Learn Hardcore Greek: Το να περιμένω ακριβώς στην ώρα μου έξω από το γραφείο με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο, αλλά προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμος. - Waiting exactly on time outside the office makes me a bit stressed, but I try to be calm.

Greek doesn’t really use an infinitive like English to wait. Instead, it often uses a να + verb clause, and when you want to treat that whole action as a thing (a noun), you put το in front:

να περιμένω = (that) I wait / to wait
το να περιμένω = the act of my waiting / the fact that I wait

In your sentence, Το να περιμένω… με κάνει… means literally The (act of) waiting… makes me….
So το turns the να-clause into a grammatical subject, similar to using a gerund or the fact that… in English.

Could I just say Να περιμένω ακριβώς στην ώρα μου έξω από το γραφείο με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο without το?

You can hear Να περιμένω… με κάνει… in casual speech, and people will understand you.

However:

Το να περιμένω… is more standard and clearly marks the clause as a noun-like subject.
Without το, the sentence feels a bit looser or more colloquial and, in some contexts, slightly less “complete” grammatically.

For a learner, it’s safer and more natural to keep Το να… in this kind of subject position:
Το να περιμένω… με κάνει….

Why is περιμένω in the first person singular and in the present tense here?

In Greek, when you talk about your own action in a να-clause, you keep the person the same as the subject:

(Εγώ) περιμένω = I wait / I am waiting
Το να περιμένω… = The fact that I am waiting…

It’s in the present because we’re talking about the ongoing, general action of waiting in that situation, not a one‑off completed event. Using another tense (like past or perfective) would change the meaning:
Το να περιμένω = the (ongoing) act of waiting; it matches the English idea of “waiting (there)” in general.

What does ακριβώς στην ώρα μου mean, and why is μου there?

ακριβώς = exactly
στην ώρα μου literally = at my time

But είμαι στην ώρα μου is an idiomatic expression meaning I am on time (for something that concerns me) – my appointment, my shift, my schedule, etc.

So ακριβώς στην ώρα μου = exactly on time (for my appointment / my schedule).
The μου adds that sense of “for me / for my own appointment or planned time”, not just any random clock time.

Could you explain the phrase έξω από το γραφείο? Why από?

έξω από is a fixed combination meaning outside (of):

έξω από το γραφείο = outside the office
In spoken Greek you’ll often hear έξω απ’ το γραφείο (contracted από → απ’).

You can’t normally drop από here; έξω το γραφείο would be incorrect.
If you wanted “in front of the office” (near the entrance rather than simply not inside), you’d say μπροστά από το γραφείο.

What does με κάνει mean here, and how does this construction work?

με κάνει literally means it makes me:

κάνω = I do / I make
με = me (object)
με κάνει αγχωμένο = it makes me anxious / stressed

This is a very common Greek pattern:
κάνω κάποιον + adjective = make someone + adjective

Examples:

Αυτό με κάνει χαρούμενο. = That makes me happy.
Η δουλειά τον κάνει κουρασμένο. = Work makes him tired.

In your sentence, the subject is the whole Το να περιμένω… clause, and με is the object.

Why is it αγχωμένο and not αγχωμένος?

The adjective αγχωμένος (stressed, anxious) changes form depending on case.
For a masculine singular:

Nominative: αγχωμένος (used for the subject)
Accusative: αγχωμένο (used for the object)

In the pattern κάνω κάποιον + adjective, the someone is in the accusative, so the adjective also takes the accusative:

με κάνει αγχωμένο
τον κάνει χαρούμενο
την κάνει χαρούμενη

So αγχωμένο is accusative masculine singular, agreeing with με (understood as εμένα, masculine) in that role.

If I’m a woman speaking, do I need to change anything like αγχωμένο or ήρεμος?

Yes, you change the adjectives to the feminine forms:

με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένη (not αγχωμένο)
προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμη (not ήρεμος)

So a woman would naturally say:
Το να περιμένω ακριβώς στην ώρα μου έξω από το γραφείο με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένη, αλλά προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμη.

What is the role of λίγο in με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο? Could I move it?

λίγο means a little / slightly and softens the adjective:

με κάνει αγχωμένο = it makes me anxious
με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο = it makes me a bit anxious

The usual and best-sounding place is before the adjective:

με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο

You could also say με κάνει αγχωμένο λίγο, but that sounds marked and less natural; it can put extra emphasis or sound slightly off. Stick with λίγο before the adjective.

Could I say με αγχώνει instead of με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο?

Yes, that’s natural and common:

με αγχώνει = it stresses me / it makes me anxious

So you could say:
Το να περιμένω ακριβώς στην ώρα μου έξω από το γραφείο με αγχώνει λίγο, αλλά προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμος.

Difference in nuance:

με κάνει (λίγο) αγχωμένο emphasizes the resulting state (I end up being anxious).
με αγχώνει emphasizes the action of stressing me out.

Both are correct; your original version is a bit more descriptive of your emotional state.

Why do we use να είμαι in προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμος?

With verbs of intention, effort or desire (like προσπαθώ, θέλω, πρέπει), Greek almost always uses a να + verb clause:

προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμος = I try to be calm
θέλω να είμαι ήρεμος = I want to be calm

Here είμαι is in the present form, but after να it functions as a subjunctive: it expresses a goal / desired state rather than a simple statement of fact.

Compare:

Είμαι ήρεμος. = I am calm. (statement)
Προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμος. = I’m trying to be calm. (aim / effort)

Why is ήρεμος in a different form from αγχωμένο?

Because ήρεμος and αγχωμένος play different grammatical roles:

αγχωμένο agrees with με (object) after με κάνει, so it’s accusative:
- με κάνει αγχωμένο (accusative masculine singular)
ήρεμος describes the subject (εγώ) after είμαι, so it’s nominative:
- (Εγώ) είμαι ήρεμος.

So:

με κάνει λίγο αγχωμένο (object ⇒ accusative)
να είμαι ήρεμος (subject ⇒ nominative)

Could I use όμως instead of αλλά here? Is there a difference?

You can use όμως, and it will still sound natural:

…, όμως προσπαθώ να είμαι ήρεμος.

Nuance:

αλλά is the default but, often used at the start of the second clause.
όμως can appear after a comma or even later in the clause and often has a slightly more “contrastive” or emphatic feel.

In your sentence, both are fine. αλλά is the most neutral and straightforward choice.