Δεν μου αρέσει πολλή καφεΐνη το βράδυ, γι’ αυτό αντί για δεύτερο εσπρέσο πίνω τσάι.

Because Greek expresses this idea differently from English.

• μου = to me
• αρέσει = is pleasing / pleases

So μου αρέσει literally means it is pleasing to me.

In this sentence, the thing that is pleasing or not pleasing is πολλή καφεΐνη. So the structure is closer to:

• Δεν μου αρέσει πολλή καφεΐνη = A lot of caffeine is not pleasing to me

This is one of the most important patterns to get used to in Greek.

Because the grammatical subject here is singular: πολλή καφεΐνη.

Even though English might think of a lot of caffeine as a larger quantity, the noun καφεΐνη is still a singular mass noun, so Greek uses singular αρέσει.

Compare:

• Μου αρέσει η μουσική. = I like music.
• Μου αρέσουν τα τραγούδια. = I like songs.

So:

• singular thing → αρέσει
• plural things → αρέσουν

Because πολλή is an adjective here, and it must agree with καφεΐνη.

καφεΐνη is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So the matching form is πολλή.

A useful comparison:

• πολλή καφεΐνη = a lot of caffeine
• πολύ νερό = a lot of water

Here νερό is neuter, so you get πολύ. With feminine καφεΐνη, you get πολλή.

μου is the weak form of the pronoun meaning to me / my, depending on context.

In μου αρέσει, it means to me.

So:

• μου αρέσει = I like literally it pleases me
• μου λείπει = I miss literally it is lacking to me
• μου μιλάει = he/she talks to me

This μου is very common in Greek and often appears before the verb.

In Greek, δεν normally comes before the verb, and weak pronouns like μου also come before the verb. So the usual order is:

• δεν + pronoun + verb

That gives:

• Δεν μου αρέσει

This is the normal, neutral order. English speakers sometimes expect something more like μου δεν αρέσει, but that is not the standard neutral pattern.

το βράδυ means in the evening / at night, depending on context.

Greek very often uses the article in time expressions like this:

• το πρωί = in the morning
• το μεσημέρι = at noon / in the afternoon
• το βράδυ = in the evening / at night

So even though English often has no article in these expressions, Greek commonly does.

Yes. γι’ αυτό is the contracted form of για αυτό.

It means:

• for this
• and very often more naturally therefore / so / that’s why

In writing, the apostrophe shows that the final vowel of για has been dropped before αυτό:

• για αυτό → γι’ αυτό

In this sentence, γι’ αυτό means that’s why.

αντί για means instead of.

It is followed by a noun or noun phrase:

• αντί για καφέ = instead of coffee
• αντί για νερό = instead of water
• αντί για δεύτερο εσπρέσο = instead of a second espresso

This is a very common everyday pattern in Modern Greek.

δεύτερο means second, and it agrees with εσπρέσο.

Here it means a second espresso. There is no article, so it is indefinite, just like English a second espresso.

If you added the article, the meaning would become more specific:

• αντί για δεύτερο εσπρέσο = instead of a second espresso
• αντί για το δεύτερο εσπρέσο = instead of the second espresso

So the version in the sentence is the natural one for a general situation.

Because both are being used in a general, non-specific way.

Greek often leaves out the article with substances, foods, and drinks when speaking generally:

• πίνω τσάι = I drink tea
• πίνω καφέ = I drink coffee
• θέλω νερό = I want water

Similarly:

• πολλή καφεΐνη = a lot of caffeine

If you use the article, it often makes the noun more specific or context-based:

• πίνω το τσάι = I am drinking the tea / the tea

So no article here is natural.

Yes. The present tense here most naturally describes a usual or repeated action.

So αντί για δεύτερο εσπρέσο πίνω τσάι means something like:

• instead of a second espresso, I drink tea
• that’s why I have tea instead of a second espresso

It sounds like a normal habit or preference, not just a one-time action.

If the speaker wanted to emphasize a future one-time choice, Greek might use a future form instead.

This order is natural and clear, but Greek word order is more flexible than English.

The sentence starts with αντί για δεύτερο εσπρέσο to set up the contrast first:

• instead of a second espresso, what do I do?
• πίνω τσάι = I drink tea

This is a very natural way to present the idea. Greek often moves phrases around for emphasis or flow, but this version is neutral and idiomatic.

It can cover both, depending on context.

• το βράδυ often means in the evening
• but in many everyday contexts it can also feel close to at night

In this sentence, because it is about caffeine and drinks, English might translate it as either:

• in the evening
• at night

The exact choice depends more on natural English wording than on a major difference in the Greek here.