Condition: αν, εάν, άμα, σαν | Greek Grammar

A conditional conjunction presents a circumstance under which another situation holds. Αν is the default “if,” while εάν, άμα, and restricted σαν add register or viewpoint. Greek also has dedicated expressions for “unless” and for repeated occasions where time and condition overlap.

αν: the standard choice

Αν is neutral in speech and writing. Use it whenever English uses an ordinary condition and no special register effect is intended.

Αν κάνει κρύο, θα ανάψουμε τη θέρμανση.

an káni krío, tha anápsume ti thérmansi

If it gets cold, we'll turn on the heating.

Αν βρέχει, παίρνω ομπρέλα.

an vréchi, pérno obréla

If it's raining, I take an umbrella.

The first condition looks toward one possible situation and its result; the second describes a recurring real situation with imperfective βρέχει. The conjunction does not itself mean “future” or “habitual”—aspect and the rest of the sentence create that reading.

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Inside a real future condition, Greek normally places a bare dependent form or present-form predicate after αν and puts θα in the result: αν κάνει κρύο, θα ανάψουμε τη θέρμανση. The condition is a possibility, not a future assertion.

εάν: a more formal if

Εάν has the same conditional meaning as αν but is favored in instructions, official notices, agreements, and careful argument (formal). It does not require a different tense system.

Εάν επιθυμείτε να ακυρώσετε την κράτηση, επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας.

eán epithimíte na akirósete tin krátisi, epikinoníste mazí mas

If you wish to cancel the reservation, contact us. (formal)

Using εάν in relaxed conversation is grammatical, but it can sound ceremonious. Conversely, αν remains fully acceptable in serious prose; εάν is a register option, not a marker of greater logical precision.

άμα: conversational if and when

Άμα is a very common conversational “if/when” (informal). It is especially natural when the condition is expected or when its fulfillment also identifies the time of the result.

Άμα τελειώσεις, πάρε με τηλέφωνο.

áma teliósis, páre me tiléfono

When/if you finish, give me a call. (informal)

This overlap is meaningful. Finishing is both the condition for calling and the time at which the call should happen. English forces a choice between if and when; Greek άμα comfortably straddles them.

σαν: restricted colloquial uses

Plain σαν is best known as “like/as,” but in colloquial or folk-style narration it can mean temporal “when,” particularly with a past event (informal).

Σαν ήμουν παιδί, περνούσα τα καλοκαίρια στο νησί.

san ímun pedhí, pernúsa ta kalokéria sto nisí

When I was a child, I spent the summers on the island. (informal/narrative)

It also has a colloquial conditional use, often with a proverbial or decisive tone (informal).

Σαν θέλει, βρίσκει τρόπο.

san théli, vríski trópo

If he wants to, he finds a way. (informal)

This does not make σαν a general neutral replacement for αν. Learners should produce αν by default and recognize conditional or temporal σαν in speech, songs, and narrative.

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Treat conditional σαν as a recognition form first. It is real colloquial Greek, but replacing every αν with σαν would create an intentionally folk-like or proverbial voice rather than ordinary neutral speech.

Σαν να is a separate comparative construction meaning “as if.”

Μιλάει σαν να ξέρει τα πάντα.

milái san na kséri ta pánda

He talks as if he knows everything.

Its comparison with όπως belongs to όπως and σαν.

“Unless”: εκτός αν and παρά μόνο αν

Εκτός αν is the neutral “unless”: it states the exception that would cancel the main outcome.

Θα πάμε στην παραλία, εκτός αν βρέξει.

tha páme stin paralía, ektós an vréksi

We'll go to the beach unless it rains.

Παρά μόνο αν means “unless / except only if” and makes the condition sound more exclusive or emphatic. It is often more deliberate than neutral εκτός αν, but it is not confined to formal prose.

Δεν υπογράφω παρά μόνο αν μου εξηγήσεις όλους τους όρους.

dhen ipoghráfo pará móno an mu eksiyísis ólus tus órus

I won't sign unless you explain all the terms to me. (emphatic)

With εκτός αν, do not automatically add a negative because English unless feels negative. The conjunction already means “except if”; whether its own clause is positive or negative depends on the intended logic.

Whenever: time shading into condition

Όποτε and κάθε φορά που introduce repeated occasions. Each occasion also functions as a condition for the main event, so the boundary between temporal and conditional meaning is naturally blurred.

Όποτε χρειάζεσαι βοήθεια, τηλεφώνησέ μου.

ópote chriázese voíthia, tilefónisé mu

Whenever you need help, call me.

Κάθε φορά που αργεί το λεωφορείο, χάνω τη σύνδεση.

káthe forá pu aryí to leoforío, cháno ti síndhesi

Every time the bus is late, I miss my connection.

Άμα occupies the same border in conversational Greek: what is a condition from the standpoint of logic can be a time from the standpoint of sequence.

Tense patterns: only the map

For a real or open condition, a present/imperfective form or a perfective dependent form in the αν-clause commonly pairs with a present, imperative, or future result. For a present unreal condition, a past imperfective form commonly pairs with θα + past imperfective.

Αν είχα χρόνο, θα ερχόμουν μαζί σας.

an ícha chróno, tha erchómun mazí sas

If I had time, I would come with you.

A past counterfactual commonly uses αν + past perfect and θα + past perfect.

Αν είχα φύγει νωρίτερα, θα είχα προλάβει το τρένο.

an ícha fíyi norítera, tha ícha prolávi to tréno

If I had left earlier, I would have caught the train.

These are only signposts. The three main types and their tense logic belong to the conditionals overview; mixed, να-based, and asyndetic conditions belong to conditional types.

Source-language comparison

English mainly varies if, unless, when, and whenever. Greek additionally uses register to position the speaker: εάν sounds official, άμα conversational, and σαν colloquial or narrative. The tense systems are also not mirror images: English often uses a grammatical past to mark remoteness, while Greek organizes the contrast through its own past forms and θα-constructions.

Common Mistakes

1. Adding ότι after εάν. Εάν itself introduces the condition.

❌ Εάν ότι αλλάξει η ώρα, θα σας ενημερώσουμε.

Incorrect—do not add the factual complementizer ότι after εάν.

✅ Εάν αλλάξει η ώρα, θα σας ενημερώσουμε.

eán aláksi i óra, tha sas enimerósume

If the time changes, we will inform you. (formal)

2. Stacking άμα and αν. Choose one conditional conjunction.

❌ Άμα αν τελειώσεις, πάρε με τηλέφωνο.

Incorrect—άμα already means ‘if/when.’

✅ Άμα τελειώσεις, τηλεφώνησέ μου.

áma teliósis, tilefónisé mu

When you finish, call me. (informal)

3. Adding να after εκτός αν. Αν directly licenses the conditional verb form.

❌ Θα έρθω, εκτός αν να αργήσω στη δουλειά.

Incorrect—after εκτός αν, use the conditional verb directly.

✅ Θα έρθω, εκτός αν αργήσω στη δουλειά.

tha értho, ektós an aryíso sti dhuliá

I'll come unless I get held up at work.

4. Dropping αν from εκτός αν. The neutral “unless” linker is the complete expression εκτός αν.

❌ Θα πάμε στην παραλία, εκτός βρέξει.

Incorrect—εκτός needs αν before a conditional clause.

✅ Θα πάμε στην παραλία, εκτός αν βρέξει δυνατά.

tha páme stin paralía, ektós an vréksi dhinatá

We'll go to the beach unless it rains heavily.

Key Takeaways

Αν is the neutral default; εάν is formal but follows the same grammar.
Άμα is conversational “if/when.”
Plain σαν has restricted informal temporal and conditional uses; σαν να separately means “as if.”
Εκτός αν and more emphatic παρά μόνο αν mean “unless.”
Όποτε and κάθε φορά που show where repeated time becomes a condition.
Full conditional tense systems belong to the Sentences pages; this page maps the conjunction inventory and register.

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