Μετά τη δουλειά θέλω μόνο να πάω σπίτι.

Because μετά here is a preposition, and the noun after it goes in the accusative case.

• η δουλειά = nominative, the dictionary form, the work/job
• τη δουλειά = accusative, used after μετά

So:

• μετά τη δουλειά = after work

Also, δουλειά is a feminine noun, so the accusative singular article is τη(ν).

Here μετά means after.

In Modern Greek, when μετά is used as a preposition before a noun, it normally takes the accusative:

• μετά τη δουλειά
• μετά το μάθημα
• μετά τον καφέ

You may also hear μετά από + accusative:

• μετά από τη δουλειά

Both are possible. Μετά τη δουλειά is very natural and common.

Also note that μετά can sometimes be an adverb meaning later / afterwards, but in this sentence it is clearly a preposition.

Both are related forms of the same article.

The full accusative feminine article is την, but in everyday Modern Greek the final -ν is often dropped before many consonants:

• την δουλειά → τη δουλειά

So τη δουλειά is completely normal.

You will often see both spellings in writing, depending on style, pronunciation, and spelling conventions. For a learner, the important thing is to recognize that both mean the same thing here.

Because θέλω is followed by a subordinate verb phrase introduced by να.

Greek commonly uses:

• θέλω να + verb

So:

• θέλω να πάω = I want to go

This is one of the most basic Greek patterns. English often uses the infinitive (to go), but Modern Greek does not use an infinitive in this way. Instead, it uses να + a finite verb form.

Because after θέλω, Greek normally needs να.

Compare:

• πάω σπίτι = I’m going home / I go home
• θέλω να πάω σπίτι = I want to go home

Without να, the sentence would be ungrammatical in standard Greek after θέλω.

So the structure is:

• θέλω = I want
• να πάω = to go

This is a very common learner question.

In this sentence, να πάω suggests a single, specific trip: going home once, after work.

• θέλω να πάω σπίτι = I want to go home

If you used να πηγαίνω, it would usually sound more like a repeated / habitual / ongoing action:

• θέλω να πηγαίνω σπίτι νωρίς = I want to be going home early / I want to go home early regularly

So in your sentence, πάω is the natural choice because the speaker means one concrete action.

Because Greek often uses σπίτι without a preposition or article in the fixed meaning home, especially with verbs of motion.

So:

• πάω σπίτι = I go home
• γυρίζω σπίτι = I return home

This is similar to English, where we say go home, not usually go to the home.

If you say πάω στο σπίτι, that means more literally I’m going to the house / to the home, and it sounds a bit more concrete or location-focused.

Yes, you can, but the nuance is a little different.

• θέλω μόνο να πάω σπίτι = the natural way to say I just want to go home
• θέλω μόνο να πάω στο σπίτι = also possible, but slightly more literal, like I just want to go to the house/home

In everyday speech, when the idea is simply go home, πάω σπίτι is usually the most idiomatic choice.

Μόνο means only / just.

In this sentence, it limits the speaker’s desire:

• θέλω μόνο να πάω σπίτι = I only / just want to go home

The idea is: that is the only thing the speaker wants at that moment.

In natural English, this is often translated as I just want to go home, even though μόνο literally means only.

Because it naturally modifies the whole action να πάω σπίτι.

So the sentence means:

• I want only one thing: to go home

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but this placement is very natural.

For example:

• θέλω μόνο να πάω σπίτι = I just want to go home

If you move μόνο, the emphasis can shift slightly, even if the overall meaning stays similar.

No, Greek word order is more flexible than English, but some orders sound more natural than others depending on emphasis.

Your sentence:

• Μετά τη δουλειά θέλω μόνο να πάω σπίτι.

This is very natural because Μετά τη δουλειά sets the time frame first: after work.

You could also say:

• Θέλω μόνο να πάω σπίτι μετά τη δουλειά.

That is understandable, but it can sound as if after work is being added later rather than setting the scene from the start.

So the original order is natural and idiomatic.

Here τη δουλειά most naturally means work in the sense of your workday / your job / the period of working.

So:

• μετά τη δουλειά = after work

It usually does not mean after the workplace. Greek uses δουλειά very often in this broad everyday sense, much like English work in after work.

In theory, yes, because δουλειά can mean job/work, but in normal everyday usage μετά τη δουλειά is understood as after work.

So a learner should usually read it as a time expression:

• after work
• once work is finished

That is the most natural interpretation.