Η Μαρία είπε ότι θα έρθει μετά τη δουλειά.

In Greek, it is very common to use the definite article with a person’s name in ordinary statements.

So Η Μαρία means Maria, not the Maria in the English sense.

Here:

• η = feminine singular nominative article
• Μαρία = the name

This is normal Greek usage:

• Η Μαρία έρχεται. = Maria is coming.
• Ο Γιάννης μιλάει. = Yannis is speaking.

You usually do not use the article in direct address:

• Μαρία, έλα εδώ. = Maria, come here.

Είπε is the aorist form of λέω (to say / tell).

In this sentence, it means said as a single completed action:

• Η Μαρία είπε... = Maria said...

The aorist is very often used for simple past events in Greek.

Compare:

• είπε = said / one completed act
• έλεγε = was saying / used to say / repeated or ongoing in the past

So here the sentence presents Maria’s speaking as one completed event.

Greek very often leaves subject pronouns unstated when they are clear from context.

In English, you would normally say:

• Maria said that she will come...

In Greek, once Η Μαρία has already been mentioned, the second-clause subject is understood:

• θα έρθει = (she) will come

You could add αυτή for emphasis, but normally you do not:

• Η Μαρία είπε ότι αυτή θα έρθει...

That sounds more emphatic, like Maria said that she herself will come...

So the absence of she is completely normal.

Ότι introduces a content clause, like English that in:

• Maria said that...

So:

• είπε ότι θα έρθει = said that she will come

It connects the main clause to what was said.

In everyday Greek, πως can often be used in the same way:

• Η Μαρία είπε πως θα έρθει...

Both are common, though ότι is often taught first and is slightly more neutral/formal in many contexts.

No. They are different words.

• ότι = that
• ό,τι = whatever / anything that

So in your sentence:

• Η Μαρία είπε ότι θα έρθει... means
• Maria said that she will come...

But:

• Η Μαρία είπε ό,τι ήθελε means
• Maria said whatever she wanted

This is a very common point of confusion because they sound the same in normal speech.

Greek forms the future with θα plus a verb form.

Here:

• θα = future marker
• έρθει = the verb form used after θα

So:

• θα έρθει = will come

More specifically, έρθει is the perfective non-past form of έρχομαι. Learners often notice that this does not look like a normal present-tense form such as έρχεται.

That difference matters:

• θα έρθει = she will come as a single whole event
• θα έρχεται = she will be coming / she will come regularly in the right context

In this sentence, a single future arrival is meant, so θα έρθει is the natural form.

Greek does not normally backshift tenses the way English often does.

So after a past verb like είπε, Greek can still keep the future:

• Η Μαρία είπε ότι θα έρθει.

Literally this is Maria said that she will come, but in natural English we usually translate it as:

• Maria said that she would come.

So the Greek sentence is perfectly normal. Greek keeps the future idea directly, while English often shifts it to would in reported speech.

Because μετά meaning after takes the accusative in Modern Greek.

So:

• μετά τη δουλειά = after work

Here:

• τη(ν) = feminine singular accusative article
• δουλειά = accusative singular

Της δουλειάς is genitive, so it would not fit here.

Also, the article appears as τη instead of την because the final -ν is often dropped before certain consonants in normal spelling and speech. So both of these may be seen:

• μετά τη δουλειά
• μετά την δουλειά

In this sentence, τη δουλειά is completely standard and natural.

Here δουλειά most naturally means work in the general sense, as in:

• after work

The word δουλειά can mean:

• work
• job
• task
• sometimes even business / matter, depending on context

But in μετά τη δουλειά, the usual meaning is the everyday routine sense:

• after she finishes work
• after the workday

So this is a very common expression.

Sometimes yes, especially in everyday speech.

You may hear:

• Η Μαρία είπε θα έρθει μετά τη δουλειά.

This is common and understandable.

However, including ότι is very clear and is often better for learners because it shows the structure of the sentence more explicitly:

• Η Μαρία είπε ότι θα έρθει μετά τη δουλειά.

So in careful standard Greek, keeping ότι is absolutely normal.

Greek word order is more flexible than English word order, because the grammar is shown partly through endings.

The sentence as given is the most neutral:

• Η Μαρία είπε ότι θα έρθει μετά τη δουλειά.

But other orders are possible for emphasis:

• Η Μαρία είπε ότι μετά τη δουλειά θα έρθει.
• Μετά τη δουλειά, η Μαρία είπε ότι θα έρθει.

These do not necessarily change the basic meaning, but they can change the focus or emphasis.

So the original order is natural and straightforward, but it is not the only possible order in Greek.