Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά, εκτός αν είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά.

In the evening I read Greek, unless I am so tired that I can’t see clearly.

Breakdown of Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά, εκτός αν είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά.

• είμαι: to be
• ελληνικά: in Greek
• δεν: not
• το βράδυ: in the evening
• βλέπω: to see
• διαβάζω: to read
• που: that
• κουρασμένος: tired
• τόσο: so much
• καθαρά: clearly
• εκτός αν: unless

Questions & Answers about Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά, εκτός αν είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά.

What does Το βράδυ literally mean, and why is there a το?

Το βράδυ literally means “the evening”, but in practice it is used adverbially to mean “in the evening / at night”.

• το = the (neuter singular article)
• βράδυ = evening, night (neuter noun)

In Greek, it’s very common to use “the + time word” to talk about when something usually happens:

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

So Το βράδυ διαβάζω… = “In the evening I read …”, even though it literally looks like “The evening I read…”.

You could also say Το βράδυ διαβάζω or Διαβάζω το βράδυ; both are correct. The article το is just part of this time-expression pattern.

Can I say Στο βράδυ instead of Το βράδυ?

No, not in this meaning.

• Το βράδυ = “in the evening” (general time: when something happens regularly or this evening)
• Στο βράδυ would sound wrong here; σε + το (στο) is not used with βράδυ to mark time in this way.

You do use σε + article with some time expressions (e.g. στη μία = at one o’clock), but Το βράδυ is a set, idiomatic time phrase. Stick with Το βράδυ for “in the evening”.

Why is διαβάζω present tense if the meaning is a habitual action (“I read in the evenings”)?

In Greek, the present tense is used both for:

1. Right now actions:
   • Τώρα διαβάζω. – I’m reading now.
2. Habitual / repeated actions:
   • Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά. – I read Greek in the evening / I usually read Greek in the evening.

So the same form διαβάζω covers both English “I read” and “I am reading”; context and time expressions (Το βράδυ) show that it’s a routine, not something happening at this exact moment.

Why is there no article before ελληνικά? In English we say “I read Greek” but we also say “I read the Greek language”.

In Greek, when you talk about languages after verbs like μιλάω (I speak), διαβάζω (I read), γράφω (I write), you typically do not use the article:

• Διαβάζω ελληνικά. – I read Greek.
• Μιλάω αγγλικά. – I speak English.
• Γράφω γαλλικά. – I write French.

You could say τηv ελληνική γλώσσα (“the Greek language”) but that’s more formal or emphatic. In everyday speech the article is dropped and we just use ελληνικά.

Why is it ελληνικά and not ελληνική or ελληνικά βιβλία?

Ελληνικά here is the neuter plural form of the adjective “Greek” used as a noun, meaning “(the) Greek language”.

Patterns:

• ελληνικός, ελληνική, ελληνικό – Greek (adjective: masculine, feminine, neuter)
• ελληνικά – neuter plural, used by itself to mean “Greek (language)”.

So:

• ελληνικά = Greek (the language)
• ελληνικά βιβλία = Greek books
• η ελληνική γλώσσα = the Greek language

In the sentence, διαβάζω ελληνικά is understood as “I read (in) Greek / I read texts in Greek” without needing to say βιβλία explicitly.

Is the word order Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά fixed? Can I say Διαβάζω ελληνικά το βράδυ?

You can change the word order; Greek is quite flexible here.

All of these are grammatically correct and natural:

• Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά.
• Διαβάζω ελληνικά το βράδυ.
• Ελληνικά διαβάζω το βράδυ. (more emphasis on “Greek”)

The most neutral versions are:

• Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά.
• Διαβάζω ελληνικά το βράδυ.

The difference is usually emphasis and flow, not correctness.

What does εκτός αν mean exactly, and how is it used?

Εκτός αν means “unless” or literally “except if”.

Structure in the sentence:

• Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά, εκτός αν…
  = I read Greek in the evening, unless …

Example patterns:

• Θα πάω βόλτα, εκτός αν βρέχει. – I’ll go for a walk, unless it’s raining.
• Τρώω έξω, εκτός αν δεν έχω λεφτά. – I eat out, unless I have no money.

After εκτός αν, you use a normal clause with a verb, just like after αν (“if”). No special tense or mood is required in modern Greek.

Is there a difference between εκτός αν and εκτός από?

Yes, they are different:

• εκτός αν = unless / except if

  • Διαβάζω, εκτός αν είμαι κουρασμένος. – I read, unless I’m tired.

• εκτός από = except for / apart from (followed by a noun or noun phrase)

  • Διαβάζω κάθε βράδυ, εκτός από την Κυριακή. – I read every evening, except (for) Sunday.
  • Μου αρέσουν όλες οι γλώσσες εκτός από τα γερμανικά. – I like all languages except German.

In your sentence, you need a clause (“unless I’m so tired…”) so you use εκτός αν.

Why is it είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος and not some other form of κουρασμένος?

Είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος = “I am so tired.”

• είμαι = I am
• κουρασμένος = tired (masculine singular form of the adjective/participle)
• τόσο = so / so much / that … (intensive degree)

Κουρασμένος agrees in gender and number with the subject (εγώ):

• If the speaker is male: είμαι κουρασμένος
• If the speaker is female: είμαι κουρασμένη
• Plural:
  • We (m/mixed group): είμαστε κουρασμένοι
  • We (only women): είμαστε κουρασμένες

So the form κουρασμένος here assumes a male speaker. The sentence itself doesn’t have to be altered, but in real usage a woman would normally say κουρασμένη.

What is the role of τόσο … που in τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά?

The pattern τόσο … που … expresses “so … that …” (cause and result).

• τόσο κουρασμένος = so tired
• που δεν βλέπω καθαρά = that I can’t see clearly

So together: είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά
= “I am so tired that I can’t see clearly.”

This που here is not the relative pronoun “who/which” (although historically related); it functions like a conjunction introducing the result clause.

Why is it που δεν βλέπω and not ώστε να μην βλέπω or something similar?

There are several ways to express “so … that …” in Greek. In everyday speech, τόσο … που … is very common and natural.

• είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά – I am so tired that I can’t see clearly (neutral, very natural).
• είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος ώστε να μη βλέπω καθαρά – grammatically fine but sounds more formal/literary.

So που here is just the standard spoken connector in this structure. Ώστε να tends to sound more formal or written in comparison.

How does negation work in δεν βλέπω καθαρά? Where does δεν go?

Δεν is the basic negation particle and it goes directly before the verb:

• βλέπω – I see
• δεν βλέπω – I do not see / I can’t see

Then you can add adverbs after the verb:

• δεν βλέπω καθαρά – I don’t see clearly
• δεν βλέπω τίποτα – I don’t see anything

You cannot move δεν away from the verb; it must come right before it (unless there is a clitic pronoun, e.g. δεν το βλέπω, where δεν comes first, then the pronoun, then the verb).

Does δεν βλέπω καθαρά mean “I literally can’t see” or just “I’m very tired”?

Literally, δεν βλέπω καθαρά = “I don’t see clearly.” It usually refers to actual vision being blurred or impaired (because of tiredness, lack of glasses, darkness, etc.).

In this sentence, the idea is:

• I am so tired that my vision is affected: my eyes are tired, and I literally can’t see things clearly.

Of course it can also be used metaphorically in other contexts (“I don’t see clearly what’s going on / I’m confused”), but here the primary meaning is physical: “I can’t see clearly.”

Why is there a comma before εκτός αν?

The comma separates the main clause from the exception clause:

• Main clause: Το βράδυ διαβάζω ελληνικά – In the evening I read Greek
• Exception clause: εκτός αν είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος που δεν βλέπω καθαρά – unless I’m so tired that I can’t see clearly

In Greek, as in English, it’s normal to mark off εκτός αν-clauses with a comma when they come after the main statement.

You would not put a comma between είμαι τόσο κουρασμένος and που δεν βλέπω καθαρά; those two form one tightly connected unit (“so tired that I can’t see clearly”).