Χτες άλλαξα την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη, γιατί είχε έναν μικρό λεκέ από καφέ.

Χτες means yesterday.

Yes, Χτες and χθες mean the same thing.

• χθες is the more traditional spelling
• χτες is a very common modern spelling in everyday Greek

Both are correct, and learners will see both.

Άλλαξα is the aorist form of αλλάζω (to change), and here it means:

I changed

It is:

• 1st person singular = I
• past tense
• completed action

So Χτες άλλαξα... means Yesterday I changed...

Greek often uses the aorist for a single completed event in the past, just like English often uses the simple past.

Because this whole phrase is the direct object of άλλαξα.

The dictionary form is:

• η παλιά παπλωματοθήκη = the old duvet cover

But after a verb like άλλαξα (I changed), the direct object goes into the accusative case:

• η → την
• παλιά stays παλιά
• παπλωματοθήκη stays παπλωματοθήκη

So:

• η παλιά παπλωματοθήκη = subject form
• την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη = object form

It looks the same because this adjective already has the same form in both nominative and accusative for feminine singular.

Here is the pattern:

• η παλιά παπλωματοθήκη
• την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη

So the article changes, but παλιά does not.

This is very common in Greek: sometimes the adjective changes clearly, and sometimes it happens to look the same in different cases.

Παπλωματοθήκη means duvet cover.

It is made from:

• πάπλωμα = duvet / quilt
• θήκη = case / cover / holder

So literally it is something like the cover for a duvet.

It is a feminine noun:

• η παπλωματοθήκη

Because γιατί introduces the reason:

...because it had a small coffee stain.

In Greek, as in English, a comma is often used before a clause introduced by γιατί when it gives an explanation for what came before.

So the structure is:

• main clause: Χτες άλλαξα την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη
• reason clause: γιατί είχε έναν μικρό λεκέ από καφέ

Yes. Γιατί can mean both:

• because
• why

The meaning depends on context.

Here it clearly means because, since it introduces a reason:

• γιατί είχε έναν μικρό λεκέ από καφέ
• because it had a small coffee stain

As a question word, it can mean why:

• Γιατί έφυγες; = Why did you leave?

Because είχε means it had, while ήταν means it was.

Here the idea is that the duvet cover had a stain on it:

• είχε έναν λεκέ = it had a stain

If you said ήταν, you would be describing what it was, not what it possessed.

So:

• είχε έναν μικρό λεκέ = correct for it had a small stain

Είχε is the imperfect of έχω (to have).

Here it means:

• it had
• or more literally, it was having

Greek uses the imperfect here because the stain is treated as a background state or ongoing condition in the past, not as a single completed action.

So the contrast is:

• άλλαξα = a completed action: I changed it
• είχε = a past state/background: it had a stain

That combination is very natural in Greek.

Because this phrase is also a direct object, this time after είχε.

Dictionary form:

• ένας μικρός λεκές = a small stain

But as the object of είχε, it becomes accusative:

• έναν μικρό λεκέ

So the changes are:

• ένας → έναν
• μικρός → μικρό
• λεκές → λεκέ

This is a very useful pattern for masculine nouns and adjectives.

Because λεκές is a masculine noun whose accusative singular drops the final -ς:

• nominative: ο λεκές
• accusative: τον λεκέ

With the indefinite article:

• ένας λεκές
• έναν λεκέ

Many masculine nouns behave like this.

Because από καφέ here means from coffee / caused by coffee in a general sense.

Greek often leaves out the article after από when talking about:

• material
• source
• type
• cause in a general way

So:

• λεκές από καφέ = coffee stain
• literally: stain from coffee

If you said από τον καφέ, it would sound more specific, like a particular coffee that was spilled:

• the coffee

Both can be possible in the right context, but από καφέ is very natural here.

Because Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form or the context.

Here, είχε means it had, and the listener understands that it refers to the old duvet cover.

Greek is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns are often omitted:

• είχε = it had / he had / she had, depending on context

The noun mentioned earlier makes the meaning clear.

Yes. Επειδή can also mean because.

So this would also be possible:

• Χτες άλλαξα την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη, επειδή είχε έναν μικρό λεκέ από καφέ.

In many everyday situations, γιατί is more common and conversational.
Επειδή can sound a bit more explicitly explanatory, but both are normal.

Because in Greek, adjectives often come before the noun, especially in neutral, everyday descriptions.

So:

• παλιά παπλωματοθήκη = old duvet cover
• μικρό λεκέ = small stain

Greek can sometimes place adjectives after the noun, but that may change the emphasis or sound less neutral depending on the phrase. For a learner, adjective-before-noun is a very good default pattern.

In modern Greek, you will see both τη and την in some contexts, but την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη is the standard full form.

The final -ν is often kept before:

• vowels
• certain consonants
• and in careful or standard writing

Since παλιά begins with a consonant, some speakers may say τη παλιά in casual speech, but την παλιά is completely standard and safest for learners to use.

The sentence is:

Χτες άλλαξα την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη, γιατί είχε έναν μικρό λεκέ από καφέ.

A simple breakdown is:

• Χτες = time expression
• άλλαξα = verb
• την παλιά παπλωματοθήκη = object
• γιατί... = reason clause

So the pattern is roughly:

Yesterday + I changed + the old duvet cover + because...

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but this version sounds very natural and straightforward.