Learn Hardcore Greek: Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος.

Γυρίζω ends in -ω, which marks 1st person singular → I.
So Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος literally contains “I return…”, even though εγώ (I) isn’t written.

You would normally add εγώ only for emphasis, e.g.
Εγώ γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος, όχι εσύ.
(I come back from work tired, not you.)

What’s the difference between γυρίζω and επιστρέφω? Can I use either?

Both can mean “to return / to come back”, but they differ in tone and usage:

γυρίζω
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Feels more informal/colloquial.
- Also means “to turn” (e.g. γυρίζω το κλειδί – I turn the key) and is related to γύρος (a turn, a round).
επιστρέφω
- A bit more formal or neutral, often used in writing, news, official contexts.
- Stronger sense of “to return” only.

In this everyday sentence about coming home tired from work, γυρίζω is the most natural choice.
You could say Επιστρέφω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος, and it’s correct, but it sounds a bit more formal.

Why is the verb in the simple present (γυρίζω) if in English we’d say “I’m coming back”?

Modern Greek doesn’t have a separate present continuous form like English.

γυρίζω can mean:
- I return / I come back (now) – present action, like the English present continuous.
- I return / I come back (usually) – habitual action, like the English simple present.

So Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος can be understood as:

I’m coming back from work tired (right now), or
I (usually) come back from work tired.

Context decides which reading is intended.

Why do we use από here, and what case is τη δουλειά in?

από is a preposition that often means “from”. It’s used for:

Origin / starting point of movement:
Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά. → I return from work.
Other meanings too (by, since, out of), but here it’s clearly from.

After prepositions like από, the noun is in the accusative case.
So:

η δουλειά (nominative, “work” as subject) →
τη δουλειά (accusative, after από).

That’s why you see από τη δουλειά.

Why do we say από τη δουλειά with the (τη), when in English we say “from work” without an article?

Greek and English don’t use the definite article in the same way.

In Greek, the article is often used where English has none, especially with:

Activities or places connected with daily routine:
πάω στη δουλειά (I go to work),
έρχομαι από τη δουλειά (I come from work).

So:

από τη δουλειά = literally from the work, but idiomatically just from work.

Leaving out the article (από δουλειά) is possible but changes the meaning: it would usually be understood as “because of work / due to work (in general)” rather than from my job/place of work.

In this sentence, you want από τη δουλειά.

What form is δουλειά exactly? And why is the accent where it is?

δουλειά is:

Gender: feminine
Number: singular
Case: accusative (because of από)
Base (dictionary) form: η δουλειά (nominative singular)

Basic singular forms:

η δουλειά – nominative (subject)
της δουλειάς – genitive
τη δουλειά – accusative (object, or after prepositions)

Accent and spelling:

Spelled δουλειά, stressed on the last syllable: dou-le-YÁ.
Pronounced roughly [ðuliˈa]:
- δ = like English th in this
- ου = oo (like in food)
- λει here sounds like li
- Final ά is stressed a (like in father, but shorter).

What does κουρασμένος do in the sentence? Is it an adjective or part of a verb like “I am tired”?

κουρασμένος is an adjective meaning tired.

In this sentence it is used predicatively, describing the resulting state of the subject when he returns:

Γυρίζω κουρασμένος.
Literally: I return tired.
→ The action of returning + the state I’m in while/after returning.

There is an implied link verb (like είμαι – I am), but in Greek it’s natural to leave it out in this kind of structure:

You could think of it as: Γυρίζω [όντας] κουρασμένος.
(I return [being] tired.)

So κουρασμένος is not part of a compound verb; it’s an adjective that tells you how you return (in what condition).

Why is κουρασμένος masculine? What if the speaker is a woman?

Adjectives in Greek agree in gender, number, and case with the noun or pronoun they describe.

Here, κουρασμένος agrees with the implied subject εγώ:

The speaker is assumed to be male, so we use:
- κουρασμένος = masculine, nominative, singular.

If the speaker is:

A woman:
Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένη.
More than one person, all or mostly men (or mixed group):
Γυρίζουμε από τη δουλειά κουρασμένοι.
A group of only women:
Γυρίζουμε από τη δουλειά κουρασμένες.

So the ending of κουρασμένος changes with who is doing the returning.

Why isn’t there a form of “to be” (είμαι) before κουρασμένος? Could I say Είμαι κουρασμένος όταν γυρίζω… instead?

You could say:

Είμαι κουρασμένος όταν γυρίζω από τη δουλειά.
→ I am tired when I come back from work.

But this slightly shifts the structure:

Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος.
Focus: the way / state in which I return (I return tired).
Είμαι κουρασμένος όταν γυρίζω από τη δουλειά.
Focus: my state at the time I return (I am tired when I return).

In Greek it’s very natural to omit είμαι and let an adjective directly describe the subject in connection with another verb of motion or action:

Γυρνάει χαρούμενος. – He returns happy.
Φεύγω στενοχωρημένος. – I leave upset.

So leaving out είμαι here is normal and idiomatic.

Can κουρασμένος go somewhere else in the sentence, like at the beginning?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, and you can move κουρασμένος around to change emphasis:

Κουρασμένος γυρίζω από τη δουλειά.
Emphasis on κουρασμένος (tired is the highlighted idea).
Γυρίζω κουρασμένος από τη δουλειά.
Still correct; style and rhythm change a bit.

However, Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος is the most neutral and natural order in everyday speech.

As long as:

κουρασμένος clearly refers to the subject (the one who returns),
and the sentence remains clear,

you can rearrange elements for stylistic and emphasis reasons.

How would the sentence change in the past or future?

You keep the structure, but change the tense of γυρίζω:

Present:
Γυρίζω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος.
– I (usually / now) come back from work tired.
Simple past (aorist):
Γύρισα από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος.
– I came back from work tired (on one occasion / completed event).
Future (simple):
Θα γυρίσω από τη δουλειά κουρασμένος.
– I will come back from work tired.

The adjective κουρασμένος stays the same (assuming the same speaker); only the verb form changes to express time and aspect.

How do you pronounce Γυρίζω and what sound does γ make here?

Γυρίζω is stressed on the -ρί-: Γυ-ΡΙ-ζω.

Approximate pronunciation: [ʝiˈrizo]

Breakdown:

Γ before υ (which here is part of υι / υ with front vowel) is a soft, palatal sound, similar to:
- The y in “yes”, but a bit more fricative.
υ here is like ee in “see”.
ρ is a trilled or tapped r.
ζ = like English z in “zoo”.
ω is like o in “more”, but shorter.

So Γυρίζω sounds roughly like yee-REE-zo, with the main stress on REE.