Αν κερδίσουμε τον αγώνα, θα πάμε όλοι μαζί στο εστιατόριο.

to go

Breakdown of Αν κερδίσουμε τον αγώνα, θα πάμε όλοι μαζί στο εστιατόριο.

• μαζί: together
• σε: to
• θα: will

Questions & Answers about Αν κερδίσουμε τον αγώνα, θα πάμε όλοι μαζί στο εστιατόριο.

Why is Αν used here instead of Όταν? Aren’t they both “if/when”?

Both αν and όταν can relate to conditions/time, but they’re not interchangeable here.

• Αν κερδίσουμε τον αγώνα = If we win the match

  • Expresses a real possibility, but not certain.
  • The winning is a condition for what follows.

• Όταν κερδίσουμε τον αγώνα = more like When we win the match

  • Sounds as if winning is expected or taken for granted.
  • Often implies “at the time that we win”.

In this sentence, the idea is conditional (“if we win”), so αν is the natural choice.

You may also see εάν, which is a slightly more formal/complete version of αν, with the same meaning here:

• Εάν κερδίσουμε τον αγώνα, θα πάμε…

What exactly is the form κερδίσουμε? Which tense/mood is it?

Κερδίσουμε is:

• the aorist subjunctive, 1st person plural, of the verb κερδίζω (“to win”).
• It usually appears after words like αν, να, θα, etc.

Why aorist subjunctive?

• The aorist here expresses the action as a single, complete event (“win once”).
• The subjunctive (after αν) expresses something that is possible/uncertain, not a fact.

So Αν κερδίσουμε literally is “If we (should) win (as a single event) …”.
If you used the present tense (αν κερδίζουμε), it would sound like “if we are winning (as an ongoing state)”, which doesn’t fit normal usage here.