Learn Hardcore Greek: Θέλω να κάνω μια συζήτηση σχετικά με το μέλλον μου. - I want to have a discussion about my future.

Θέλω already means I want (1st person singular).
Adding εγώ (Εγώ θέλω να κάνω…) is possible, but usually only when you want to emphasize it, for example:
- Εγώ θέλω να κάνω μια συζήτηση… = I (as opposed to someone else) want to have a discussion…

So the sentence without εγώ is the normal, neutral form in Greek.

What exactly does να do in να κάνω? Is it the same as English to?

Να is not a direct equivalent of English to, even though it often corresponds to to in translations.

Να introduces a subordinate clause where the verb is in the subjunctive mood.
After verbs of desire, intention, plan, etc. (like θέλω, πρέπει, μπορώ), Greek normally uses να + verb:
- Θέλω να κάνω… = I want to do…
- Πρέπει να φύγω. = I must leave.
Greek doesn’t have an infinitive like English; instead, it uses constructions with να.

So να here is a marker of the subjunctive clause, not a preposition like English to.

What form is the verb κάνω in this sentence?

Formally, κάνω here is the 1st person singular subjunctive of κάνω (to do / to make), used after να.

In many verbs, the present indicative and the present (imperfective) subjunctive look the same in the 1st person singular:
- (Εγώ) κάνω = I do / I am doing (indicative)
- να κάνω = that I (should) do (subjunctive, introduced by να)
The mood is determined by the presence of να, not by a special ending.

So θέλω να κάνω literally is I want (that) I do / I make, which we translate as I want to do / have.

Why do we say κάνω μια συζήτηση instead of just using a verb like συζητάω?

Greek very often uses “light verb + noun” combinations, like κάνω μια συζήτηση, alongside a simple verb.

Κάνω μια συζήτηση = literally I do / make a discussion, i.e. I have a discussion / conversation.
You could also say:
- Θέλω να συζητήσω για το μέλλον μου.
- Θέλω να συζητήσω το μέλλον μου.

Differences in nuance:

κάνω μια συζήτηση tends to emphasize the event (a conversation as a “thing” that happens).
συζητάω / συζητώ emphasizes the action of discussing itself.

Both are natural; κάνω μια συζήτηση is extremely common and sounds very idiomatic.

Why is there μια before συζήτηση? Could we omit it?

Μια is the indefinite article (feminine), equivalent to English a / an.

μια συζήτηση = a discussion (not a specific, known discussion, just some discussion).
Without μια, Θέλω να κάνω συζήτηση can sound more like:
- I want to do discussion (as an activity, in general), which is unusual here and a bit off in everyday speech.

In this context, you are talking about one concrete discussion, so μια is natural and normally not omitted.

What gender is συζήτηση, and how can I tell?

Συζήτηση is feminine.

Singular:
- η συζήτηση = the discussion
- μια συζήτηση = a discussion
Plural:
- οι συζητήσεις = the discussions

A useful pattern: many abstract nouns ending in -ση (like συζήτηση, συμφωνία, γνώση) are feminine. It’s not a strict rule without exceptions, but it’s a good guideline to remember.

What does σχετικά με literally mean, and how is it different from για?

Σχετικά με literally comes from σχετικός (relative, related) and means something like “in relation to / regarding / with respect to”.

σχετικά με το μέλλον μου ≈ regarding my future / in relation to my future.
για το μέλλον μου ≈ about my future.

Differences:

για is more general and informal; extremely common in everyday speech.
σχετικά με sounds a bit more formal, careful, or specific, often used in:
- more polite conversation,
- written language,
- contexts where you want to sound organized or precise.

In this sentence, you could perfectly say:
Θέλω να κάνω μια συζήτηση για το μέλλον μου.
That is very natural and perhaps more colloquial.

Why do we need με after σχετικά? What case does it take?

In the fixed phrase σχετικά με, the με behaves like a preposition and always takes an accusative object.

σχετικά με το μέλλον μου → το μέλλον μου is in the accusative.
This is the same με you know from με τον φίλο μου (with my friend), which also takes the accusative.

You generally cannot drop με here; σχετικά το μέλλον μου is incorrect. Think of σχετικά με as one unit meaning “regarding / concerning”.

Why is it το μέλλον μου and not just μέλλον μου? Do possessives always need an article in Greek?

In Greek, when you say “my + noun”, you almost always use the definite article:

το μέλλον μου = my future
το σπίτι μου = my house
η μητέρα μου = my mother

So the usual structure is:
[definite article] + [noun] + [weak possessive pronoun]

Omitting the article (μέλλον μου) is either ungrammatical or very restricted to special expressions and titles (e.g. headlines, labels). In normal sentences, you should say το μέλλον μου.

Why does μου come after μέλλον instead of before, like in English my future?

Greek possessive pronouns in their weak (clitic) form normally follow the noun:

το βιβλίο μου = my book
η δουλειά σου = your job
το μέλλον μου = my future

If you want to stress the possessor, you can use the strong form and it can appear separately:

το δικό μου μέλλον = my own future (as opposed to someone else’s)
Here, δικό μου is stressed, while μου alone (as in μέλλον μου) is unstressed and enclitic.

So, in the neutral, unstressed form, the possessive goes after the noun.

Can we change the word order in Θέλω να κάνω μια συζήτηση σχετικά με το μέλλον μου?

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but not every permutation sounds natural.

Neutral and most natural:
- Θέλω να κάνω μια συζήτηση σχετικά με το μέλλον μου.
You can move the prepositional phrase for emphasis:
- Θέλω να κάνω, σχετικά με το μέλλον μου, μια συζήτηση.
  (more marked / literary; emphasizing regarding my future.)

What you generally don’t do:

You don’t separate σχετικά from με το μέλλον μου.
You don’t usually disrupt να + verb + object too much without a special stylistic reason.

So some movement is possible, but the original order is the standard everyday one.

How would I make this sentence more polite or softer, like I’d like to have a discussion… in English?

To sound more polite or less direct, you can replace Θέλω with Θα ήθελα:

Θα ήθελα να κάνω μια συζήτηση σχετικά με το μέλλον μου.
= I would like to have a discussion about my future.

Θα ήθελα is often used:

in formal situations,
when making requests,
when you want to sound more tentative or courteous.

The rest of the structure (να κάνω μια συζήτηση σχετικά με το μέλλον μου) stays the same.

How do I make this sentence negative: I don’t want to have a discussion about my future?

You put δεν (or δε in speech) before the verb θέλω:

Δεν θέλω να κάνω μια συζήτηση σχετικά με το μέλλον μου.
= I don’t want to have a discussion about my future.

Notes:

δεν becomes δε before consonants in fast speech, but in writing δεν is standard:
- Δε θέλω να κάνω… (colloquial spelling)
The placement is always [δεν] + [main verb], not before να:
- ✔ Δεν θέλω να κάνω…
- ✘ Θέλω δεν να κάνω… (incorrect)