Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.

I often stay at home when it is cold.

Breakdown of Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.

• το σπίτι: the home
• όταν: when
• συχνά: often
• κάνω: to make
• μένω: to remain
• το κρύο: the cold

Questions & Answers about Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.

Why is there no subject pronoun εγώ (I) in Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο?

In Greek, subject pronouns (like εγώ, εσύ, αυτός) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Μένω = I stay / I live
• The -ω ending tells us it’s 1st person singular (“I”).

So Μένω συχνά σπίτι... already means I often stay at home....
You only add εγώ for emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο, εσύ βγαίνεις έξω.
  I often stay home when it’s cold, you go out.

Why is there no article before σπίτι? Why not το σπίτι?

In this sentence, σπίτι is used almost like an adverb, meaning “at home”, not “the house” as a physical object.

• Μένω σπίτι ≈ I stay (at) home
• Μένω στο σπίτι = I stay in the house / at the house (more literal, with στο = σε + το)

Greek often drops the article when a noun is used in this more “adverb-like” way:

• πάω σπίτι – I’m going home
• είμαι σπίτι – I’m at home

If you say:

• Μένω στο σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο,
  it’s still correct and natural; it just sounds a bit more concrete: I stay at the house when it’s cold.

What is the difference between σπίτι, στο σπίτι, and σπίτι μου?

They’re all related but not identical:

• σπίτι
  Used here as “home” in the sense of “at home”:

  • Μένω σπίτι. – I stay home.

• στο σπίτι (σε + το σπίτι)
  Literally “in/at the house”; a bit more spatial/physical:

  • Μένω στο σπίτι. – I stay at the house / in the house.

• σπίτι μου
  Literally “my home / my house”:

  • Μένω σπίτι μου. – I stay at my home.
  • Είμαι σπίτι μου. – I’m at my place.

All three can often translate as home in English, but σπίτι μου is clearly “my place”, and στο σπίτι highlights the location more concretely.

What exactly does μένω mean here? Is it “live” or “stay”?

Μένω can mean both “I live” and “I stay / I remain”, depending on context.

• Ζω στην Αθήνα. / Μένω στην Αθήνα. – I live in Athens.
• Μένω σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο. – I stay home when it’s cold.

In your sentence, because it’s about what you do on cold days (a temporary, repeated situation), μένω is understood as “I stay (at home)”, not “I live at home (permanently)”.

Why is συχνά placed after μένω? Can it go somewhere else?

Συχνά means “often”, and its position is fairly flexible. All of these are possible:

• Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
• Συχνά μένω σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
• Μένω σπίτι συχνά όταν κάνει κρύο.

They’re all grammatical and mean I often stay home when it’s cold, with small differences in emphasis:

• Συχνά μένω σπίτι... – slightly stronger focus on often.
• Μένω συχνά σπίτι... – very neutral, common.
• Μένω σπίτι συχνά... – draws attention a bit more to home and then to often.

The most typical neutral options are:

• Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
• Συχνά μένω σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.

What does συχνά mean exactly, and how is it different from συνήθως?

• συχνά = often, frequently
  — it talks about how frequently something happens.

• συνήθως = usually, generally
  — it talks about what normally happens, your usual habit.

Compare:

• Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
  I often stay home when it’s cold (many times, but not necessarily the majority).
• Συνήθως μένω σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
  I usually stay home when it’s cold (that’s my normal pattern).

Why is μένω in the present tense? Shouldn’t it be something like a “habitual” tense?

Modern Greek doesn’t have a separate “simple present” vs “present continuous” the way English does. The present tense in Greek (μένω) covers:

• I stay (habit)
• I am staying (right now)

So:

• Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
  is naturally understood as a habitual action:
  I often stay home when it’s cold.

Context (“when it’s cold”) makes it clearly about a repeated habit, not one specific moment.

What does κάνει κρύο literally mean? Why use κάνει for weather?

Literally, κάνει κρύο means “it makes cold”, but idiomatically it means “it is cold (weather)”.

Greek often uses κάνει (“it does / makes”) for weather expressions:

• Κάνει κρύο. – It’s cold.
• Κάνει ζέστη. – It’s hot / It’s warm.
• Κάνει ήλιο. – It’s sunny.
• Κάνει αέρα. – It’s windy.

So όταν κάνει κρύο is the normal way to say “when it’s cold (outside)”.

Can I also say όταν έχει κρύο or όταν είναι κρύο?

You might hear έχει κρύο, but κάνει κρύο is more standard and natural.

• Όταν κάνει κρύο – most common and idiomatic: when it’s cold (weather).
• Όταν έχει κρύο – also used, but a bit less standard; still understandable.
• Όταν είναι κρύο – sounds incomplete; Greek prefers something like:
  • Όταν είναι κρύος ο καιρός. – when the weather is cold.

For everyday speech, use όταν κάνει κρύο.

Is the word order Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο fixed, or can I move όταν κάνει κρύο to the front?

You can move the όταν-clause to the beginning without changing the meaning:

• Μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
• Όταν κάνει κρύο, μένω συχνά σπίτι.

Both mean I often stay home when it’s cold.
Starting with Όταν κάνει κρύο just puts a bit more emphasis on the condition (“Whenever it’s cold...”).

How would I say the negative: “I don’t often stay home when it’s cold”?

You use δεν before the verb:

• Δεν μένω συχνά σπίτι όταν κάνει κρύο.
  = I don’t often stay home when it’s cold.

Basic pattern for negation in the present is:

• δεν + [verb]
  
  • Δεν μένω σπίτι. – I don’t stay home.
  • Δεν πηγαίνω έξω. – I don’t go out.

Why does σπίτι have an accent mark on the first syllable?

In Greek, the accent mark (΄) shows stress, not vowel length.
Σπίτι is stressed on the first syllable: ΣΠΙ-τι.

• It’s written: σπίτι (not σπιτί).
• The accent mark always appears on the stressed syllable in multi-syllable words:
  • μέ-νω
  • συ-χνά
  • ό-ταν
  • κρύ-ο

So the accent mark simply tells you where to put the stress when pronouncing the word.

How would I say “I often stay at my home when it’s cold” more explicitly?

You can specify “my home” with σπίτι μου:

• Μένω συχνά σπίτι μου όταν κάνει κρύο.
  = I often stay at my home when it’s cold.

Or, a bit more explicit/physical:

• Μένω συχνά στο σπίτι μου όταν κάνει κρύο.
  = I often stay in my house when it’s cold.

Both are correct; the second one sounds a bit more concrete, referring clearly to your own house.