Σήμερα θέλω ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• Σήμερα = today
• θέλω = I want
• ψητό = roasted / grilled / cooked on the grill
• κοτόπουλο = chicken
• με = with
• ρύζι = rice

So the structure is basically:

Today + I want + roast/grilled chicken + with rice

Yes, it can move.

Greek word order is often more flexible than English. Σήμερα is placed first here because it sets the time right away: Today, I want...

You could also say:

• Θέλω σήμερα ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι.
• Θέλω ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι σήμερα.

All of these are possible, but the emphasis changes slightly.

• Σήμερα θέλω... = emphasis on today
• Θέλω... σήμερα = today sounds more like an added detail at the end

Greek often uses θέλω directly with a noun when talking about what someone wants.

So:

• Θέλω ψητό κοτόπουλο. = I want roast chicken.

You do not need to say to eat unless you specifically want to emphasize the action of eating.

If you wanted to say I want to eat roast chicken, that would be:

• Θέλω να φάω ψητό κοτόπουλο.

But in everyday speech, especially when ordering food or saying what you feel like having, θέλω + food item is completely natural.

Because ψητό has to agree with κοτόπουλο, and κοτόπουλο is neuter singular.

Greek adjectives change form to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• case

Here are the basic singular forms of this adjective:

• ψητός = masculine
• ψητή = feminine
• ψητό = neuter

Since κοτόπουλο is neuter, the adjective must also be neuter:

• ψητό κοτόπουλο

Yes. In Greek, grammatical gender is not always the same as biological sex.

κοτόπουλο is a neuter noun, so it takes:

• neuter articles: το κοτόπουλο
• neuter adjectives: ψητό κοτόπουλο

This is just how the noun behaves grammatically.

Greek often leaves out the article in contexts where English might also leave it out, especially when talking about food in a general or menu-like way.

So:

• Θέλω ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι. = I want roast chicken with rice.

This sounds natural.

You could also say:

• Θέλω το ψητό κοτόπουλο με το ρύζι.

But that sounds more specific, as if you mean a particular chicken dish and a particular rice serving.

In food orders and simple statements of preference, dropping the article is very common.

The preposition με means with and normally takes the accusative case.

So in grammar terms, ρύζι is in the accusative here.

However, with many neuter singular nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are the same. That is why you do not see any change:

• nominative: το ρύζι
• accusative: το ρύζι

So the case is there grammatically, but the form stays the same.

Usually it means served with rice or accompanied by rice.

In food descriptions, με often works like English with in phrases such as:

• chicken with rice
• fish with potatoes
• salad with cheese

It does not necessarily mean the foods are physically mixed together. Context tells you that it is probably a side dish or accompaniment.

Yes, Greek can place the adjective after the noun too:

• ψητό κοτόπουλο
• κοτόπουλο ψητό

Both are possible.

In many everyday contexts, ψητό κοτόπουλο is the more neutral, straightforward order. Putting the adjective after the noun can sometimes sound a bit more descriptive, contrastive, or stylistically marked, depending on context.

For a learner, ψητό κοτόπουλο is the safest default.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

SEE-me-ra THE-lo psi-TO ko-TO-pou-lo me RI-zi

A few useful notes:

• Σ = s
• θ in θέλω sounds like th in think
• ψ sounds like ps
• γ is not present here, so everything is fairly straightforward
• the accented syllable is the stressed one:
  • Σήμερα
  • θέλω
  • ψητό
  • κοτόπουλο
  • ρύζι

It can be natural, but it may sound a little direct depending on tone and situation.

If you are simply stating what you want, Θέλω ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι is understandable and common.

If you want to sound more polite, you could say:

• Θα ήθελα ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι. = I would like roast chicken with rice.
• Μπορώ να έχω ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι; = Can I have roast chicken with rice?

So θέλω is not wrong, but θα ήθελα is often the more polite choice.

Because Greek usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.

θέλω by itself already means I want.

So:

• θέλω = I want
• θέλεις = you want
• θέλει = he/she/it wants

You can add εγώ only if you want emphasis:

• Εγώ θέλω ψητό κοτόπουλο με ρύζι.

That would sound like I want roast chicken with rice, possibly contrasting with what someone else wants.