Learn Hardcore Greek: Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο μία φορά και στη συνέχεια το ακούω στην ηχογράφηση. - I read this text once and then I listen to it in the recording.

Διαβάζω ends in -ω, which marks 1st person singular (“I”).
So Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο… literally is “(I) read this text…”, and the “I” is understood from the verb form.

What tense is διαβάζω, and why is it translated as “I read” / “I am reading”?

Διαβάζω is the present tense of the verb διαβάζω (“to read”).

In Greek, the present tense can cover both:

simple present: “I read this text once and then I listen to it…”
present continuous / instructions / routine: like a set of instructions: “I read this text once and then I listen to it on the recording.”

So one Greek present form διαβάζω can match both English “I read” and “I am reading”, depending on context.

Why is it αυτό το κείμενο and not just αυτό κείμενο or το αυτό κείμενο?

In modern Greek, when a demonstrative like αυτό (“this”) is used before a noun, the definite article is kept:

αυτό το κείμενο = “this text”

Structure:

αυτό (this) – demonstrative
το (the) – definite article, neuter singular
κείμενο (text) – noun, neuter singular

You cannot say αυτό κείμενο in standard modern Greek.

You can, however, move the demonstrative after the noun:

το κείμενο αυτό = also “this text”

Both αυτό το κείμενο and το κείμενο αυτό are correct; the first is slightly more common in everyday speech.

What case is αυτό το κείμενο, and why that case?

Αυτό το κείμενο is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb διαβάζω (“I read what?” → this text).

For neuter nouns like κείμενο, the nominative and accusative look the same:

nominative: το κείμενο (subject)
accusative: το κείμενο (object)

Here the function (object of the verb) tells you it’s accusative, even though the form is identical.

What is the difference between μία and μια in Greek, and why is it μία φορά here?

Spelling:

μία and μια are two spellings of the same word in many contexts.
In speech, they are often pronounced the same (mía or mia, depending on dialect/speed).

Functions:

Indefinite article, feminine = “a / an”
- μια γυναίκα = a woman
Numeral “one” (feminine) = “one”
- μία φορά = one time / once

In μία φορά, it clearly means “one time” = “once”, so it is functioning as the number one (feminine form) modifying φορά (feminine noun).

Spelling with μία (with stress mark) especially highlights the numeral sense “one”, though you will also encounter μια φορά in everyday writing.

What does φορά literally mean, and how does μία φορά mean “once”?

Φορά literally means “turn / time / instance”.

So:

μία φορά = “one time” → once
δύο φορές = “two times” → twice
τρεις φορές = “three times” → three times

It’s a very common way to talk about frequency or repetition, similar to English “times” in “three times”.

What does στη συνέχεια mean exactly, and can I just use μετά instead?

Στη συνέχεια literally means “in the continuation”, but idiomatically it means:

“afterwards, then, subsequently”

It is a bit more formal/neutral than μετά.

μετά = “after / then” (very common, neutral-informal)
στη συνέχεια = “afterwards / subsequently” (neutral-formal; very common in speech and writing)

In this sentence, you could also say:

…μία φορά και μετά το ακούω στην ηχογράφηση.

Both are correct; στη συνέχεια sounds a touch more “textbook” or formal.

Why do we have το before ακούω? What does το ακούω mean?

Το here is a clitic object pronoun, not the article.

το = “it” (3rd person, singular, neuter object pronoun)
ακούω = “I hear / I listen to”

So το ακούω means “I listen to it” / “I hear it”.

Το refers back to αυτό το κείμενο (“this text”) and avoids repetition:

Διαβάζω αυτό το κείμενο… και στη συνέχεια το ακούω στην ηχογράφηση.
= I read this text… and then I listen to it on the recording.

Position: in standard word order, these short object pronouns (τον, την, το, τους, τις, τα) go before the verb in the present tense.

Why doesn’t Greek need a preposition like “to” with ακούω (“listen to”)?

In English, “listen” usually needs “to”: “listen to it”.

In Greek, ακούω is directly transitive: it takes a direct object without a preposition.

ακούω μουσική = I listen to music
ακούω τη φωνή σου = I hear / listen to your voice
το ακούω = I listen to it / I hear it

So το (it) is simply the direct object of ακούω, no preposition needed.

Why is it στην ηχογράφηση and not σε την ηχογράφηση?

Στην is a contraction of σε + την:

σε = in / at / on / to (very general preposition)
την = the (feminine accusative singular article)

In speech and writing, σε + την → στην (and similarly: σε + τον → στον, σε + το → στο, etc.).

So:

στην ηχογράφηση = σε την ηχογράφηση = “on the recording / in the recording”.

The preposition σε in Greek usually goes with the accusative case, so την ηχογράφηση is accusative.

Why do we use the definite article in την ηχογράφηση (“the recording”)? Could it be “a recording”?

In Greek, the definite article is often used in contexts where English might allow “a” or even no article.

Here:

στην ηχογράφηση = “on the recording”

It suggests a specific recording, likely the one that goes with the text. If you really meant any random recording, you could say:

σε μια ηχογράφηση = on a recording

But in teaching / exercise contexts, you normally refer to the recording associated with the text, so the definite article την is natural.

Can the word order of this sentence change, or is it fixed?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially for emphasis. Variants include:

Διαβάζω το κείμενο αυτό μία φορά και στη συνέχεια το ακούω στην ηχογράφηση.
Αυτό το κείμενο το διαβάζω μία φορά και στη συνέχεια το ακούω στην ηχογράφηση. (emphasizes “this text”)

The basic pattern here is:

[Verb] [Object] [Adverbial phrase] και στη συνέχεια [pronoun] [Verb] [Prepositional phrase]

As long as the relationships are clear and clitics (like το) keep their usual position before the verb in this tense, you can move parts around to change emphasis, not meaning.

How are the trickier words in this sentence pronounced?

Approximate pronunciations (stress in bold):

Διαβάζω → [ðʝavázo]
- “thya-VA-zo” (ð like “th” in “this”)
κείμενο → [kémeno]
- “KE-me-no”
μία → [mía] or [mjá]
- “MEE-a” or “MYA” (both heard)
στη συνέχεια → [sti sinéçia]
- “sti si-NE-hi-a” (χ/ç like a soft German “ch” in “ich”)
ακούω → [akúo]
- “a-KOO-o” (often sounds like 2 syllables: “a-KOO”)
ηχογράφηση → [ixoɣráfisi]
- “i-ho-GHRA-fi-si” (ɣ like a soft French/Spanish “g” between vowels)

The written accent (´) shows where the stress goes; stress is important in Greek for correct pronunciation and sometimes meaning.