Το βράδυ παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα.

In the evening I watch a comedy on TV to relax after the difficult day.

Breakdown of Το βράδυ παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα.

• το βράδυ: in the evening
• σε: on
• δύσκολος: difficult
• μία: one
• η τηλεόραση: the television
• χαλαρώνω: to relax
• για να: in order to
• μετά από: after
• η μέρα: the day
• παρακολουθώ: to watch
• η κωμωδία: the comedy

Questions & Answers about Το βράδυ παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα.

Why does the sentence start with Το βράδυ? Why is there a definite article, and what exactly does it mean here?

Το βράδυ literally means the evening / the night, but in this kind of sentence it really functions like in the evening / at night.

Greek often uses a definite article + time word (accusative case) to express when something happens:

• Το πρωί – in the morning
• Το μεσημέρι – at noon
• Το βράδυ – in the evening / at night

So Το βράδυ παρακολουθώ… = In the evening I watch…

You could also say:

• Τα βράδια παρακολουθώ… = In the evenings / At nights I watch… (more clearly habitual)

But Το βράδυ is perfectly natural for a routine action too. The article το is just part of this time expression; you normally don’t say just Βράδυ παρακολουθώ…

Why is it το βράδυ and not something like η βράδυ? What gender is βράδυ?

Βράδυ is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter article το in the singular:

• το βράδυ – the evening / night

There is no logical reason for the gender; it’s simply how the word is in Greek and must be memorized. Some common time nouns and their genders:

• το βράδυ (neuter) – evening, night
• η μέρα (feminine) – day
• το πρωί (neuter) – morning
• το μεσημέρι (neuter) – noon / lunchtime

So το βράδυ is correct because βράδυ is neuter.

Why is there no preposition like σε before το βράδυ? In English we say in the evening.

Greek often uses a bare accusative of time (without a preposition) to say when something happens:

• Κάθε Δευτέρα πηγαίνω γυμναστήριο. – Every Monday I go to the gym.
• Την Κυριακή μένω σπίτι. – On Sunday I stay home.
• Το βράδυ παρακολουθώ… – In the evening I watch…

So you do not say:

• ✗ Στο βράδυ παρακολουθώ…

Here το βράδυ already expresses the time; adding σε would be ungrammatical. This is just a standard Greek pattern: accusative time expression without a preposition.

What is the nuance of παρακολουθώ compared to βλέπω for “watch”?

Both verbs can translate as to watch, but there is a nuance:

• βλέπω = to see / to watch (general, very common, neutral)
• παρακολουθώ = to follow / to watch closely, more like to follow a show / to watch attentively

Examples:

• Βλέπω τηλεόραση. – I watch TV. (general)
• Παρακολουθώ μια σειρά. – I follow / regularly watch a series.

In your sentence:

• παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία suggests actually watching/following a comedy film/show, not just glancing at the screen. Using παρακολουθώ here is perfectly natural and idiomatic.

Why is it μια κωμωδία and not την κωμωδία? What does μια mean exactly?

Μια is the indefinite article for feminine nouns in the singular. It usually corresponds to a / an in English:

• μια κωμωδία – a comedy
• η κωμωδία – the comedy

In your sentence:

• παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία = I watch a comedy (film/show)
  – It’s not a specific, previously mentioned comedy; it’s just one of many.

If you said:

• παρακολουθώ την κωμωδία
  that would refer to a specific comedy that both speakers already know about (for example, a particular show you’ve been talking about).

Note: You may also see μία (with an accent). In modern Greek this usually emphasizes the meaning one (the number), while μια is the normal unstressed article a:

• Έχω μία αδελφή. – I have one sister.
• Έχω μια αδελφή. – I have a sister.

In everyday writing, many Greeks still write μία even when it just means a, but the distinction above is the general guideline.

What does στην τηλεόραση literally mean, and why is it στην and not σε την?

Στην τηλεόραση literally means on the television / on TV.

It comes from:

• σε (in, on, at) + την τηλεόραση (the TV, feminine accusative)
• σε την τηλεόραση contracts to στην τηλεόραση

In Greek, σε + definite article usually contracts:

• σε + το → στο (στο σπίτι – at home)
• σε + την → στη(ν) (στην τηλεόραση – on TV)
• σε + τις → στις (στις ειδήσεις – on the news)

So:

• παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση
  = I watch a comedy on TV (i.e. via the television, not at the cinema).

Why is it για να χαλαρώσω and not something like an infinitive “to relax”? What is this για να construction?

Modern Greek does not have an infinitive like English to relax. Instead, it uses να + subjunctive verb.

To express purpose / in order to, Greek commonly uses:

• για να + subjunctive

So:

• για να χαλαρώσω = (in order) to relax

This pattern is extremely common:

• Διαβάζω για να μάθω. – I study to learn.
• Δουλεύω για να πληρώσω το νοίκι. – I work in order to pay the rent.

In your sentence:

• …στην τηλεόραση για να χαλαρώσω…
  = …on TV in order to relax…

So για να is the normal way to introduce a purpose clause in everyday Greek.

What exactly is the form χαλαρώσω? Why not χαλαρώνω?

Χαλαρώσω is:

• aorist subjunctive, 1st person singular of χαλαρώνω (to relax).

Greek distinguishes aspect:

• χαλαρώνω – present/imperfective aspect (ongoing, repeated, or general)
• χαλαρώσω – aorist/perfective aspect (a single, complete action)

After για να (for purpose), Greek almost always uses the aorist subjunctive to express the achievement/completion of the goal:

• για να φάω – (so that) I eat (a meal, complete event)
• για να κοιμηθώ – in order to sleep (fall asleep, get the sleep)
• για να χαλαρώσω – in order to relax (reach a relaxed state)

Using για να χαλαρώνω would sound odd here; it would suggest an ongoing, habitual relaxing as a goal, which doesn’t fit the usual idea of “I watch a comedy so that I (can) unwind.”

Why do we need από in μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα? Could we just say μετά τη δύσκολη μέρα?

Both are possible in modern Greek:

• μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα
• μετά τη δύσκολη μέρα

They both mean after the difficult day.

Μετά από is often a bit more explicit or careful, especially in standard/written language, and it is very common in speech too. In many everyday contexts από can be dropped:

• μετά (από) τη δουλειά – after work
• μετά (από) το φαγητό – after the meal

So your sentence is fully correct as it is. If you omit από, it’s still natural:

• …για να χαλαρώσω μετά τη δύσκολη μέρα.

Why is it τη δύσκολη μέρα with the in Greek? In English I might say after a hard day.

Greek uses the definite article differently from English. Often, when English would be fine with an indefinite or even no article, Greek still prefers the definite article.

Here, τη δύσκολη μέρα can be understood as:

• the difficult day (I had today)
• the difficult day we’ve been talking about / that is contextually clear

In practice, this often corresponds to English after a hard day or after a long day. Greek tends to use the definite article with:

• general or typical situations:
  
  • Το πρωί πίνω καφέ. – In the morning I drink coffee.
• parts of your day / routine:
  
  • τη δουλειά, το σχολείο, τη μέρα etc.

So:

• μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα is the natural way to say after a hard day that you have had (the day you just finished).

What case and gender is τη δύσκολη μέρα, and how do the article and adjective agree?

Τη δύσκολη μέρα is:

• Accusative, singular, feminine

Breakdown:

• τη – definite article, accusative singular feminine
• δύσκολη – adjective, accusative singular feminine (same form as nominative in this gender)
• μέρα – noun, accusative singular feminine

In Greek, the article, adjective, and noun must agree in:

• gender (feminine)
• number (singular)
• case (accusative, because it follows μετά (από))

So you get:

• η δύσκολη μέρα – the difficult day (subject: nominative)
• της δύσκολης μέρας – of the difficult day (genitive)
• τη δύσκολη μέρα – the difficult day (object / after preposition: accusative)

Can the word order in this sentence be changed? For example, can Το βράδυ or για να χαλαρώσω move to another position?

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, and changes often affect emphasis rather than basic meaning.

Your original sentence:

• Το βράδυ παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα.

Possible variations:

• Το βράδυ, για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα, παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση.
  (More emphasis on purpose: In the evening, in order to relax…, I watch…)

• Παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση το βράδυ για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα.
  (Focus first on the action, then specify time and purpose.)

All of these are grammatical. However, the original order is very natural and neutral:

• time (Το βράδυ)
• main verb and object (παρακολουθώ μια κωμωδία στην τηλεόραση)
• purpose and circumstance (για να χαλαρώσω μετά από τη δύσκολη μέρα)