Σήμερα δοκιμάζω να γράψω πέντε φράσεις στα ελληνικά χωρίς λεξικό.

Today I’m trying to write five phrases in Greek without a dictionary.

Breakdown of Σήμερα δοκιμάζω να γράψω πέντε φράσεις στα ελληνικά χωρίς λεξικό.

• να: to
• σήμερα: today
• σε: in
• γράφω: to write

Questions & Answers about Σήμερα δοκιμάζω να γράψω πέντε φράσεις στα ελληνικά χωρίς λεξικό.

What does Σήμερα mean, and why is it at the beginning of the sentence?

Σήμερα means today. It’s an adverb of time, and Greek often places time words at the start to set the scene, but it can also move:

• Δοκιμάζω σήμερα να γράψω… = I’m trying today to write…
  The meaning stays basically the same; the placement mainly affects emphasis and flow.

What tense/person is δοκιμάζω, and who is doing the action?

δοκιμάζω is present tense, 1st person singular: I try / I’m trying.
Greek often omits the subject pronoun (εγώ) because the verb ending already shows the person. If you add it (Εγώ δοκιμάζω…), it usually adds emphasis: I (as opposed to someone else) am trying.

Why is να used after δοκιμάζω?

In modern Greek, να commonly introduces a subjunctive clause, especially after verbs like try, want, can, etc.
So δοκιμάζω να γράψω literally means something like I try (in order) to write—functionally the same as to write in English.

Why is it να γράψω and not να γράφω?