Breakdown of Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή και να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα.
Questions & Answers about Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή και να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα.
In Modern Greek, να is a particle that usually introduces a verb in the subjunctive (a kind of “non-factual” or “desired/possible” action).
- Θέλω να αλλάξω… = I want to change…
- Literally: I-want that I-change…
You normally can’t say Θέλω αλλάξω without να. After verbs like θέλω (I want), μπορώ (I can, when it means “be able to”), πρέπει (must), etc., Greek almost always uses να + verb to introduce what you want/need/are able to do.
Greek has two aspects for most verbs:
- Imperfective (continuous): αλλάζω = I change / I am changing (ongoing, repeated)
- Aorist (single, whole event): αλλάξω (subjunctive) = (to) change once / to effect a change
With Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή, the speaker means “I want to make a change (a new diet)”, a more single, decisive act.
If you said Θέλω να αλλάζω διατροφή, it would sound like:
- I want to be changing diet (all the time / habitually) – which is usually not what you mean here.
Διατροφή means:
- diet, in the sense of your overall eating pattern / nutrition, not just a short-term “weight-loss diet”.
In English you say change my diet, but in Greek:
- Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή literally: I want to change (my) diet.
Greek often omits the possessive when it’s obvious whose thing it is:
- Έπλυνα τα χέρια. = I washed (my) hands.
- Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή. = I want to change (my) diet.
You can make it explicit:
- Θέλω να αλλάξω τη διατροφή μου. = I want to change my diet.
This is also perfectly correct and slightly more explicit.
In Greek, when you talk about something in a general, “type of” or lifestyle sense, you can often drop the article:
- Τρώω κρέας. = I eat meat.
- Κάνω γυμναστική. = I exercise.
- Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή. = I want to change (my) diet / my way of eating.
If you say:
- Θέλω να αλλάξω τη διατροφή μου.
you’re still correct; this sounds just a bit more specific and concrete, focusing on your current diet as a defined thing.
Again, this is the aspect difference:
- να τρώω (imperfective subjunctive): to be eating / eat habitually / on a regular basis
- να φάω (aorist subjunctive): to eat once / in one event
Here, the meaning is “I want to eat more fruit (as an ongoing habit)”, so να τρώω is the natural choice.
Compare:
- Θέλω να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα.
I want to eat more fruit (in general, regularly). - Θέλω να φάω ένα φρούτο.
I want to eat a (single) fruit / piece of fruit (now, one time).
Τρώω is the normal modern form of the verb to eat.
- τρώγω is an older / more formal / literary form, rarely used in everyday speech.
So in normal modern Greek you say:
- Τρώω ψωμί. = I eat bread.
- Θέλω να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα. = I want to eat more fruit.
Both mean “more (in quantity)”:
- πιο πολλά φρούτα = more fruit
- περισσότερα φρούτα = more fruit
Differences:
- πιο πολλά is very common in spoken/informal Greek.
- περισσότερα is slightly more formal/neutral and is the standard comparative form of πολύς (much/many).
You can safely say either:
- να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα
- να τρώω περισσότερα φρούτα
Both are correct and natural.
Φρούτα is the neuter plural of το φρούτο (fruit).
Adjectives have to agree in gender, number and case with the noun they modify, so:
- πολύς (masc. sg.)
- πολλή (fem. sg.)
- πολύ (neut. sg.)
- πολλοί (masc. pl.)
- πολλές (fem. pl.)
- πολλά (neut. pl.)
Since φρούτα is neuter plural, you must use πολλά:
- πολλά φρούτα = many/much fruit
- πιο πολλά φρούτα = more fruit
When talking about things in a general, non-specific sense (what you “eat in general”), Greek often drops the article:
- Τρώω κρέας. = I eat meat.
- Πίνω καφέ. = I drink coffee.
- Τρώω φρούτα. = I eat fruit.
If you say τα φρούτα, it sounds more like specific fruits already known from context:
- Φάε τα φρούτα. = Eat the fruit. (these particular fruits)
You can change the order, but you slightly change the focus:
Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή και να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα.
Main idea: I want to change my diet, and part of that is to eat more fruit.Θέλω να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα και να αλλάξω διατροφή.
Main idea: I want to eat more fruit, and also change my diet.
Both are grammatically correct. Word order in Greek is somewhat flexible, but it affects emphasis.
In Greek, when you have two actions that share the same “want”, “can”, “must”, etc., you usually say the main verb only once and connect the να-clauses with και:
- Θέλω να πάω σινεμά και να φάω έξω.
I want to go to the cinema and eat out. - Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή και να τρώω πιο πολλά φρούτα.
I want to change my diet and eat more fruit.
You could say:
- Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή και θέλω να τρώω…
but it sounds more repetitive and less natural in everyday speech.
Yes, Θέλω is present tense, 1st person singular: I want.
Present tense in Greek (like in English) usually expresses:
- a current desire or state:
Θέλω καφέ. = I want coffee (now). - or a more general wish/plan:
Θέλω να αλλάξω διατροφή. = I want to change my diet (in my life, from now on).
Context decides if it’s “right now” or “in general”, but both are expressed with Θέλω in the present tense.
You only need to change the verb θέλω to the 1st person plural:
- Θέλουμε να αλλάξουμε διατροφή και να τρώμε πιο πολλά φρούτα.
Changes:
- Θέλω → Θέλουμε (we want)
- αλλάξω → αλλάξουμε (1st person plural aorist subjunctive)
- τρώω → τρώμε (1st person plural present/imperfective subjunctive)
Yes, τρώω is pronounced as two syllables: [TRO-o].
Historically, it comes from an older form τρώγω, and the spelling with ωω reflects that history. In modern speech you simply say:
- τρώω = /ˈtro.o/
Other examples of double vowels where you still hear two syllables:
- αεικίνητος = /a.iˈcinitos/
- Μάιος = /ˈma.i.os/
So for τρώω, keep the two beats: τρ-ώ-ω.