Learn Hardcore Greek: Περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά όταν έχει πολύ κίνηση. - I cross the road carefully when there is a lot of traffic.

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός, etc.) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Περνάω = I pass / I cross
Περνάς = you pass / you cross
Περνάει = he / she / it passes

So Περνάω τον δρόμο… already means “I cross the road…”.
You only say Εγώ περνάω τον δρόμο… if you want to emphasize “I” (e.g. I cross the road, not him).

Why is it τον δρόμο and not το δρόμο or τον δρόμου?

Because δρόμος is a masculine noun:

Nominative (subject): ο δρόμος = the road
Accusative (direct object): τον δρόμο = the road

In this sentence, “the road” is the object of the verb “cross”, so we use accusative: τον δρόμο.

το δρόμο would be the neuter article; it’s wrong here because δρόμος is not neuter.
τον δρόμου mixes accusative article (τον) with genitive ending (-ου); that’s incorrect grammar.

So τον δρόμο is the only correct form here.

Is there a difference between περνάω τον δρόμο and διασχίζω τον δρόμο?

Both can be translated as “I cross the road”, but they differ in style:

Περνάω τον δρόμο
- Very common, everyday, neutral.
- What you normally say in spoken Greek.
Διασχίζω τον δρόμο
- More formal or bookish, used in written language, news reports, instructions, etc.
- Sounds a bit more “elevated”.

In normal conversation, περνάω τον δρόμο is the natural choice.

How is περνάω conjugated, and what about περνώ?

Περνάω and περνώ are two present‑tense forms of the same verb. Both are correct; περνάω is a bit more colloquial, περνώ slightly more formal or written.

Present tense (a common pattern with -άω / -ώ verbs):

(εγώ) περνάω / περνώ – I pass / cross
(εσύ) περνάς – you pass / cross
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) περνάει / περνά – he / she / it passes / crosses
(εμείς) περνάμε – we pass / cross
(εσείς) περνάτε – you (pl./formal) pass / cross
(αυτοί/ές/ά) περνάνε / περνούν(ε) – they pass / cross

In speech you’ll mostly hear περνάω, περνάς, περνάμε, περνάτε, περνάνε.

What is προσεκτικά, and why is it placed after τον δρόμο?

Προσεκτικά is an adverb meaning “carefully”.
It comes from the adjective προσεκτικός (careful):

προσεκτικός οδηγός = a careful driver
οδηγώ προσεκτικά = I drive carefully

In Greek, adverbs like this often come after the object or after the verb phrase, so:

Περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά. (very natural)
You could also say:
Περνάω προσεκτικά τον δρόμο.

Both word orders are grammatical. The given sentence is the most common and smooth-sounding.

Why is the present tense used here? Could we use περνούσα or θα περνάω instead?

The present tense in Greek (like in English) is used for general, habitual actions:

Περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά όταν έχει πολύ κίνηση.
= I (always / generally) cross the road carefully when there’s a lot of traffic.

Other tenses would change the meaning:

Περνούσα τον δρόμο προσεκτικά…
= I was crossing / used to cross the road carefully… (past, continuous or habitual)
Θα περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά…
= I will be crossing / I will cross (habitually) the road carefully… (future/habitual future sense)

So for a general rule or habit, present tense περνάω is the normal choice.

In όταν έχει πολύ κίνηση, what does έχει literally mean? Why not υπάρχει?

Literally, έχει means “(it) has”.
But in Greek, έχει is very often used in an impersonal way to mean “there is / there are”, especially with weather, traffic, and similar:

Έχει κίνηση. = There is traffic.
Έχει ήλιο. = It’s sunny. / There is sun.
Έχει πολλή φασαρία. = There is a lot of noise.

You could say:

Όταν υπάρχει πολλή κίνηση…

That’s grammatical, but in everyday speech όταν έχει (πολλή) κίνηση is far more common and sounds more natural.

Should it be πολύ κίνηση or πολλή κίνηση?

This is a subtle point.

Grammatically:

Πολύ is usually an invariable adverb (“very, much, a lot”), used with verbs and adjectives:
- Δουλεύω πολύ. = I work a lot.
- Πολύ καλός. = very good.
Πολλή (with double λ and accent on the last syllable) is the feminine singular adjective (“a lot of, much”) that agrees with a feminine noun:
- πολλή δουλειά = a lot of work
- πολλή κίνηση = a lot of traffic

So in careful, school‑book grammar, πολλή κίνηση is the “strictly correct” form.

However, in everyday spoken Greek, many people say πολύ κίνηση, treating πολύ as an all‑purpose “a lot of”. It’s very common and widely understood, though some teachers may mark it as less correct in writing.

So:

Περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά όταν έχει πολλή κίνηση. ✅ grammatically standard
Περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά όταν έχει πολύ κίνηση. ✅ very common in speech; some consider it informal/colloquial

Why is there no article before κίνηση in έχει πολύ κίνηση?

Κίνηση (traffic, movement) here is treated like an uncountable mass noun, similar to “traffic” in English.

In Greek, with uncountable nouns in a general, indefinite sense, you often omit the article:

Έχει κίνηση. = There is (some) traffic.
Έχει δουλειά. = There is (some) work / It’s busy.

If you add the article, it becomes more specific:

Έχει πολλή κίνηση στον δρόμο. = There is a lot of traffic on the road (this road / that road).

In the given sentence, we’re talking about traffic in general, so no article is natural: πολύ/πολλή κίνηση.

Can the word order change, for example: Όταν έχει πολύ κίνηση, περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with clauses introduced by όταν (“when”).

These are all correct and natural:

Περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά όταν έχει πολύ/πολλή κίνηση.
Όταν έχει πολύ/πολλή κίνηση, περνάω τον δρόμο προσεκτικά.

Putting the όταν‑clause first can add a little emphasis to the condition (“When there is a lot of traffic, that’s when I cross carefully”), but both versions are standard and mean the same thing in most contexts.