Breakdown of Αυτό το ξενύχτι δεν μου έκανε καλό· ένιωθα όλη μέρα λες και δεν είχα κοιμηθεί ούτε καν μία ώρα.
Questions & Answers about Αυτό το ξενύχτι δεν μου έκανε καλό· ένιωθα όλη μέρα λες και δεν είχα κοιμηθεί ούτε καν μία ώρα.
What does Αυτό το ξενύχτι mean exactly?
ξενύχτι is a noun meaning staying up very late / staying up all night / an all-nighter.
So Αυτό το ξενύχτι means something like:
- this all-nighter
- this staying up late
- this night without sleep
It refers to a specific recent occasion of not sleeping properly.
Why does Greek say αυτό το before the noun? Why both words?
In Greek, it is very common to use:
- demonstrative + article + noun
So:
- αυτό = this
- το = the (neuter singular article)
- ξενύχτι = neuter singular noun
Together, αυτό το ξενύχτι literally looks like this the all-nighter, but in natural English it is simply this all-nighter.
This pattern is normal Greek:
- αυτό το βιβλίο = this book
- αυτή η μέρα = this day
- αυτό το πρόβλημα = this problem
Why is ξενύχτι neuter?
Greek nouns have grammatical gender, and ξενύχτι happens to be neuter. That is why it takes:
- αυτό rather than αυτή or αυτός
- το rather than η or ο
You generally have to learn a noun’s gender as part of the word.
What does δεν μου έκανε καλό mean literally, and how does it work?
Literally, it is:
- δεν = not
- μου = to me / for me
- έκανε = did / made
- καλό = good
So the structure is literally it didn’t do me good, which is a very natural Greek way to say:
- it wasn’t good for me
- it didn’t do me any good
Here, μου is an indirect object clitic meaning to me.
Why is it έκανε and not some form meaning I did?
Because the subject is Αυτό το ξενύχτι.
So the sentence means:
- This all-nighter didn’t do me any good
Since ξενύχτι is third-person singular, the verb is also third-person singular:
- έκανε = it did / it made
If the subject were I, then you would need έκανα.
Why is ένιωθα used instead of ένιωσα?
ένιωθα is the imperfect of νιώθω / αισθάνομαι and shows an ongoing state in the past.
Here it fits because the speaker is describing how they felt throughout the whole day:
- ένιωθα όλη μέρα = I was feeling all day / I felt all day long
If you said ένιωσα, that would sound more like a single completed feeling or moment:
- I felt at a certain point
So ένιωθα is better for a continuing condition.
What is the role of όλη μέρα? Why is it not introduced by a preposition?
όλη μέρα means all day.
In Greek, expressions of duration often appear directly in the accusative, without a preposition. So:
- όλη μέρα = all day
- όλη νύχτα = all night
- τρεις ώρες = for three hours
Literally, όλη μέρα is whole day, but idiomatically it means the whole day / all day long.
What does λες και mean here?
λες και means:
- as if
- like
- as though
In this sentence:
- λες και δεν είχα κοιμηθεί...
- as if I hadn’t slept...
It is a very common colloquial expression in Greek. It introduces an imagined comparison, not necessarily something literally true.
You can think of it as similar to:
- It felt like...
- As if...
Why is it δεν είχα κοιμηθεί? What tense is that?
This is the pluperfect:
- είχα = I had
- κοιμηθεί = past participle form used in perfect tenses
So:
- δεν είχα κοιμηθεί = I had not slept
It is used because the speaker is talking about a past feeling (ένιωθα) and comparing it to an earlier imagined situation:
- I felt all day as if I had not slept...
So the timeline is:
- the imagined lack of sleep
- the feeling during the day
That is why the pluperfect works well here.
Why does κοιμηθεί look different from the basic verb κοιμάμαι?
Greek forms its perfect-type tenses with έχω / είχα + participle.
So from κοιμάμαι (I sleep / I am sleeping), you get:
- έχω κοιμηθεί = I have slept
- είχα κοιμηθεί = I had slept
Even though κοιμάμαι looks like a middle/passive-type verb in form, its meaning here is active in English: sleep.
So κοιμηθεί is just the form required after έχω / είχα in these tenses.
What does ούτε καν μία ώρα mean?
It means:
- not even one hour
Breakdown:
- ούτε = not even / neither
- καν = even
- μία ώρα = one hour
Together, ούτε καν is a strong expression meaning not even.
So:
- δεν είχα κοιμηθεί ούτε καν μία ώρα
- I hadn’t slept even one hour
- more naturally: I hadn’t slept even a single hour
Why is it μία ώρα and not ένα ώρα?
Because ώρα is a feminine noun.
The numeral one agrees in gender:
- masculine: ένας
- feminine: μία / μια
- neuter: ένα
So:
- μία ώρα = one hour
The spelling μία with the accent is often used when the writer wants to make it clearly the numeral one, not just the unstressed article-like form μια.
Is there any special nuance in ούτε καν μία ώρα instead of just μία ώρα?
Yes. It adds emphasis.
Compare:
- δεν είχα κοιμηθεί μία ώρα = I hadn’t slept for an hour
- δεν είχα κοιμηθεί ούτε καν μία ώρα = I hadn’t slept even one hour
The version with ούτε καν sounds stronger and more dramatic. It stresses how little sleep the speaker got.
Why is μου placed before έκανε?
Greek object pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας are usually unstressed clitics and often come before the verb.
So:
- μου έκανε καλό = it did me good
This word order is very normal in Greek. You do not usually place μου after the verb in this kind of sentence.
What is the punctuation mark · doing there?
The mark · is the Greek middle dot.
In modern Greek, it is used somewhat like an English:
- semicolon
- colon
So here it separates two closely related clauses:
- Αυτό το ξενύχτι δεν μου έκανε καλό
- ένιωθα όλη μέρα...
A useful extra note: in Greek, the symbol ; is actually the question mark.
Could this sentence have used σαν να instead of λες και?
Yes, very often Greek could also use σαν να with a very similar meaning:
- λες και δεν είχα κοιμηθεί...
- σαν να μην είχα κοιμηθεί...
Both can mean as if I hadn’t slept...
However, λες και is especially common in spoken, informal Greek and often has a slightly vivid, expressive feel. The sentence as written sounds very natural.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning GreekMaster Greek — from Αυτό το ξενύχτι δεν μου έκανε καλό· ένιωθα όλη μέρα λες και δεν είχα κοιμηθεί ούτε καν μία ώρα to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions