Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο ξάδερφός μου κάνει βάρδια στο εργοστάσιο το πρωί και άλλη βάρδια στα μέσα μεταφοράς το βράδυ. - My cousin works a shift at the factory in the morning and another shift on public transport in the evening.

In everyday Greek, people often say κάνω βάρδια to talk specifically about working in shifts, especially in jobs with rotating hours (factories, hospitals, transport, etc.).

You could say:

Ο ξάδερφός μου δουλεύει στο εργοστάσιο το πρωί…
“My cousin works at the factory in the morning…”

…but δουλεύει (“works”) is more general. Κάνει βάρδια emphasizes that this is a scheduled work shift, not just “he works.”

What is the role of μου in Ο ξάδερφός μου and why does it come after the noun?

Μου is the unstressed (clitic) possessive pronoun for “my”.
So Ο ξάδερφός μου = “my cousin” (literally: “the cousin of-me”).

In Greek, these short possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) normally come after the noun:

το βιβλίο μου – my book
η μητέρα σου – your mother
ο ξάδερφός μου – my cousin

There is no separate word placed before the noun like English my. Instead, possession is shown by this little pronoun after the noun.

Why is it Ο ξάδερφός μου and not just Ξάδερφός μου or ο ξάδερφος μου?

Three things are happening here:

The definite article:
Ο is the masculine singular definite article “the.”
In Greek, family members are usually used with the article:
- Ο πατέρας μου – my father
- Η αδερφή μου – my sister
- Ο ξάδερφός μου – my cousin
  So Ο is needed and natural here.
The accent:
The base form is ξάδερφος (stress on the first syllable).
When you add the clitic μου, the stress moves:
- ξάδερφος → ξάδερφός μου
  This is a normal stress change when a short clitic like μου is attached.
Capital letter:
Ο is capitalized simply because it’s the beginning of the sentence, not for any grammatical reason.

So Ο ξάδερφός μου is the correct, natural form.

I’ve also seen ξάδελφος instead of ξάδερφος. What’s the difference?

Both ξάδερφος and ξάδελφος mean “cousin” (male).

ξάδελφος is closer to the older, more “formal” spelling.
ξάδερφος is the common modern spoken form and is very widely used.

You will encounter both in writing, and both are understood. In everyday speech, ξάδερφος is more typical.

What exactly does βάρδια mean? Is it masculine, feminine, or neuter?

Βάρδια means “work shift” (e.g. a morning shift, night shift).

It is feminine:

η βάρδια – the shift
της βάρδιας – of the shift
τις βάρδιες – the shifts (plural accusative)

In the sentence:

κάνει βάρδια – he works a shift
άλλη βάρδια – another (different) shift

Here άλλη is also feminine, agreeing with βάρδια:
άλλη (fem.) βάρδια (fem.).

Why is it άλλη βάρδια and not μια άλλη βάρδια?

Both are possible, but μια (the indefinite article “a/an”) is often omitted in Greek when it’s clear you mean “one/another” in a contrastive way.

άλλη βάρδια – another / a different shift
μια άλλη βάρδια – also correct, slightly more explicit “one other shift”

In this sentence, we already know there is one shift in the morning, so saying:

…και άλλη βάρδια…

naturally means “and another (different) shift…” without needing μια.

What does μέσα μεταφοράς mean literally, and why is it plural?

Μέσα μεταφοράς literally means “means of transport”:

μέσο (plural μέσα) – means, medium
μεταφορά – transport
μεταφοράς – of transport (genitive singular)

So μέσα μεταφοράς = means of transport, i.e. vehicles used for transportation. In everyday language, στα μέσα μεταφοράς usually implies public transport (buses, trains, trams, etc.), especially when used this way.

It is plural (μέσα) because we’re talking about several types/vehicles (buses, trains, etc.) as a group.

Why is it στα μέσα μεταφοράς and not σε μέσα μεταφοράς?

Στα is the contracted form of σε + τα:

σε = in, at, on
τα = the (neuter plural)

So:

σε τα μέσα μεταφοράς → στα μέσα μεταφοράς

Greek regularly contracts:

σε + το = στο
σε + τα = στα
σε + την = στην (often στην)
σε + τις = στις

In this sentence, στα μέσα μεταφοράς means “on/at the public transport system / on public transport.”

How is στο εργοστάσιο formed, and why do we use το there?

Στο is σε + το (in/at + the), the same kind of contraction:

σε + το εργοστάσιο → στο εργοστάσιο

Εργοστάσιο is neuter singular:

το εργοστάσιο – the factory

Greek usually uses the definite article where English might omit it:

στο εργοστάσιο = “at the factory”
(but in English we often say “at the factory” or “at a factory” without thinking about definiteness much)

So στο εργοστάσιο is the natural way to say “at the factory.”

Why do we say το πρωί and το βράδυ instead of just πρωί and βράδυ?

Phrases like το πρωί, το βράδυ, το απόγευμα are very common time expressions in Greek. They literally mean:

το πρωί – the morning
το βράδυ – the evening / the night (evening period)

But as fixed expressions they function like “in the morning / in the evening”.

So:

στο εργοστάσιο το πρωί – at the factory in the morning
στα μέσα μεταφοράς το βράδυ – on public transport in the evening

You can sometimes drop the article in different contexts (e.g. αύριο πρωί), but το πρωί / το βράδυ is the standard neutral form.

Could the word order change, for example Το πρωί ο ξάδερφός μου κάνει βάρδια στο εργοστάσιο?

Yes. Greek word order is relatively flexible, and your example is correct:

Το πρωί ο ξάδερφός μου κάνει βάρδια στο εργοστάσιο…
Ο ξάδερφός μου το πρωί κάνει βάρδια στο εργοστάσιο…

All of these are grammatical. The differences are mainly about emphasis:

Starting with Το πρωί… puts extra focus on the time.
Starting with Ο ξάδερφός μου… keeps the subject as the starting point of the sentence, which is very natural when introducing what he does.

The original sentence is a neutral, typical order.

Why is the present tense κάνει used? Does it mean he is doing it right now?

Κάνει is present tense, 3rd person singular of κάνω.

In Greek, as in English, the present tense can describe:

Current ongoing action:
Τώρα κάνει βάρδια. – He is on shift right now.
Habitual / regular action:
Ο ξάδερφός μου κάνει βάρδια στο εργοστάσιο το πρωί… – My cousin works a shift at the factory in the morning…

In this sentence, because we have το πρωί and το βράδυ, it clearly describes a regular schedule: what he usually does, not just a one-time event.

Does στα μέσα μεταφοράς mean he’s physically “on” the vehicles, like a driver, or could it mean something else?

Literally, στα μέσα μεταφοράς means “on/at the means of transport.”

Context usually suggests work connected with public transport:

He might be a bus driver, tram driver, ticket inspector, maintenance worker in a depot, etc.

The phrase by itself doesn’t specify his exact role; it just says his shift is in the public transport sector / on public transport, as opposed to, say, an office or a shop.