Ξεφλουδίζω το μήλο γιατί η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή σήμερα.

Ξεφλουδίζω is 1st person singular, present tense, so it means I peel or I am peeling.

Greek present tense often covers both:

• a general action: I peel
• an action happening now: I am peeling

So the verb ending -ω tells you the subject is I, which is why Greek does not need the pronoun εγώ here.

Greek often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows the person.

So:

• Ξεφλουδίζω = I peel / I am peeling

If you added εγώ, it would usually be for emphasis, like:

• Εγώ ξεφλουδίζω το μήλο... = I am the one peeling the apple...

Greek uses the definite article very often. Here το μήλο means the apple.

• το = the, for a neuter singular noun
• μήλο = apple

Since the sentence is about a specific apple, the definite article is natural.

Also, μήλο is a neuter noun, so it takes το in the singular nominative/accusative.

Because ξεφλουδίζω is a transitive verb: you peel something.

In this sentence, the thing being peeled is the apple, so το μήλο is the direct object.

In Greek, direct objects usually go in the accusative case. Here, το μήλο is accusative, although for this neuter noun the form looks the same as the nominative.

γιατί means because in this sentence.

It introduces the reason:

• Ξεφλουδίζω το μήλο = I am peeling the apple
• γιατί η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή σήμερα = because its peel is very tough today

So γιατί connects the action with the explanation.

A learner should also know that γιατί can mean why? in a question, but here it clearly means because.

This phrase means its peel or more literally the peel of it.

Breakdown:

• η φλούδα = the peel
• του = its / of it

Greek usually places this kind of possessive word after the noun, not before it like English often does.

So:

• English: its peel
• Greek: η φλούδα του

This is a very common Greek pattern.

Because του is the genitive singular form used for a masculine or neuter singular possessor.

Since μήλο is neuter singular, the correct possessive form is του.

So:

• ο φίλος → ο φίλος του = his/its friend
• το μήλο → η φλούδα του = its peel

If the possessor were feminine singular, you would use της instead.

Greek normally keeps the definite article with the noun:

• η φλούδα του = its peel / the peel of it

This is more natural than leaving the article out in a sentence like this.

Greek uses articles more regularly than English, so learners often notice that Greek says:

• the peel of it where English simply says:
• its peel

Because it agrees with φλούδα, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Greek, adjectives agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• η φλούδα = feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular: σκληρή

If the noun were neuter, the adjective would change:

• το μήλο είναι σκληρό = the apple is hard

Here σκληρή means hard, tough, or difficult to bite/cut/peel, depending on context.

With φλούδα, it usually means the peel is tough or hard.

So in natural English, this could be understood as:

• its peel is very tough today

πολύ means very here.

It modifies the adjective:

• σκληρή = hard / tough
• πολύ σκληρή = very hard / very tough

So:

• η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή = its peel is very tough

σήμερα means today, and Greek word order is fairly flexible.

Putting it at the end is completely natural:

• η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή σήμερα

This gives a slight feeling of adding the time detail after the main statement.

You could also move it:

• Σήμερα η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή
• Η φλούδα του σήμερα είναι πολύ σκληρή

But the original version sounds natural and clear.

Its basic meaning is today, but in context it can also feel like at the moment, right now, or on this particular day.

So the sentence suggests that the peel is unusually tough today / at the moment, which is the reason the speaker is peeling the apple.

No, Greek word order is more flexible than English because case endings and verb forms carry a lot of grammatical information.

The original sentence is natural:

• Ξεφλουδίζω το μήλο γιατί η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή σήμερα.

But other orders are also possible, for example:

• Γιατί η φλούδα του είναι πολύ σκληρή σήμερα, ξεφλουδίζω το μήλο.
• Ξεφλουδίζω γιατί η φλούδα του μήλου είναι πολύ σκληρή σήμερα το μήλο.

However, not every rearrangement sounds equally natural. The original is the safest and most idiomatic.

Yes. Both are possible.

• η φλούδα του = its peel
• η φλούδα του μήλου = the peel of the apple

In this sentence, του is enough because the apple has already been mentioned, so the reference is clear. Using του μήλου would be more explicit, but slightly less economical.

Ξεφλουδίζω specifically means to peel, literally to remove the peel/skin.

Καθαρίζω can mean:

• to clean
• to peel, in some food contexts
• more generally to make clean / clear

So ξεφλουδίζω is the more precise verb here because the sentence talks directly about η φλούδα, the peel.

Yes. It is built from the idea of φλούδα = peel/skin, with the prefix ξε-, which often gives a sense of removing or taking off.

So ξεφλουδίζω is very transparent once you know φλούδα:

• φλούδα = peel
• ξεφλουδίζω = peel off / remove the peel

This is a helpful vocabulary pattern in Greek.

The stress is important:

• ξεφλουδίζω
• μήλο
• φλούδα
• σκληρή
• σήμερα

A rough guide:

• Ξεφλουδίζω ≈ kseh-floo-THEE-zo
• μήλο ≈ MEE-lo
• φλούδα ≈ FLOO-tha
• σκληρή ≈ skli-REE
• σήμερα ≈ SEE-me-ra

The written accent marks show which syllable is stressed.