Περίμενε λίγο, πίνω μια γουλιά νερό.

Περίμενε is the imperative form of περιμένω (to wait), so it means wait.

In this sentence it is:

• singular
• informal
• used when speaking to one person you would address as εσύ

If you were speaking to:

• more than one person, or
• one person formally

you would say Περιμένετε instead.

So:

• Περίμενε λίγο = Wait a bit
• Περιμένετε λίγο = Wait a bit (plural/formal)

Here λίγο means a little / for a bit / for a moment.

It modifies Περίμενε, not νερό. So the idea is:

• Περίμενε λίγο = Wait a moment
• not drink a little water

This is very common in Greek. With imperatives, λίγο often softens the command and makes it sound more natural.

Not exactly. Its meaning depends on what it goes with.

In this sentence:

• Περίμενε λίγο = Wait a little / for a moment

But compare:

• πίνω λίγο νερό = I’m drinking a little water
• μίλα λίγο πιο αργά = speak a little more slowly

So λίγο can refer to:

• duration: for a bit
• quantity: a little
• degree: a bit

Modern Greek does not usually make a separate grammatical distinction like English I drink vs I am drinking.

The present tense πίνω can mean:

• I drink
• I’m drinking

The context tells you which one is meant.

Here, because the speaker says wait a moment, the natural reading is:

• πίνω μια γουλιά νερό = I’m taking a sip of water / I’m drinking a sip of water

So Greek uses the simple present where English often prefers the progressive.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• πίνω μια γουλιά νερό = I’m taking a sip of water
  The action is happening now.

• θα πιω μια γουλιά νερό = I’ll drink / I’m going to drink a sip of water
  This sounds more future-oriented.

• να πιω μια γουλιά νερό can work in a sentence like
  Περίμενε λίγο, να πιω μια γουλιά νερό
  This means something like Wait a second, let me take a sip of water.

So πίνω describes the ongoing action, while να πιω often sounds more like let me drink / so I can drink.

Μια here means a or one and goes with the feminine noun γουλιά.

Both μια and μία are correct in Modern Greek. In everyday writing and speech, μια is extremely common. Μία can look a bit more formal or emphatic.

So:

• μια γουλιά = a sip
• μία γουλιά = also a sip, with no real change in basic meaning here

Γουλιά means sip.

Its dictionary form is:

• η γουλιά = the sip

In this sentence:

• μια γουλιά = a sip

So the phrase πίνω μια γουλιά νερό literally means something like:

• I drink a sip of water

In natural English, you would usually say:

• I’m taking a sip of water

In Modern Greek, after words for containers, amounts, or portions, it is very common to use a bare noun like this:

• ένα ποτήρι νερό = a glass of water
• ένα φλιτζάνι καφέ = a cup of coffee
• μια γουλιά νερό = a sip of water

So νερό appears without an article here because it is part of this very common pattern.

You can also use από in some contexts, especially when you mean from a specific thing:

• μια γουλιά από το νερό = a sip from the water

That sounds more specific. In your sentence, μια γουλιά νερό is the normal general way to say a sip of water.

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

However, with this noun phrase, you do not see much visible change:

• η γουλιά = nominative
• τη γουλιά / μια γουλιά = accusative

For feminine nouns like γουλιά, the noun itself often looks the same in nominative and accusative singular. The article changes more clearly than the noun.

So even if the form looks simple, grammatically it is functioning as the object of the verb.

No. Greek word order is fairly flexible.

This version:

• Περίμενε λίγο, πίνω μια γουλιά νερό.

sounds natural because it gives:

1. the request first
2. the reason second

That is very normal in conversation.

Other orders are possible, but they may shift the emphasis:

• Πίνω μια γουλιά νερό, περίμενε λίγο.

This is still understandable, but it puts the action first and may sound a bit different in rhythm or emphasis.

The comma separates two short parts of the utterance:

• Περίμενε λίγο
• πίνω μια γουλιά νερό

The first is a request, and the second explains why.

In speech, you would normally hear a short pause there. So the comma helps reflect the natural spoken rhythm.

You would use Περιμένετε instead of Περίμενε:

• Περιμένετε λίγο, πίνω μια γουλιά νερό.

That can mean:

• Wait a moment when talking to several people
• Wait a moment when speaking politely to one person

Everything else in the sentence stays the same.

A rough pronunciation is:

• peh-REE-meh-neh LEE-gho, PEE-no mia ghoo-LYA neh-RO

A few helpful notes:

• ρί in Περίμενε carries the stress
• λί in λίγο carries the stress
• πί in πίνω carries the stress
• λιά in γουλιά carries the stress
• ρό in νερό carries the stress

Also:

• γ before back vowels like ο, ου is not an English g; it is a softer throat sound
• λιά in γουλιά sounds roughly like lya

So γουλιά is approximately ghoo-LYA.