Σήμερα δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό.

Σήμερα means today.

It does not have to come first, but putting it first is very natural when the speaker wants to set the time right away:

• Σήμερα δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό. = Today I didn’t eat a proper breakfast.
• Δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό σήμερα. = I didn’t eat a proper breakfast today.

Both are correct. The position mostly affects emphasis, not the basic meaning.

Δεν is the basic Greek word for not in statements.

In Greek, δεν normally goes directly before the verb:

• δεν έφαγα = I did not eat

So the structure is very similar to English not + verb idea, although Greek does not need a separate helping verb like did.

Έφαγα means I ate.

It is the 1st person singular form of the verb τρώω = I eat.

So:

• τρώω = I eat / I am eating
• έφαγα = I ate

The ending tells you the subject is I, which is why Greek does not need to say εγώ unless it wants extra emphasis.

Because the sentence is talking about a single completed event in the past: what happened today with breakfast.

• έφαγα is the aorist: a simple past, often used for a completed action
• έτρωγα is the imperfect: it suggests an ongoing, repeated, or habitual past action
• τρώω is present tense

So:

• Σήμερα δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό. = Today I didn’t eat a proper breakfast.
• Όταν ήμουν φοιτητής, δεν έτρωγα ποτέ πρωινό. = When I was a student, I never used to eat breakfast.

In this sentence, έφαγα is the natural choice.

That έ- is called the augment, a common feature in many past-tense forms in Greek.

It often appears in past forms, especially when the verb would otherwise be too short or when stress placement requires it.

Compare:

• γράφω = I write

• έγραψα = I wrote

• τρώω = I eat
• έφαγα = I ate

So έφαγα is simply the normal past form of this verb.

Because Greek usually doesn’t need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• έφαγα already means I ate

So εγώ is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό. = I didn’t eat a proper breakfast.
  (possibly implying someone else did)

This is very common in Greek.

Κανονικό literally means normal or regular, but in this sentence it is better understood as:

• proper
• regular
• a real/full

So κανονικό πρωινό does not just mean a breakfast that is not strange. It usually means a proper breakfast, as opposed to just coffee, a biscuit, or something small.

Because κανονικό has to agree with πρωινό.

Πρωινό here is a neuter singular noun, so the adjective must also be neuter singular:

• masculine: κανονικός
• feminine: κανονική
• neuter: κανονικό

Since we have πρωινό, the correct form is κανονικό πρωινό.

Yes, here πρωινό is a noun meaning breakfast.

Greek πρωινό can relate to the morning in different ways depending on context, but in this sentence it clearly means breakfast.

So:

• πρωινό = breakfast

And together:

• κανονικό πρωινό = a proper breakfast

Because Greek often leaves the noun indefinite without any article.

English says:

• a proper breakfast

Greek usually just says:

• κανονικό πρωινό

Greek does have a definite article:

• το κανονικό πρωινό = the proper breakfast

But there is no separate word exactly like English a/an. So the absence of the article often gives an indefinite meaning.

It is the direct object of έφαγα, so it is in the accusative.

However, with many neuter singular nouns and adjectives, the nominative and accusative forms look the same. So even though it is accusative in function, it still appears as:

• κανονικό πρωινό

That is normal.

Not necessarily.

Σήμερα δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό usually means:

• I did not eat a proper/regular breakfast

This often implies the speaker may have had something small, such as coffee or a snack, but not what they consider a real breakfast.

If you wanted to say you ate nothing at all, you might say something stronger, such as:

• Σήμερα δεν έφαγα τίποτα το πρωί. = Today I didn’t eat anything in the morning.

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, though some orders sound more natural in certain contexts.

Possible versions:

• Σήμερα δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό.
• Δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό σήμερα.
• Κανονικό πρωινό δεν έφαγα σήμερα.

These all express roughly the same idea, but the emphasis changes:

• Σήμερα first emphasizes today
• Κανονικό πρωινό first emphasizes that it was specifically a proper breakfast that was missing

A rough pronunciation is:

SEE-me-ra then E-fa-ga ka-no-nee-KO pro-ee-NO

A few helpful notes:

• Σ = s
• δεν sounds like then with a softer th sound, not like English den
• γ in έφαγα is the Greek gamma, a sound that may vary depending on context
• πρωινό is pronounced in three parts: pro-i-no, not as one syllable in the middle

The main stressed syllables are:

• ΣΗμερα
• Εφαγα
• κανονιΚΟ
• πρωιΝΟ

Yes, but it is less neutral.

• Δεν έφαγα κανονικό πρωινό is the most natural general way to say I didn’t eat a proper breakfast
• Δεν έφαγα ένα κανονικό πρωινό can sound more specific or more emphatic, almost as if you are highlighting one proper breakfast

In everyday Greek, the version without ένα is usually the better choice here.