Learn Hardcore Greek: Πάω σε ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο μετά τη δουλειά και κοιτάω τα εξώφυλλα των βιβλίων. - I go to a small bookstore after work and look at the covers of the books.

In this sentence, Πάω σε ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο…, using πάω sounds natural and conversational, like ordinary spoken Greek. You could say Πηγαίνω σε ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο… and it would still be correct, just slightly more formal in tone.

Why do we need σε ένα before μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο? In English we just say “I go to a small bookstore,” but the “to” is only one word.

Greek uses a preposition + article structure where English just uses “to”.

σε = “to / in / at” (basic preposition of place or destination)
ένα = the indefinite article “a / an,” neuter, singular, accusative (agreeing with βιβλιοπωλείο)

So σε ένα βιβλιοπωλείο literally means “to a bookstore.”
You can’t drop σε here; πάω βιβλιοπωλείο would be ungrammatical. You need πάω σε… to express going to a place.

Why is it ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο and not *μία μικρή βιβλιοπωλείο? How do I know the gender?

The gender is determined by the noun:

το βιβλιοπωλείο = the bookstore
- gender: neuter
- singular nominative: το βιβλιοπωλείο
- singular accusative: το βιβλιοπωλείο (same form)

Articles and adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

ένα – neuter, singular, accusative (indefinite article)
μικρό – neuter, singular, accusative (adjective)
βιβλιοπωλείο – neuter, singular, accusative (noun)

So ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο is consistent.
μία μικρή βιβλιοπωλείο is wrong because μία / μικρή are feminine forms and don’t match the neuter noun βιβλιοπωλείο.

Can the adjective go after the noun, like ένα βιβλιοπωλείο μικρό? Is that still correct?

Yes, but it sounds unusual here.

Greek usually puts adjectives before the noun, especially for simple, descriptive adjectives:

ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο – a small bookstore (normal, neutral)

You can say ένα βιβλιοπωλείο μικρό, but:

It’s much less common.
It often sounds more emphatic or stylistic, like “a bookstore that is small,” or it might appear in poetry or special contexts.

For everyday speech, stick to adjective + noun:
ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο.

In μετά τη δουλειά, why is it τη and not την?

The full form is την δουλειά (feminine accusative singular article + noun):

η δουλειά – the work / job (nominative)
την δουλειά – the work / job (accusative)

In modern speech, ν at the end of την / έναν / δεν / μην is often dropped before many consonants, especially δ, θ, ζ, σ, ξ, ψ, λ, μ, ν, ρ.

So:

μετά την δουλειά → pronounced and usually written as μετά τη δουλειά.

Both are technically correct, but τη δουλειά is the most common spelling in contemporary usage.

Why is δουλειά in the accusative after μετά? I thought “after” might use another case.

In modern Greek, μετά when it means “after (time)” is followed by the accusative:

μετά τη δουλειά – after work
μετά το μάθημα – after the lesson
μετά το φαγητό – after the meal

So δουλειά takes the accusative: τη δουλειά.
You may also see μετά από + accusative:

μετά από τη δουλειά – literally “after from the work,” but it also means “after work.”

Both μετά τη δουλειά and μετά από τη δουλειά are correct; the given sentence uses the shorter, very common form.

What’s the difference between κοιτάω and κοιτάζω?

Both verbs mean “I look (at), I am looking (at)” and are very close in meaning.

κοιτάω is extremely common in everyday speech.
κοιτάζω is also correct and used, sometimes sounding a bit more careful or standard, but the difference is small.

In this sentence:

…και κοιτάω τα εξώφυλλα… – “…and I look at the covers…”

You could also say:

…και κοιτάζω τα εξώφυλλα…

Both are fine and natural.

Why is it τα εξώφυλλα and not οι εξώφυλλοι or something similar? How do I know the plural?

το εξώφυλλο (singular) is a neuter noun:

Singular: το εξώφυλλο – the cover
Plural: τα εξώφυλλα – the covers

Pattern: many neuter nouns ending in -ο form the plural in -α:

το βιβλίο → τα βιβλία – the book → the books
το παιδί → τα παιδιά – the child → the children
το εξώφυλλο → τα εξώφυλλα – the cover → the covers

So τα εξώφυλλα is the correct neuter plural form; there is no οι εξώφυλλοι.

Why do we use των βιβλίων (genitive plural) after τα εξώφυλλα?

Greek often uses the genitive to express possession or relation, where English uses “of”:

τα εξώφυλλα των βιβλίων = “the covers of the books”

Breakdown:

τα εξώφυλλα – the covers (neuter plural nominative/accusative)
των βιβλίων – of the books (genitive plural)

So the structure is literally:

τα εξώφυλλα – the covers
των βιβλίων – of the books

You can’t say τα εξώφυλλα τα βιβλία with the meaning “the covers of the books”; you need the genitive των βιβλίων.

How do I pronounce δουλειά? It looks tricky.

δουλειά is pronounced roughly like “thoo-lya” in English approximation.

More precisely:

δ = voiced “th” as in this
ου = “oo” as in food
λ = “l” as in light
ει here sounds like “i” in machine (but it’s part of a spelling pattern rather than a separate sound)
ιά = “ya” with stress on this syllable

Phonetic approximation: [ðuˈʎa]

The λια cluster often becomes a palatal “ly-a” sound, somewhat like saying “li-ya” very quickly.

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence? Where is the subject?

In Greek, the subject pronoun is usually dropped because the verb ending already shows the person:

πάω = I go / I am going
κοιτάω = I look / I am looking

So:

(Εγώ) πάω σε ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο…
(Εγώ) κοιτάω τα εξώφυλλα…

εγώ (I) is normally omitted unless you want to emphasize I as opposed to someone else:

Εγώ πάω, όχι εσύ. – I am going, not you.

In this neutral sentence, leaving out εγώ is the natural choice.

Does πάω here mean “I am going” (right now) or “I go” (habitually)? How do I tell?

In modern Greek, the present tense often covers both:

Πάω σε ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο μετά τη δουλειά…

It can mean:

Right now / today:
“I am going to a small bookstore after work (today).”
Habitual:
“I (usually / often) go to a small bookstore after work and look at the covers of the books.”

Context would decide. On its own, the sentence is ambiguous in the same way that English “I go after work” vs “I’m going after work” can sometimes overlap in meaning.

Can σε ένα become σ’ ένα? Is that just pronunciation or also written?

Yes, σε ένα is very often contracted to σ’ ένα, both in speech and in writing, especially in informal contexts.

σε ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο
σ’ ένα μικρό βιβλιοπωλείο

Both are correct. The contraction reflects natural spoken rhythm. In more formal or careful writing you might prefer σε ένα, but σ’ ένα is extremely common and fully acceptable.