Το καθαριστήριο στη γωνία είναι ακριβό, οπότε έπλυνα μόνη μου το παλτό και άνοιξα τη σιδερώστρα μετά.

Το καθαριστήριο usually means the dry cleaner’s / cleaning shop.

A few useful points:

• It is a neuter singular noun, so it takes το.
• It comes from καθαρίζω = to clean.
• In real life, people may use it a little broadly, but in this sentence dry cleaner’s is the most natural meaning.

So the idea is that the professional cleaning place was too expensive.

Στη is just the contracted form of σε τη.

So:

• σε τη γωνία → στη γωνία

This is extremely common in Modern Greek.

Also, after σε, Modern Greek normally uses the accusative, even for location. So γωνία here is accusative singular.

A key thing for English speakers: Modern Greek does not use a separate dative case the way Ancient Greek did. Location and direction are often both expressed with σε + accusative.

Because it agrees with το καθαριστήριο, which is neuter singular.

So:

• ο ακριβός = masculine
• η ακριβή = feminine
• το ακριβό = neuter

Even though ακριβό comes after είναι, it still agrees with the subject:

• Το καθαριστήριο είναι ακριβό.

That is exactly like saying The dry cleaner’s is expensive.

Here, οπότε means so / therefore / as a result.

In this sentence:

• Το καθαριστήριο... είναι ακριβό, οπότε...
• The dry cleaner’s... is expensive, so...

But οπότε can also mean when / whenever in other contexts.

So it is a word whose meaning depends on context:

• Result: so
• Time: when / whenever

Here, because the second clause is the consequence of the first one, so is the right meaning.

They are in the aorist, which is the usual Greek tense for a completed past action.

So:

• έπλυνα = I washed
• άνοιξα = I opened / unfolded

The speaker is describing specific finished actions:

1. she washed the coat
2. she opened the ironing board afterwards

That is why the aorist fits well.

If the sentence were describing something ongoing, habitual, or repeated in the past, Greek would more likely use the imperfect instead.

Because Greek usually does not need a subject pronoun when the verb ending already shows the person.

For example:

• έπλυνα already means I washed
• άνοιξα already means I opened

So εγώ is often omitted unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Εγώ έπλυνα το παλτό, όχι εκείνη.
• I washed the coat, not her.

In your sentence, there is no need for that emphasis, so Greek naturally leaves εγώ out.

Μόνη μου is the natural way to say by myself / myself for a female speaker.

Here is how it works:

• μόνη = alone, feminine singular
• μου = my, but in this pattern it helps form the meaning myself / on my own

So:

• μόνη μου = by myself or on my own

If the speaker were male, it would be:

• μόνος μου

This expression changes for gender and number:

• μόνος μου = I myself, masculine
• μόνη μου = I myself, feminine
• μόνοι μας = we ourselves, masculine/mixed
• μόνες μας = we ourselves, feminine

Just μόνη can mean alone, but μόνη μου is the more idiomatic choice when English would say myself or on my own.

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible.

Your sentence has:

• έπλυνα μόνη μου το παλτό

But you could also hear:

• μόνη μου έπλυνα το παλτό
• έπλυνα το παλτό μόνη μου

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes a little.

• Putting μόνη μου earlier can emphasize I did it myself
• Putting it later can sound a bit more like an added detail

The version in your sentence is very natural.

Greek often leaves possession unstated when it is obvious from context.

Here, it is easy to understand that the speaker means her own coat, so Greek does not have to say μου.

So:

• το παλτό = the coat
• but in context it can easily mean my coat

Also, παλτό is a neuter noun, and it is one of those nouns whose form does not change much. The article often carries a lot of the grammatical information.

If the speaker wanted to be more explicit, she could say:

• έπλυνα μόνη μου το παλτό μου

That is also correct, just a bit more explicit.

Both are possible in principle, but τη σιδερώστρα is the normal form here.

The full accusative article is την, but the final -ν is often dropped before certain consonants.

Since σιδερώστρα begins with σ, dropping the -ν is very common:

• τη σιδερώστρα

You will often see the -ν kept before vowels and certain consonants, but before σ it is very normal to omit it.

So this is not a different article; it is just the usual shortened form in context.

Yes, it is natural.

In Greek, ανοίγω is used not only for things like doors and windows, but also for things that fold out or unfold.

So with an ironing board, άνοιξα τη σιδερώστρα means something like:

• I opened it up
• I unfolded it
• I set up the ironing board

That is a normal Greek way to say it.

Here μετά means afterwards / later.

Used by itself, μετά often works as an adverb:

• άνοιξα τη σιδερώστρα μετά
• I opened the ironing board afterwards

If you want to say after + noun, you usually say:

• μετά από
  • noun

For example:

• μετά από το φαγητό = after the meal

As for position, Greek often places time words like μετά at the end very naturally. You could move it, but the end position sounds completely normal here.

Yes. The structure is very natural:

• first clause: Το καθαριστήριο... είναι ακριβό
• result: οπότε
• then two completed actions joined by και

So the sentence means:

1. the dry cleaner’s was expensive
2. therefore, I washed the coat myself
3. and then I opened the ironing board

Greek often strings actions together this way, especially in everyday narration. It sounds straightforward and natural.

Not in the same way.

Here, το καθαριστήριο στη γωνία means:

• the dry cleaner’s on the corner

That is a noun followed by a location phrase.

Compare:

• το καθαριστήριο στη γωνία = the dry cleaner’s on the corner
• στο καθαριστήριο = at/to the dry cleaner’s
• του καθαριστηρίου = of the dry cleaner’s

So:

• στη γωνία tells you where the dry cleaner’s is
• στο καθαριστήριο would mean at the dry cleaner’s
• του καθαριστηρίου would be a genitive phrase meaning of the dry cleaner’s

Your sentence specifically needs the dry cleaner’s that is on the corner, so στη γωνία is the right choice.