Learn Hardcore Greek: Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει. - I go up to the apartment by the stairs when the elevator doesn't work.

Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει.

I go up to the apartment by the stairs when the elevator doesn't work.

Breakdown of Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει.

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Questions & Answers about Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει.

Why is ανεβαίνω used here instead of a more general verb like πηγαίνω / πάω?

Ανεβαίνω literally means “I go up / I ascend”. It emphasizes movement upwards (up stairs, up a hill, to an upper floor, etc.).

So in this sentence:

Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα = I go up to the apartment
(the important idea is “going up,” not just “going”).

You could say:

Πάω στο διαμέρισμα = I go to the apartment (more neutral, no sense of “up”)

But because we’re talking about using the stairs instead of the elevator, the upward movement is important, so ανεβαίνω is the most natural choice.

Why is it στο διαμέρισμα and not something like στον διαμέρισμα?

Because διαμέρισμα is a neuter noun in Greek:

το διαμέρισμα (the apartment) – neuter
του διαμερίσματος (of the apartment)
στο διαμέρισμα (to/in the apartment)

The στο is actually a contraction:

σε
- το → στο

If it were masculine, it would indeed be στον:

ο φίλος → στον φίλο (to the friend)
But το διαμέρισμα → στο διαμέρισμα (to the apartment)

What exactly does από τη σκάλα mean here, and why από instead of με?

In this context, από means “by (way of) / via / through”.

από τη σκάλα = by the staircase / via the stairs / using the stairs

Greek uses από very often to show the route or path you take:

Πάω στη δουλειά από τον κεντρικό δρόμο.
I go to work via the main road.

You might see με τις σκάλες (“with/by the stairs”) in everyday speech, but από τη σκάλα is very natural and slightly more literal, focusing on the path you follow.

So the structure is:

Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα.
I go up to the apartment via the staircase.

Why is it τη σκάλα and not την σκάλα?

This is about the so‑called “movable nu” (το κινητό ν).

The feminine article την can drop the final ν before many consonants:

την → τη σκάλα

The usual modern guideline: keep the ν before vowels and the consonants κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ, and it’s often dropped before others (like σ).

So both forms are possible:

τη σκάλα – very common in modern usage
την σκάλα – also correct, a bit more “spelled‑out” / careful

In everyday writing you’ll very often see τη σκάλα exactly as in the sentence.

Why is σκάλα singular here? In English we usually say “stairs” (plural).

Greek can use σκάλα in the singular to mean “the staircase” as a whole:

η σκάλα = the staircase / the stairway
οι σκάλες = the steps / the stairs (as individual steps)

In this sentence, από τη σκάλα thinks of the staircase as one route/structure. Using the plural is also common and natural:

Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τις σκάλες.

Both singular and plural are used in real life; τη σκάλα sounds slightly more like “the staircase as a whole.”

What kind of present tense is Ανεβαίνω here – is it “I go up” or “I am going up”?

Modern Greek present tense usually covers both:

English simple present: I go up
English present continuous: I am going up

The exact meaning comes from context.

Here, with όταν (“when”), the sentence is habitual:

Ανεβαίνω … όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει.
= I go up (I use the stairs) when the elevator doesn’t work.

But in another context, the same form could be “I’m going up (now)”:

Ανεβαίνω τώρα στο διαμέρισμα.
I’m going up to the apartment now.

So ανεβαίνω is one Greek form matching several English possibilities (“go up” / “am going up”), depending on context.

Why is it όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει and not όταν δεν δουλεύει το ασανσέρ?

Both word orders are correct:

όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει
όταν δεν δουλεύει το ασανσέρ

Greek word order is relatively flexible. Here:

το ασανσέρ is the subject.
δεν δουλεύει is “doesn’t work / is not working.”

The version in your sentence (subject before verb) is a very neutral S–V–O order:

όταν [το ασανσέρ] [δεν δουλεύει]

Putting the subject after the verb (όταν δεν δουλεύει το ασανσέρ) is also natural and may slightly emphasize “it is the elevator that isn’t working”, but the difference is subtle. In everyday speech you’ll hear both.

What is ασανσέρ exactly, and what gender is it?

Ασανσέρ is a loanword (from French ascenseur), and in Greek it is:

neuter, with article το: το ασανσέρ
indeclinable (it doesn’t change form in different cases):
- το ασανσέρ
- του ασανσέρ
- στο ασανσέρ
- etc., all look the same.

There is also a more formal/technical Greek word:

ο ανελκυστήρας (also “elevator/lift”), masculine:
- ο ανελκυστήρας, του ανελκυστήρα, στον ανελκυστήρα…

In everyday conversation, το ασανσέρ is by far the most common.

Does δουλεύει here mean “works (has a job)” or “is functioning”? How can an elevator “δουλεύει”?

The verb δουλεύω has two common meanings:

A person works (has a job):
- Δουλεύω σε γραφείο. – I work in an office.
A machine/device works, functions, runs:
- Το ασανσέρ δουλεύει; – Does the elevator work / Is the elevator working?
- Το κινητό μου δεν δουλεύει. – My phone doesn’t work.

So here:

το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει = the elevator doesn’t work / isn’t working

A slightly more formal/technical verb for machines is λειτουργώ:

Το ασανσέρ δεν λειτουργεί. – The elevator is not functioning.

If you want to stress that it is broken (not just temporarily off):

Το ασανσέρ είναι χαλασμένο. – The elevator is broken.

Why is it στο διαμέρισμα and not στο σπίτι?

Both words can refer to “where you live,” but they’re not identical:

το διαμέρισμα = apartment, flat (a unit in a bigger building)
το σπίτι = house in the literal sense, but also home more generally

So:

Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα… focuses on the fact it’s an apartment in a building with stairs/elevator.
Ανεβαίνω στο σπίτι… would also be understood, but it’s less specific; it’s more like “I go up home”.

In a building with several apartments, διαμέρισμα is the precise word.

Could the word order of the whole sentence be different? For example, can I start with Όταν?

Yes. Greek allows different word orders without changing the basic meaning. For example:

Όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει, ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα.
Όταν δεν δουλεύει το ασανσέρ, ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα από τη σκάλα.
Ανεβαίνω από τη σκάλα στο διαμέρισμα όταν το ασανσέρ δεν δουλεύει.

All are grammatical. Differences are mostly about rhythm and emphasis:

Starting with Όταν… puts the condition (“when the elevator doesn’t work”) in the foreground.
Moving από τη σκάλα earlier (Ανεβαίνω από τη σκάλα στο διαμέρισμα) slightly emphasizes the means/path earlier in the sentence.

The version you have is a perfectly natural, neutral choice.

Can ανεβαίνω take a direct object, like “ανεβαίνω τη σκάλα”, or must it always use σε + place?

Ανεβαίνω can do both, depending on what you’re “going up”:

With a direct object (accusative), usually for something you literally climb:
- Ανεβαίνω τη σκάλα. – I go up the stairs.
- Ανεβαίνω το βουνό. – I go up the mountain.
With a preposition + place, for the place you’re heading to:
- Ανεβαίνω στο διαμέρισμα. – I go up to the apartment.
- Ανεβαίνω στον δεύτερο όροφο. – I go up to the second floor.

In your sentence, τη σκάλα is expressed in a prepositional phrase (από τη σκάλα, showing route), and the destination στο διαμέρισμα uses σε + noun, which is the normal pattern for “go up to [place].”