Breakdown of Έστω κι αν αργήσει, θα περιμένουμε.
περιμένω
to wait
θα
will
έστω κι αν
even if
αργώ
to be delayed
Questions & Answers about Έστω κι αν αργήσει, θα περιμένουμε.
What does Έστω κι αν mean as a whole?
As a fixed expression, Έστω κι αν means even if or even though in a somewhat formal or literary way.
- έστω by itself originally means something like let it be or granted
- together with κι αν, the whole phrase works as a concessive expression: even if
So in this sentence, you should learn Έστω κι αν as one chunk rather than trying to translate each word separately every time.
Why is it κι and not και?
κι is a very common shortened form of και.
Before a vowel, Greek often prefers κι in natural speech and writing:
- κι αν
- κι εγώ
- κι αυτός
So κι αν here is completely normal. You could also see και αν, but κι αν is more idiomatic in this kind of expression.
Why is the verb αργήσει and not αργεί or θα αργήσει?