Κάθομαι στην πολυθρόνα δίπλα στο κομοδίνο και διαβάζω λίγο πριν κοιμηθώ.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• κάθομαι = I sit / I am sitting
• διαβάζω = I read / I am reading
• κοιμηθώ = I fall asleep / I go to sleep in this clause

You would add εγώ only if you wanted emphasis or contrast, like I sit here, not someone else.

It can mean both. The Greek present tense often covers both:

• a current action/state: I am sitting
• a habitual action: I sit

So this sentence could describe:

• what the speaker is doing right now, or
• a usual bedtime routine

Also, κάθομαι often has the sense of I am seated.

Yes, -μαι is a middle/passive-type ending, but κάθομαι is not passive in meaning here. Some Greek verbs commonly use these endings while still having an active or state-like meaning.

So κάθομαι simply means I sit / I am sitting, not I am being sat.

They are contractions:

• σε + την = στην
• σε + το = στο

The preposition σε can mean in, on, at, or to, depending on context.

Here:

• στην πολυθρόνα = in/on the armchair
• στο κομοδίνο = part of δίπλα στο κομοδίνο, next to the nightstand

Also, σε normally takes the accusative case.

δίπλα means next to / beside. A very common pattern is:

• δίπλα σε + noun
• with article contractions: δίπλα στο..., δίπλα στην...

So:

• δίπλα στο κομοδίνο = next to the nightstand
• δίπλα στην πόρτα = next to the door

This is just a standard Greek structure.

• η πολυθρόνα = armchair, feminine
• το κομοδίνο = nightstand / bedside table, neuter

That is why the sentence has:

• στην πολυθρόνα from feminine την
• στο κομοδίνο from neuter το

In these forms, the nouns themselves look the same as the basic dictionary form.

Greek uses definite articles very naturally, often more often than English does. In this sentence, the speaker is talking about specific furniture in a particular setting, so the armchair and the nightstand sound natural.

If you wanted an indefinite meaning, you could say something like:

• σε μια πολυθρόνα = in an armchair
• δίπλα σε ένα κομοδίνο = next to a nightstand

Here λίγο is an adverb, so it modifies διαβάζω.

• διαβάζω λίγο = I read a little
• very naturally in English: I read for a bit

So λίγο does not mean a little book or anything like that here. It is describing the amount or duration of the reading.

After πριν in this kind of sentence, Greek commonly uses the subjunctive for an action that has not happened yet from the speaker’s point of view.

So:

• πριν κοιμηθώ = before I fall asleep / before I go to sleep

κοιμηθώ is the aorist subjunctive form of κοιμάμαι.

You may also see πριν να κοιμηθώ. The να is often omitted here, so πριν κοιμηθώ is completely normal.

κοιμάμαι is the basic verb, meaning I sleep / I am sleeping / I go to sleep, depending on context.

κοιμηθώ is a different form, used here to focus on the single event of falling asleep. That is why πριν κοιμηθώ is best understood as:

• before I fall asleep
• or before I go to sleep

It points to the moment or event, not the ongoing state of already being asleep.

No, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order. The sentence as written is natural and neutral:

Κάθομαι στην πολυθρόνα δίπλα στο κομοδίνο και διαβάζω λίγο πριν κοιμηθώ.

You can move parts around for emphasis, but this version is the most straightforward. English usually depends more on word order, while Greek relies more on endings and structure.