Breakdown of Όταν έχει φωτιά στο δάσος, οι εθελοντές βοηθάνε τα ζώα.
έχω
to have
σε
in
βοηθάω
to help
όταν
when
Questions & Answers about Όταν έχει φωτιά στο δάσος, οι εθελοντές βοηθάνε τα ζώα.
Why does the sentence use Όταν έχει φωτιά instead of something like “υπάρχει φωτιά” or “είναι φωτιά”?
In Greek, έχει φωτιά is a very common, everyday way to say “there is a fire” in a place. Literally it’s “it has fire”, but idiomatically it means “there is fire / there’s a fire”.
- Όταν έχει φωτιά στο δάσος = When there is a fire in the forest
- υπάρχει φωτιά στο δάσος also means there is a fire in the forest, but it sounds a bit more neutral or formal.
- είναι φωτιά στο δάσος is not idiomatic in this sense and would normally not be used to mean “there is a fire”.
So:
- In everyday spoken Greek you will very often hear έχει φωτιά for “there is a fire”.
- υπάρχει φωτιά is correct, just a bit less colloquial.
- είναι φωτιά is usually wrong in this context.
Why is the verb έχει (present tense) used? Does this mean it is happening right now or is it something general?