Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο, κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο.

Instead of going to the gym, I take a walk in the park.

Breakdown of Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο, κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο.

• πάω: to go
• σε: to
• σε: in
• το πάρκο: the park
• το γυμναστήριο: the gym
• κάνω βόλτα: to take a walk
• αντί να: instead of

Questions & Answers about Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο, κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο.

What exactly does αντί να mean, and how is it used here?

Αντί να means “instead of (doing something)”.

• αντί on its own = instead of / in place of
  
  • With nouns: αντί ζάχαρης = instead of sugar
• When followed by να + verb, it means “instead of doing X”:
  • αντί να πάω = instead of going (literally “instead that I go”)

So in Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο, αντί να introduces the alternative action that does not happen (going to the gym), contrasted with what actually happens in the second part: κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο.

Why is there a να before πάω? Does Greek have an infinitive like “to go”?

Modern Greek does not really use an infinitive like English “to go, to eat, to see”.

Instead, it uses να + a finite verb form to express many functions that English uses the infinitive for:

• να πάω ≈ “to go / that I go”
• να φάω ≈ “to eat / that I eat”
• να δω ≈ “to see / that I see”

So να πάω is literally a clause “that I go”, but in many contexts it is best translated as “to go”.
In our sentence, αντί να πάω = “instead of going” (literally “instead that I go”).

Why is it πάω and not πηγαίνω? Are they the same?

Both πάω and πηγαίνω mean “I go” and are very closely related.

• πηγαίνω is the more “full” or formal stem.
• πάω is shorter, very common in everyday speech.

In the phrase να πάω, native speakers strongly prefer πάω.
να πηγαίνω also exists, but it usually has a different, more continuous meaning (“to be going repeatedly / to be in the process of going”).

In this sentence:

• Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο – a single act: “Instead of going to the gym (this time / on this occasion)…”

If you said Αντί να πηγαίνω στο γυμναστήριο, it would suggest “instead of regularly going to the gym”, so the nuance changes.

What tense or time does πάω and κάνω express here? Is this present, past, or future?

Both πάω and κάνω are present tense forms:

• (εγώ) πάω = I go
• (εγώ) κάνω = I do / I make

In this specific sentence, they can be understood in a general/habitual or present sense, depending on context:

• Habitual: “Instead of going to the gym, I (typically) walk in the park.”
• Right now: “Instead of going to the gym (now), I’m (going to) walk in the park.”

Greek present tense often covers what English might express with either a simple present or a present progressive / near future, depending on context.

Why is there no “εγώ” (“I”) in the sentence?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• πάω and κάνω have a first‑person singular ending that clearly implies “I”.
• So (εγώ) πάω, (εγώ) κάνω → the εγώ is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis.

If you add εγώ, it emphasizes I:

• Αντί να πάω εγώ στο γυμναστήριο, κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο.
  “Instead of me going to the gym, I walk in the park.” (contrast with someone else)

What does κάνω βόλτα literally mean, and why do we use this phrase instead of just a verb “to walk”?

Literally:

• κάνω = I do / I make
• βόλτα = a walk, a stroll, an outing

So κάνω βόλτα literally is “I do a walk / I make a stroll”, but idiomatically it means “I go for a walk / I take a walk / I go for a stroll”.

You can use a verb like περπατάω (“I walk”), but:

• κάνω βόλτα focuses more on the leisure / outing aspect.
  • κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο = go for a walk/stroll in the park (for pleasure).
  • περπατάω στο πάρκο = I walk in the park (can be neutral: exercise, moving from A to B, etc.)

In this context, κάνω βόλτα nicely matches the idea of a relaxing walk as an alternative to the gym.

What is στο exactly, and why is it used before γυμναστήριο and πάρκο?

στο is a contraction of:

• σε (preposition “in / at / to”)
• το (neuter definite article “the” in the accusative)

So:

• σε + το = στο

In our sentence:

• στο γυμναστήριο = “to the gym / at the gym”
• στο πάρκο = “to the park / in the park”

The preposition σε always takes the accusative case, which is why you see το γυμναστήριο, το πάρκο in that form. Here, σε covers both “to” (direction) and “in/at” (location), and the exact English preposition depends on context.

Why do we say στο γυμναστήριο and στο πάρκο with “the”? Could we say it without the article?

In Greek, using the definite article is far more common than in English. Often, when English says “go to the gym / go to the park”, Greek also uses the article, and it can even show up where English might omit it.

• πάω στο γυμναστήριο – I go to the gym
• κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο – I take a walk in the park

You could say σε γυμναστήριο, σε πάρκο without articles, but that usually sounds like:

• “to a gym / to a park (any gym, any park)” – used when the identity of the place is completely unspecified or not previously known.

In everyday speech, for things like “the gym”, “the park”, “the office”, “the supermarket”, Greek strongly prefers the definite form: στο γυμναστήριο, στο πάρκο, στο γραφείο, στο σούπερ μάρκετ.

What are the genders of γυμναστήριο, πάρκο, and βόλτα, and how do we see that in the sentence?

• γυμναστήριο – neuter noun

  • With article: το γυμναστήριο
  • In the sentence: στο γυμναστήριο (σε + το)

• πάρκο – neuter noun

  • With article: το πάρκο
  • In the sentence: στο πάρκο (σε + το)

• βόλτα – feminine noun

  • With article: η βόλτα
  • In the sentence: κάνω βόλτα (no article used here, it’s like saying “I go for a walk” in general; Greek often drops the article in fixed expressions)

The forms στο γυμναστήριο and στο πάρκο show the neuter article το (inside στο), while βόλτα’s feminine gender is visible in other forms like η βόλτα, της βόλτας, τη βόλτα.

Is the comma after γυμναστήριο necessary?

The comma is normal and recommended here, because the sentence has two clauses:

1. Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο – the subordinate clause (“instead of going to the gym”)
2. κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο – the main clause (“I go for a walk in the park”)

Greek usually separates such clauses with a comma, especially when the first clause comes before the main clause.

You might sometimes see it written without a comma in casual contexts, but with the comma is the standard, clearer punctuation.

How would I say this sentence in the past: “Instead of going to the gym, I went for a walk in the park (yesterday)”?

You need the past (aorist) forms of the verbs:

• πήγα = I went (past of πάω/πηγαίνω)
• έκανα = I did / I made (past of κάνω)

A natural version:

• Αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο, έκανα βόλτα στο πάρκο.

Even though the main action is in the past (έκανα), the να πάω part usually stays in the present subjunctive form; Greek does not say να πήγα here.

If you want to be explicit about “yesterday”:

• Χτες, αντί να πάω στο γυμναστήριο, έκανα βόλτα στο πάρκο.

Is there any difference between βόλτα and περίπατος? Could I say κάνω περίπατο στο πάρκο?

Yes, you can say:

• κάνω περίπατο στο πάρκο – “I go for a walk in the park.”

Differences:

• βόλτα

  • Very common, everyday, slightly more informal.
  • Often suggests a relaxed stroll / outing, sometimes by car or another vehicle as well (e.g. πάμε μια βόλτα με το αυτοκίνητο – let’s go for a drive).

• περίπατος / περίπατο

  • More formal, somewhat old‑fashioned in casual speech, but still used.
  • Often feels a bit more “proper” or literary, though it’s not wrong in normal conversation.

In daily spoken Greek, κάνω βόλτα στο πάρκο is more natural and typical than κάνω περίπατο στο πάρκο.

How do you pronounce the tricky words in this sentence?

Approximate pronunciations (in simple English sounds):

• Αντί – ahn‑DEE
• να – nah
• πάω – PAH‑o (two syllables, like “PA‑oh”)
• στο – stoh
• γυμναστήριο – yeem‑na‑STEE‑ree‑o
• κάνω – KAH‑no
• βόλτα – VOL‑ta
• πάρκο – PAR‑ko

Stress falls on the syllable with the accent mark: Αντί, πάω, γυμναστήριο, κάνω, βόλτα, πάρκο.