Τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό στο πανεπιστήμιο και δουλεύω λίγο.

Right now I am doing a master’s degree at the university and working a little.

Breakdown of Τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό στο πανεπιστήμιο και δουλεύω λίγο.

• τώρα: now
• και: and
• λίγο: a little
• σε: at
• δουλεύω: to work
• το πανεπιστήμιο: the university
• κάνω μεταπτυχιακό: to do a master’s degree

Questions & Answers about Τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό στο πανεπιστήμιο και δουλεύω λίγο.

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence?

In Greek, the subject pronoun (like εγώ = I) is usually omitted, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• κάνω = I do / I am doing
• δουλεύω = I work / I am working

The -ω ending of these verbs clearly marks first person singular, so εγώ would only be added for emphasis, for example:

• Εγώ τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό… = I (as opposed to someone else) am doing a master’s now…

Why does Greek use κάνω here? How does κάνω μεταπτυχιακό translate?

The verb κάνω literally means “I do / I make”, but it’s used in lots of set expressions where English uses other verbs.

κάνω μεταπτυχιακό is a very common collocation meaning:

• I’m doing a master’s degree
• I’m in a master’s program

It feels completely natural in Greek, just like English “do a master’s” or “do a PhD”. Other similar Greek expressions:

• κάνω διδακτορικό – I’m doing a PhD
• κάνω δίαιτα – I’m on a diet
• κάνω μαθήματα γαλλικών – I’m taking French lessons

What exactly is μεταπτυχιακό? Is something missing after it?

μεταπτυχιακό is a neuter adjective meaning “postgraduate” / “after the degree”, from:

• μετά = after
• πτυχίο = degree

In everyday Greek, το μεταπτυχιακό is used on its own as a noun, meaning:

• a master’s degree / a postgraduate degree / a postgraduate program

So κάνω μεταπτυχιακό is shorthand for κάνω μεταπτυχιακό πρόγραμμα / μεταπτυχιακές σπουδές.

Why is there no article with μεταπτυχιακό? Could I say κάνω ένα μεταπτυχιακό?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

• Τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό.
  – Very general and idiomatic: I’m doing a master’s (degree).

• Τώρα κάνω ένα μεταπτυχιακό.
  – Emphasizes one particular master’s, a bit more like I’m doing a / one master’s degree.

In practice, κάνω μεταπτυχιακό without an article is extremely common and sounds very natural.

What does Τώρα mean here? Is it “now” as in “right this moment” or “these days”?

Τώρα normally means “now”, but its meaning can be:

1. Right this moment (immediate present)

   • Τώρα τρώω. – I’m eating now (right this second).

2. Current period / these days / at present
   In your sentence, that’s the more natural reading:

   • Τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό στο πανεπιστήμιο…
     = At the moment / These days I’m doing a master’s at university…

Context usually decides which of the two is meant.

What is στο exactly? Why not just σε το πανεπιστήμιο?

στο is the contracted form of:

• σε (in / at / to) + το (the, neuter singular)

So:

• σε το πανεπιστήμιο → στο πανεπιστήμιο

This kind of contraction is very regular in Greek:

• σε + τον → στον (masculine)
• σε + την → στη(ν) (feminine)
• σε + τους → στους (plural masculine)
• σε + τα → στα (plural neuter)

So στο πανεπιστήμιο literally means “at the university”.

Why is it στο πανεπιστήμιο (“the university”) and not just “at university” like in English?

Greek tends to use the definite article much more than English does.

Where English often says:

• at university
• at school
• in hospital

Greek almost always says:

• στο πανεπιστήμιο – at the university
• στο σχολείο – at the school
• στο νοσοκομείο – in the hospital

So στο πανεπιστήμιο is the normal way to express “at university” in Greek.

Could I say σπουδάζω μεταπτυχιακό instead of κάνω μεταπτυχιακό?

Normally, no. σπουδάζω means “I study (at a university/college)” and is usually used for undergraduate studies:

• Σπουδάζω νομική. – I study law.
• Σπουδάζω στο πανεπιστήμιο. – I’m a university student.

For postgraduate studies, the natural expression is κάνω μεταπτυχιακό. You can say:

• Κάνω μεταπτυχιακές σπουδές. – I’m doing postgraduate studies.

But σπουδάζω μεταπτυχιακό is not idiomatic.

Does δουλεύω mean “I work” in general, or “I’m working now”?

The present tense δουλεύω covers both:

• I work (in general / I have a job)
• I’m working (right now)

Which one is meant depends on context. In your sentence:

• …και δουλεύω λίγο.

this most naturally means:

• and I work a little / I work part-time (in general, during this period),

not “I’m working a little bit right at this moment.”

What does λίγο add to δουλεύω? Is it about time, amount of money, or something else?

λίγο means “a little / a bit / not much” and here it qualifies how much the person works.

So:

• δουλεύω λίγο usually implies:
  • I don’t work many hours,
  • or I don’t work very intensively,
  • often close to “I work part-time”.

Exactly what “a little” refers to (few hours, low income, not many responsibilities) depends on context, but the core idea is limited amount of work.

Is word order fixed? Could I say Τώρα δουλεύω λίγο και κάνω μεταπτυχιακό στο πανεπιστήμιο?

Greek word order is relatively flexible. Your alternative:

• Τώρα δουλεύω λίγο και κάνω μεταπτυχιακό στο πανεπιστήμιο.

is grammatically correct and natural. The difference is mostly in emphasis:

• Τώρα κάνω μεταπτυχιακό… και δουλεύω λίγο.
  – Emphasizes the master’s first; working is mentioned second, as something extra.

• Τώρα δουλεύω λίγο… και κάνω μεταπτυχιακό.
  – Emphasizes that you work (a bit) first; the master’s comes second.

Both are fine; the original puts the focus more on the master’s degree.

Why is the present tense used for something long-term like a degree and also for work? Is there no separate continuous tense?

Modern Greek does not have a separate present continuous form like English. The present tense (ενεστώτας) is used for both:

• habitual / long-term actions

  • Κάνω μεταπτυχιακό. – I’m doing a master’s (these years).
  • Δουλεύω σε τράπεζα. – I work in a bank.

• actions happening right now

  • Δουλεύω τώρα, μιλάμε αργότερα. – I’m working now, we’ll talk later.

Context and time expressions (like τώρα, κάθε μέρα, σήμερα) tell you which meaning is intended.

How do you pronounce μεταπτυχιακό? The consonant cluster looks hard.

Syllable breakdown and stress:

• με–τα–πτυχ–ι–α–κό
• Stress is on the last syllable: –κό

Approximate pronunciation:

• με – “meh”
• τα – “tah”
• πτχια – this is tricky: ptchya
  
  • π = p
  • τ = t
  • χ is like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch
  • ια = “ya”
• κό – “koh” (with stress)

All together, roughly: meh-tah-ptchya-KOH (with a rough ch sound in -ptchia-).

Over time, learners get used to these clusters; native speakers say it quite smoothly.