Learn Hardcore Greek: Το Σάββατο λέω να κάνω μόνο λίγη επανάληψη, γιατί την Κυριακή έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα. - On Saturday I’m thinking of doing only a bit of revision, because on Sunday I have to write a test again.

Το Σάββατο ≈ On Saturday (often with a slight nuance of this coming Saturday from context).
You can say Σάββατο λέω να κάνω…, and it will still be understood, but it sounds a bit more like a label or heading (e.g. in notes: Saturday: I'm thinking of…). In everyday speech, Το Σάββατο is more natural.

So the article is not strictly “necessary” for comprehension, but it is the usual, idiomatic way to say “on Saturday” in this kind of sentence.

What does the structure λέω να κάνω mean? How is it different from just using θα κάνω?

Λέω να κάνω literally means “I say to do”, but in modern Greek it’s an idiomatic way to express:

“I’m thinking of doing…”
“I’m planning to do…”
“I feel like doing / I’m inclined to do…”

It’s a mild, non-committal way to state an intention or plan.

Compare:

Το Σάββατο λέω να κάνω μόνο λίγη επανάληψη.
→ On Saturday I’m thinking of just doing a bit of revision.
Το Σάββατο θα κάνω μόνο λίγη επανάληψη.
→ On Saturday I will do only a bit of revision. (more definite statement of future action)

So λέω να + subjunctive suggests a plan or idea that you’re considering, not a firm schedule.

Why is it λίγη επανάληψη and not λίγο επανάληψη? What is λίγη agreeing with?

Λίγη is the feminine form of the adjective/pronoun λίγος (little, few). It must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies:

Επανάληψη (revision) is feminine, singular, accusative.
Therefore λίγη must also be feminine singular accusative: λίγη επανάληψη.

Forms of λίγος:

Masculine: λίγος (nom.), λίγο/λίγον (acc.)
Feminine: λίγη (nom./acc.)
Neuter: λίγο (nom./acc.)

If the noun were neuter, you’d use λίγο (e.g. λίγο νερό – a little water). With επανάληψη (fem.), it has to be λίγη επανάληψη.

Is επανάληψη just “repetition”, or is it specifically “revision / review” in a study context?

Επανάληψη literally means “repetition”, but in an educational context it is very commonly used to mean:

revision, review (of material for a test/exam)

So in this sentence:

να κάνω μόνο λίγη επανάληψη
→ to just do a bit of revision / review

You will often hear:

Κάνω επανάληψη για το διαγώνισμα.
→ I’m revising / reviewing for the test.

So yes, in study contexts επανάληψη is naturally understood as studying again / going over the material, not mechanical repetition.

Why is it γιατί meaning “because” here and not “why”? How do I know which meaning it has?

Γιατί can mean both:

“why” (question)
“because” (answer / conjunction)

You tell the difference from:

Punctuation and intonation
Position in the sentence

In this sentence:

…λίγη επανάληψη, γιατί την Κυριακή έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα.

Here γιατί clearly connects two clauses, introducing the reason for the first clause:

I’ll only do a bit of revision, *because on Sunday I have to sit another test.*

If it were “why”, you’d expect a question structure or a question mark:

Γιατί έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα;
→ Why do I have to sit a test again?

So in non-question sentences, when γιατί links two statements, it usually means “because”.

Why is it την Κυριακή with the article and in the accusative? Could you say Την Κυριακή vs Κυριακή?

Κυριακή (Sunday) is a feminine noun.

Την Κυριακή uses the feminine accusative article την.
Time expressions like την Κυριακή, τη Δευτέρα, την Τρίτη… are commonly in the accusative to mean “on Sunday, on Monday, on Tuesday…”

So:

Την Κυριακή έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα.
→ On Sunday I have to sit a test again.

You can sometimes see Κυριακή έχω… without the article, especially in very informal or list-like contexts, but Την Κυριακή is the normal, idiomatic form in sentences.

The article την also often adds the nuance of this (coming) Sunday, though context determines whether it’s this Sunday, next Sunday, or a general Sunday.

What exactly does έχω να γράψω mean? Is it the same as πρέπει να γράψω (I must write)?

Έχω να + subjunctive literally is like “I have to [do something]” / “I have [something] to do”, and in everyday Greek it often expresses an obligation or scheduled task.

In this sentence:

έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα
≈ I have to sit a test again / I’m scheduled to write a test again.

Compared to πρέπει να γράψω:

Πρέπει να γράψω διαγώνισμα.
→ I must / have to sit a test. (more clearly obligation, necessity)
Έχω να γράψω διαγώνισμα.
→ I have a test to write / I have to sit a test. (often sounds more like a planned event or appointment you have)

In practice, in many contexts they overlap and can both be translated as “I have to…”. Here, έχω να γράψω nicely conveys “I’ve got a test (that I’m taking) on Sunday”.

Why is it να κάνω but να γράψω? Why different forms of the verb after να?

After να, Greek uses the subjunctive. Many verbs have two subjunctive stems:

present subjunctive (ongoing/repeated action)
aorist subjunctive (single, whole action)

Here:

κάνω (I do) → present subjunctive is also (να) κάνω
γράφω (I write) → aorist stem γράψω, so aorist subjunctive (να) γράψω

In the sentence:

λέω να κάνω μόνο λίγη επανάληψη
- να κάνω (present subj.) → ongoing activity of doing some revision
έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα
- να γράψω (aorist subj.) → one-time event: sit/write the test once

So the choice is about aspect:

Present subjunctive (να κάνω, να γράφω) → process, repeated, or ongoing.
Aorist subjunctive (να γράψω, να κάνω when used as aorist in some verbs) → single, completed action.

Here κάνω επανάληψη is an activity over some time, and γράψω διαγώνισμα is a single exam event.

Why does Greek say γράφω διαγώνισμα for “take a test”? Doesn’t γράφω mean “I write”?

Yes, γράφω basically means “I write”, but in the school context γράφω διαγώνισμα is a fixed, idiomatic expression that corresponds to English “(sit) a test / exam”.

Typical Greek expressions:

Γράφω διαγώνισμα.
Γράφω εξετάσεις.

Meaning:

I’m taking a test / exam.

You may also hear δίνω διαγώνισμα or δίνω εξετάσεις (literally I give a test/exam), which also means to sit an exam, especially from the student’s point of view.

So in this sentence να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα naturally means “to sit a test again”, not to write (compose) a test as a teacher would. Context (student talking) makes that clear.

What is the difference between ξανά and πάλι? Could we say πάλι instead of ξανά here?

Both ξανά and πάλι can mean “again”, and in many cases they are interchangeable.

ξανά tends to sound slightly more neutral/formal in some contexts.
πάλι is very common in everyday speech and can also mean “again, yet again, once more”, sometimes with an emotional nuance (annoyance, surprise, etc.), depending on intonation.

In this sentence:

έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα
→ I have to sit a test again.

You could also say:

έχω να γράψω πάλι διαγώνισμα

Both are acceptable and natural. The choice here doesn’t significantly change the meaning; speakers often use ξανά or πάλι almost interchangeably in such neutral statements.

Is the word order έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα fixed? Where else could ξανά go?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially with adverbs like ξανά. All of these are possible and understood as “I have to sit a test again”:

έχω να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα
έχω να ξαναγράψω διαγώνισμα
ξανά έχω να γράψω διαγώνισμα (less common, more marked/emphatic)

Subtleties:

να ξαναγράψω (attaching ξανά to the verb) often emphasizes the repetition of the action (re-take it).
να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα is very natural and neutral, focusing on the fact that the event of writing the test happens again.

In everyday speech, να γράψω ξανά διαγώνισμα and να ξαναγράψω διαγώνισμα are probably the most common-sounding versions.