Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο, για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.

I try not to use whatever is useless, so that I don't waste my time.

Breakdown of Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο, για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.

• είμαι: to be
• να: to
• μου: my
• μην: not
• προσπαθώ: to try
• για να: so that
• χρησιμοποιώ: to use
• ο χρόνος: the time
• ό,τι: whatever
• άχρηστος: useless
• χάνω: to waste

Questions & Answers about Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο, για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.

What is the function of να in this sentence?

Να introduces a subordinate clause in the subjunctive mood.

In Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ... and ...για να μην χάνω..., να is like the English “to” after verbs such as try, want, plan:

• Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ...
  → I try *not to use...*

• για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου
  → so as *not to waste my time*

So να:

• marks the verb that follows as subjunctive (non‑indicative), and
• often corresponds to English “to” or sometimes “that” (depending on context).

Why is μην used instead of δεν in να μην χρησιμοποιώ and να μην χάνω?

Modern Greek uses two different negative particles:

• δεν: used with indicative verbs (normal statements of fact)

  • Δεν χρησιμοποιώ αυτό το πρόγραμμα.
    I don’t use this program.

• μη(ν): used with the subjunctive and with commands / prohibitions

  • Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ...
    I try not to use...
  • Μην το κάνεις!
    Don’t do it!

Because χρησιμοποιώ and χάνω here are in clauses introduced by να (subjunctive), the correct negative is μην, not δεν.

Can I say να μη χρησιμοποιώ instead of να μην χρησιμοποιώ? What’s the difference between μη and μην?

Both να μη χρησιμοποιώ and να μην χρησιμοποιώ are understood and acceptable in modern Greek.

In contemporary usage:

• μην is very common before verbs:
  να μην χρησιμοποιώ, να μην χάνω, να μην πηγαίνω.
• μη appears:
  • in very short commands: Μη μιλάς! Don’t talk!
  • or in more careful / traditional writing before many consonants.

The old phonetic rule (μη before consonants, μην before vowels) is not strictly followed today. In your sentence, να μην χρησιμοποιώ is the most natural form in modern standard Greek.

What exactly does ό,τι mean here, and how is it different from ότι?

ό,τι and ότι are different words, even though they sound the same.

• ό,τι (with a comma) is an indefinite relative pronoun:
  It means “whatever / anything that”.

  • ό,τι είναι άχρηστο
    → whatever is useless / anything that is useless

• ότι (without a comma) is a conjunction like English “that” (in reported speech or clauses):

  • Μου είπε ότι θα έρθει.
    He told me that he will come.

In your sentence, only ό,τι makes sense:

• Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο...
  → I try not to use whatever is useless...

The comma in ό,τι is part of the spelling, not a normal punctuation comma.

Why is άχρηστο neuter singular? What is it agreeing with?

Adjectives in Greek agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun or pronoun they refer to.

Here, άχρηστο (useless) agrees with ό,τι:

• ό,τι behaves like a neuter singular pronoun: whatever / anything that.
• Therefore the adjective must also be neuter singular:
  • ό,τι είναι άχρηστο
    literally: whatever is useless (thing)

If the pronoun were masculine plural, the adjective would change; but ό,τι is always neuter singular in form.

Why are the verbs in the να‑clauses in the present (χρησιμοποιώ, χάνω) and not in the aorist (χρησιμοποιήσω, χάσω)? What is the nuance?

Greek distinguishes aspect very clearly, especially in the subjunctive:

• Present subjunctive (imperfective):
  ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions.
• Aorist subjunctive (perfective):
  single, complete actions, or focusing on the result.

In your sentence:

• να μην χρησιμοποιώ
• να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου

use the present subjunctive because the meaning is habitual/general:

I try, as a general rule, not to be using / not to use (habitually) anything useless,
so that I normally don’t waste my time.

If you said:

• Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιήσω ό,τι είναι άχρηστο...
• ...για να μην χάσω τον χρόνο μου.

the focus would be more on a particular occasion or one-time decision:

I’m trying not to (even once) use what is useless, so that I don’t lose/waste my time (this time).

Your original version describes a general principle or habit, so the present forms χρησιμοποιώ and χάνω are the natural choice.

What does για να express here? Could I drop για and just say να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου?

για να introduces a purpose clause: it means “in order to / so that”.

• ...για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.
  → ...so that I don’t waste my time / in order not to waste my time.

Without για, να would still introduce a subjunctive clause, but the purpose meaning would be weaker or absent.

Compare:

• Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο, για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.
  Very clear: I do X *in order not to waste my time.*

If you said:

• Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο, να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.

this sounds like two parallel things you are trying to do, not clearly “I do the first in order to achieve the second.” So για is important to show purpose.

Why is there a comma before για να?

The sentence has two parts:

1. Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο,
2. για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.

The second part (για να...) explains the purpose of the first part. In Greek, a comma is typically used before για να when it introduces a separate, explanatory purpose clause.

So the comma:

• separates the main idea (I try not to use whatever is useless)
• from the reason/purpose (so that I don’t waste my time).

Why do we say τον χρόνο μου and not just χρόνο μου?

In Greek, the definite article is used much more often than the in English.

• τον χρόνο μου literally: “the time of‑me”
• but idiomatically it just means “my time”.

Here, τον is:

• masculine, singular, accusative definite article,
• agreeing with χρόνο.

Leaving the article out (χρόνο μου) is possible in some expressions but sounds less natural here. The fixed, idiomatic phrase is χάνω τον χρόνο μου (to waste my time), with the article.

Why does μου come after χρόνο instead of before it, like in English “my time”?

Greek uses weak (clitic) possessive pronouns that normally come after the noun:

• ο χρόνος μου – my time
• το σπίτι σου – your house
• η δουλειά του – his job

So χρόνο μου is the normal order:

• noun (χρόνο) + weak possessive (μου)

If you want to emphasize the possessor, you can use a strong pronoun with the preposition σε:

• ο χρόνος μου (neutral) – my time
• ο δικός μου χρόνος (emphatic) – my own time (and not someone else’s)

But in ordinary speech, the unstressed μου after the noun is standard.

Is χάνω τον χρόνο μου the normal way to say “waste my time”? Are there other common options?

Yes, χάνω τον χρόνο μου is a very common and natural way to say “waste my time”.

Examples:

• Δεν θέλω να χάνω τον χρόνο μου.
  I don’t want to waste my time.
• Μη χάνεις τον χρόνο σου!
  Don’t waste your time!

Other options:

• σπαταλώ τον χρόνο μου – I squander / spend my time wastefully
  (slightly more formal/literary)
• περνάω τον χρόνο μου άσκοπα – I spend my time aimlessly / uselessly

But in everyday Greek, χάνω τον χρόνο μου is probably the most direct equivalent of English “waste my time.”

Where is the word “I” in the Greek sentence? Why isn’t εγώ used?

In Greek, the verb ending shows the person (I, you, he/she, etc.), so the subject pronoun is usually omitted unless you want to emphasize it.

• Προσπαθώ already means “I try” (first person singular ending ‑ώ).
• Adding εγώ would be εγώ προσπαθώ, which means “I (as opposed to others) try”, with emphasis on I.

So the sentence:

• Προσπαθώ να μην χρησιμοποιώ ό,τι είναι άχρηστο, για να μην χάνω τον χρόνο μου.

already contains “I” implicitly in the verb form προσπαθώ, and that is the normal way to say it.