Learn Hardcore Greek: Αύριο λέω να πάω νωρίς στη βιβλιοθήκη, αλλά πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω λίγο το δωμάτιό μου. - Tomorrow I’m thinking of going to the library early, but first I have to tidy my room a bit.

Αύριο θα πάω στη βιβλιοθήκη.
→ Tomorrow I will go to the library. (more definite statement of intention/future)
Αύριο λέω να πάω στη βιβλιοθήκη.
→ Tomorrow I’m thinking of going to the library. (slightly softer, like a plan you’re considering)

So λέω να + verb is not about literally “saying” something; it expresses what you’re inclined to do.

Why is it «πάω» and not «πηγαίνω» here?

Both πάω and πηγαίνω come from the verb “to go”, but:

πάω is the single/one-time (“aorist” / non-continuous) form used in να / θα constructions for one specific trip.
πηγαίνω is the habitual / continuous (“present” / continuous) form.

In this sentence:

λέω να πάω στη βιβλιοθήκη = I’m thinking of going (once) to the library (tomorrow).

If you said:

λέω να πηγαίνω στη βιβλιοθήκη κάθε μέρα
→ I’m thinking of going to the library every day (regularly, as a habit),

then πηγαίνω would be appropriate because it’s about repeated/ongoing action.

What is the role of «να» in «λέω να πάω» and «έχω να μαζέψω»?

Να introduces a subordinate verb (traditionally called the subjunctive in Greek grammar). It often appears:

After verbs like λέω, θέλω, μπορώ, πρέπει, etc.
In phrases that express intention, necessity, possibility, wish, etc.

Here:

λέω να πάω → I’m thinking (that I will) go / I’m thinking of going.
έχω να μαζέψω → I have to tidy up (literally I have to tidy up).

You can’t just say λέω πάω or έχω μαζέψω; these verbs need να to connect them to the following verb.

What does «έχω να μαζέψω» mean? Is it literally “I have to collect”?

Literally, έχω να μαζέψω is “I have to collect/gather”, but in everyday Greek it often means:

“I have to tidy up”
“I need to straighten up” (a room, the house, etc.)

So:

έχω να μαζέψω λίγο το δωμάτιό μου
≈ I have to tidy my room a bit first.

The construction έχω να + verb in colloquial Greek often means “I have to / I need to + verb”, similar to πρέπει να:

Πρώτα έχω να τελειώσω τη δουλειά μου.
First I have to finish my work.

Does «μαζέψω» always mean “tidy up”?

No. Μαζεύω / μαζέψω has several meanings depending on context:

to gather / pick up / collect
- Μάζεψα τα παιχνίδια. – I picked up the toys.
to tidy up (by picking things up, putting things in order)
- Μάζεψα το δωμάτιο. – I tidied the room.
to gather people
- Μάζεψα τους φίλους μου. – I gathered my friends.

In μαζέψω το δωμάτιό μου, the natural meaning is “tidy up my room”, because that’s the usual thing you “collect/straighten” as a whole.

What does «λίγο» add in «να μαζέψω λίγο το δωμάτιό μου»?

Λίγο means “a little / a bit”, and here it makes the action sound:

softer, less heavy: “tidy my room a bit” rather than “tidy my room completely”.
more casual: like “just straighten it up a little”.

Without it:

Πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω το δωμάτιό μου.
→ First I have to tidy my room. (neutral)

With λίγο:

Πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω λίγο το δωμάτιό μου.
→ First I have to tidy my room a bit / just a little.

Why is it «στη βιβλιοθήκη» and not «στην βιβλιοθήκη» or «στο βιβλιοθήκη»?

The preposition σε (“in/at/to”) + feminine article τη(ν) → often contracts to στη in writing:
- σε + τη(ν) βιβλιοθήκη → στη βιβλιοθήκη
στο is σε + το (for neuter nouns), so it cannot be used with βιβλιοθήκη, which is feminine.

As for στη vs στην:

στη: common spelling before consonants in modern usage, especially when the ν doesn’t affect pronunciation.
στην: also correct; used especially:
- before vowels (στην Ελλάδα),
- or if someone wants to keep a more “full” form.

So you may see both στη βιβλιοθήκη and στην βιβλιοθήκη; στη is very normal here.

Why is there an accent on «δωμάτιό» in «το δωμάτιό μου»? Isn’t δωμάτιο already accented?

Yes, the base word is δωμάτιο (accent on μά). When you add an enclitic pronoun like μου (“my”) right after the noun, Greek accent rules say:

If the word is three syllables or more, it often gets a second accent on the last syllable to keep the rhythm clear:
- το δωμάτιο → το δωμάτιό μου
- η τηλεόραση → η τηλεόρασή μου

So δωμάτιό with the accent on -ό is standard spelling when followed by μου as an enclitic. Writing το δωμάτιο μου (without the extra accent) is common in informal writing but is formally considered incorrect.

Why does «μου» come after «δωμάτιο»? Could you say «μου το δωμάτιο»?

For possessive pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους, the normal position is after the noun:

το δωμάτιό μου – my room
η τσάντα σου – your bag

You cannot say μου το δωμάτιο to mean “my room”. That order is used in very different structures, e.g.:

μου το έδωσαν – they gave it to me
(here μου is an indirect object, not possessive)

So for possession, keep the pattern:

article + noun (+ accent if needed) + possessive clitic
το δωμάτιό μου, η μητέρα μου, το βιβλίο σου

Why is there a comma before «αλλά» in «…, αλλά πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω…»?

Αλλά means “but” and is used to contrast two clauses, just like English “but”. In writing, Greek usually puts a comma before αλλά when it connects two independent clauses:

Θέλω να βγω, αλλά έχω δουλειά.
I want to go out, but I have work.

In the sentence:

Αύριο λέω να πάω νωρίς στη βιβλιοθήκη, αλλά πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω λίγο το δωμάτιό μου.

the comma separates:

Αύριο λέω να πάω νωρίς στη βιβλιοθήκη
(αλλά) πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω λίγο το δωμάτιό μου

So the punctuation is directly parallel to English.

What is the difference between «πρώτα» and «πριν» here?

Both relate to “before”, but they’re used differently:

πρώτα = “first” (adverb of sequence)
- Πρώτα έχω να μαζέψω το δωμάτιό μου.
  → First I have to tidy my room.
πριν = “before” (used with another verb)
- Πριν πάω στη βιβλιοθήκη, πρέπει να μαζέψω το δωμάτιό μου.
  → Before I go to the library, I have to tidy my room.

In the original sentence, πρώτα emphasizes the order of actions in a more direct, conversational way: “but first I have to tidy my room”.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say «Αύριο λέω να πάω στη βιβλιοθήκη νωρίς» or «Λέω αύριο να πάω νωρίς…»?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbs like αύριο (tomorrow) and νωρίς (early). All of these are possible and natural, with only small differences in emphasis:

Αύριο λέω να πάω νωρίς στη βιβλιοθήκη.
(neutral; “tomorrow I’m thinking of going early to the library”)
Αύριο λέω να πάω στη βιβλιοθήκη νωρίς.
(slight emphasis at the end on νωρίς = “early is the important part”)
Λέω αύριο να πάω νωρίς στη βιβλιοθήκη.
(a bit more focus on λέω / the plan: “I’m thinking tomorrow of going early…”)

All are grammatically correct; the original version is a very natural, typical word order.

What tense/mood are «πάω» and «μαζέψω» in these structures?

After να, the verb is in what Greek grammar traditionally calls the “subjunctive”. Modern learners often think of it simply as the “na-form”.

να πάω – “to go” (subjunctive, aorist aspect: a single, complete action)
να μαζέψω – “to tidy up / to gather” (subjunctive, aorist aspect: one completed tidying)

These forms are used:

For plans, intentions, obligations, possibilities, etc., after words like λέω, θέλω, πρέπει, έχω να, etc.
To talk about a specific, one-time action (hence the aorist aspect).

So:

λέω να πάω ≈ I’m thinking of going (once).
έχω να μαζέψω ≈ I have to tidy up (once / this time).