Learn Hardcore Greek: Σήμερα πίνω καφέ με μια συμφοιτήτριά μου στο καφέ δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο. - Today I am drinking coffee with a fellow student of mine female at the café next to the university.

It can mean I am drinking coffee today (now / sometime today).
It can also be used for a planned near‑future action today, similar to English Today I’m meeting a friend.

If you want to make the future meaning explicit, you can use:

Αργότερα σήμερα θα πιω καφέ… – Later today I will drink coffee…

Why is there no article before the first καφέ? Could I say πίνω έναν καφέ?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

Πίνω καφέ
Literally: I drink coffee / I’m drinking coffee.
Here καφέ is like a mass noun (the substance), and no article is needed.
Πίνω έναν καφέ
Literally: I’m drinking a coffee (one coffee).
Here you are talking about one portion / one cup.

So:

Use πίνω καφέ for coffee in general or when the exact number of cups isn’t important.
Use πίνω έναν καφέ when you want to emphasize one coffee (for example, when ordering or counting).

Why does καφέ appear twice, and does it mean the same thing both times?

No, it doesn’t mean the same thing, even though it looks the same.

πίνω καφέ – καφέ = coffee (the drink)
- The base noun is ο καφές (masculine, “coffee”).
- In the accusative singular (object of the verb), it becomes καφέ.
στο καφέ – καφέ = café / coffee shop (the place)
- This is a different noun: το καφέ (neuter, the café).
- It is indeclinable: its form καφέ doesn’t change for case or number.

So:

First καφέ = “coffee” (masculine noun ο καφές, here in the accusative).
Second καφέ = “café” (neuter indeclinable noun το καφέ).

What does με mean here, and what case does it take?

Με means with.

In Modern Greek, με is the normal preposition for “with” and it always takes the accusative case:

με μια συμφοιτήτριά μου – with a (female) fellow student of mine
(συμφοιτήτριά is in the accusative feminine singular.)

Other examples:

με τον φίλο μου – with my (male) friend
με τη μητέρα μου – with my mother

So you can remember: με + accusative = “with”.

What does μια συμφοιτήτριά μου literally mean, and why is μου after the noun?

Literally, μια συμφοιτήτριά μου is:

μια – a / one (feminine)
συμφοιτήτριά – (female) fellow student / classmate at university
μου – my / of mine

So the phrase means “a fellow (female) student of mine” or “a classmate of mine”.

In Greek, the weak possessive pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) usually come after the noun they belong to:

η φίλη μου – my (female) friend
ο αδερφός σου – your brother
το βιβλίο μας – our book

That’s why it’s συμφοιτήτριά μου, not μου συμφοιτήτρια.

Why is the article μια feminine? How can I tell that συμφοιτήτρια is feminine?

The noun συμφοιτήτρια (fellow female student) is feminine, and the article must agree in gender, number, and case.

Indefinite articles in Greek:

ένας – masculine (e.g. ένας φίλος – a male friend)
μια – feminine (e.g. μια φίλη – a female friend)
ένα – neuter (e.g. ένα παιδί – a child)

Clues that συμφοιτήτρια is feminine:

The ending ‑τρια often marks a female person (η γραμματέας, η χορεύτρια, η διευθύντρια, etc.).
Dictionary form: η συμφοιτήτρια (with the feminine article η).

So we say μια συμφοιτήτρια, not ένας συμφοιτήτρια or ένα συμφοιτήτρια.

Why does συμφοιτήτριά have an accent on the last syllable instead of earlier?

The basic form of the word is συμφοιτήτρια, with the stress on ‑τή‑ (third syllable from the end).

When a proparoxytone word (stress on the third syllable from the end) is followed by an enclitic like μου, the written accent moves to the last syllable of the word:

συμφοιτήτρια → συμφοιτήτριά μου
άνθρωπος → άνθρωπός μου
δάσκαλος → δάσκαλός μου

This is a spelling rule of modern Greek (monotonic system).
So you see συμφοιτήτριά μου, but you should be aware that it’s the same word συμφοιτήτρια plus μου, and the accent change is triggered by the following enclitic.

What exactly does στο mean? How is it related to σε and το?

Στο is a contraction of:

σε – in, at, to
το – the (neuter singular)

So:

σε + το καφέ → στο καφέ – at the café / in the café / to the café

Greek often contracts σε + definite article:

σε + τον → στον (e.g. στον φίλο μου – to/at my male friend)
σε + την → στη(ν) (e.g. στη φίλη μου – to/at my female friend)
σε + το → στο (e.g. στο πανεπιστήμιο – at the university)

In this sentence, στο καφέ means at the café.

Why is it δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο and not something like δίπλα του πανεπιστημίου?

The usual pattern for saying next to X is:

δίπλα σε + accusative
→ δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο – next to the university

You can think of it as:

δίπλα (σε) το πανεπιστήμιο → contracted to δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο.

The form δίπλα του πανεπιστημίου would use the genitive and sounds unnatural here in modern Greek for this meaning.
So for locations, remember the pattern:

δίπλα σε κάτι – next to something
δίπλα στο σπίτι – next to the house
δίπλα στο πάρκο – next to the park

What is the difference between δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο and κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο?

Both relate to distance, but they are not identical:

δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο
→ literally right beside / next to the university.
Very close, normally immediately adjacent.
κοντά στο πανεπιστήμιο
→ near the university.
It’s in the general area, but not necessarily touching or immediately adjacent.

So δίπλα is usually closer and more precise than κοντά.

Why is πανεπιστήμιο in the accusative after στο? I thought accusative is only for direct objects.

In Modern Greek, the preposition σε (in, at, to) always takes the accusative, whether it shows location or movement:

στο πανεπιστήμιο – at the university
στο σπίτι – at home
στην Αθήνα – in Athens

So:

πίνω καφέ στο καφέ δίπλα στο πανεπιστήμιο – I drink coffee at the café next to the university.

Even though accusative is used for direct objects (e.g. πίνω καφέ), it is also the standard case after many prepositions, especially σε.

Why does the sentence start with Σήμερα? Could I say Πίνω καφέ σήμερα… instead?

Yes, you can say Πίνω καφέ σήμερα με μια συμφοιτήτριά μου… – it is also correct.

Greek word order is relatively flexible. Putting Σήμερα at the beginning:

emphasizes “today” (sets the time frame at the start)
feels very natural when you contrast today with other days.

Both are fine:

Σήμερα πίνω καφέ… – Today I’m having coffee… (emphasis on “today”)
Πίνω καφέ σήμερα… – I’m having coffee today… (slightly more neutral rhythm)

How would I say “I drink coffee every day”, “I am drinking coffee now”, and “I will drink coffee later today” in Greek, based on this sentence?

Using πίνω (present) and θα πιω (simple future):

I drink coffee every day.
- Πίνω καφέ κάθε μέρα.
  Present tense + κάθε μέρα (every day) → regular habit.
I am drinking coffee now.
- Τώρα πίνω καφέ.
  Same present tense; τώρα (now) gives the continuous meaning.
I will drink coffee later today.
- Αργότερα σήμερα θα πιω καφέ.
  Θα + πιω is the simple future form: I will drink.
  You can still sometimes use σήμερα πίνω καφέ… for a planned arrangement today, but θα πιω makes the future meaning explicit.