο πάρκο = to the park / in the park.

In Greek, σε covers meanings that English splits into in, at, and to. The exact English preposition depends on the verb and context:

• Είμαι στο πάρκο. = I am in/at the park.
• Πηγαίνω στο πάρκο. = I go to the park.

What’s the difference between πηγαίνω and πάω? Could I say πάω here instead?

Yes, you can say:

• Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πάω στο πάρκο.

The difference:

• πάω is a shorter, very common form in everyday speech.
• πηγαίνω is slightly more formal / careful or can feel a bit more descriptive of the ongoing process of going, but in practice they’re often interchangeable, especially in the present tense.

Both mean “I go”, and both sound natural in this sentence.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Πηγαίνω στο πάρκο μία φορά τη βδομάδα?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, especially with adverbial time expressions. These versions are all correct:

• Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.
• Πηγαίνω στο πάρκο μία φορά τη βδομάδα.
• Πηγαίνω μία φορά τη βδομάδα στο πάρκο.

Differences are mainly about emphasis:

• Starting with Μία φορά τη βδομάδα puts frequency in focus.
• Starting with Πηγαίνω στο πάρκο puts the action/place in focus, with frequency added as extra information.

The basic meaning stays the same: I go to the park once a week.

Is there a difference between μία φορά τη βδομάδα and κάθε βδομάδα?

Yes, there’s a subtle difference:

• μία φορά τη βδομάδα = once a week
  – focuses on how many times per week (frequency: 1).
• κάθε βδομάδα = every week
  – focuses on regularity: something happens every single week, but not necessarily only once.

Compare:

• Πηγαίνω στο πάρκο μία φορά τη βδομάδα.
  = I go to the park once a week (exactly one time).
• Πηγαίνω στο πάρκο κάθε βδομάδα.
  = I go to the park every week (maybe one or more times; the key idea is no week without going).

Why is it written Μία and not Μια? Is there a difference in meaning?

You’ll see both spellings:

• μία
• μια

They are pronounced the same in this context and mean the same thing (“one” / “once” with a feminine noun).

General tendencies:

• μια is more common in everyday writing.
• μία may be used to emphasize the numeral (e.g. when counting carefully or contrasting with another number), or just as a more “careful” spelling.

In this sentence, both are acceptable:

• Μία φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.
• Μια φορά τη βδομάδα πηγαίνω στο πάρκο.

The meaning and pronunciation stay the same.