Learn Hardcore Greek: Κλείσε την τηλεόραση, αλλιώς δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις. - Turn off the TV, otherwise I can’t concentrate on the news.

Imperative = a command: κλείσε = close / turn off (you).
2nd person singular = talking to one person informally (a friend, family member, someone your age, etc.).

If you were talking politely or to more than one person, you’d use:

Κλείστε την τηλεόραση.
“Turn off the TV.” (formal or plural)

Why is it Κλείσε (aorist imperative) and not a present imperative like Κλείνε?

Greek imperatives have an aspect difference:

Aorist imperative (κλείσε): focuses on the single, complete action.
→ Do it once, finish the action.
Κλείσε την τηλεόραση. = Turn the TV off (now, once).
Present imperative (κλείνε): focuses on ongoing or repeated action.
→ Keep doing it / do it habitually.
Κλείνε την τηλεόραση όταν διαβάζω. = Turn the TV off whenever I’m studying.

In your sentence, it’s clearly a one-time request right now, so the aorist imperative κλείσε is the natural choice.

Why do we say την τηλεόραση and not just τηλεόραση?

Την is the definite article in the accusative singular, feminine form.

η τηλεόραση = the television (subject)
την τηλεόραση = the television (direct object)

In Greek, definite direct objects normally take the article, even where English often omits “the”:

Κλείσε την τηλεόραση.
Literally: Close the television.
Natural English: Turn off the TV.

Saying just Κλείσε τηλεόραση would sound incomplete or ungrammatical in standard modern Greek.

Why is τηλεόραση feminine?

In Greek, every noun has grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). Τηλεόραση happens to be:

Feminine
Singular
Nominative/accusative form: η τηλεόραση / την τηλεόραση

Many feminine nouns end in -η in the nominative singular:

η πόρτα (door) – fem.
η καρέκλα (chair) – fem.
η τηλεόραση (television) – fem.

There’s no logical “reason” it’s feminine; it’s just part of the word’s grammar that must be memorized with the article: η τηλεόραση.

What does αλλιώς mean exactly, and how does it function in the sentence?

Αλλιώς means “otherwise” or “or else”.

In this sentence:

Κλείσε την τηλεόραση, αλλιώς δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις.
= Turn off the TV, otherwise I can’t concentrate on the news.

It introduces the negative consequence of not doing the first action:

First clause: Κλείσε την τηλεόραση (command)
Connector: αλλιώς (otherwise)
Result: δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ… (I can’t concentrate…)

It’s used very similarly to English “otherwise” / “or else”.

Why is the negation δεν μπορώ and not something like δεν συγκεντρώνομαι?

Greek often negates ability/possibility using δεν μπορώ να + subjunctive:

δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ
= I cannot concentrate / I’m not able to concentrate.

Structure:

δεν = not
μπορώ = I can / I am able
να
- συγκεντρωθώ = infinitive-like construction (to concentrate)

You could say:

Δεν συγκεντρώνομαι στις ειδήσεις.
= I’m not concentrating on the news.

But that describes the current fact (I’m not concentrating), whereas δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ emphasizes inability (I can’t manage to concentrate), which matches the idea of “because the TV is on” more naturally.

What form is συγκεντρωθώ, and why isn’t it συγκεντρώνομαι?

Συγκεντρωθώ is:

1st person singular
aorist subjunctive
middle/passive voice

It comes from the verb συγκεντρώνομαι (to concentrate, to focus).

In Greek, after να, we usually use the subjunctive form:

να συγκεντρωθώ = to concentrate (one complete act / aorist aspect)
να συγκεντρώνομαι = to be concentrating / to concentrate habitually (ongoing / present aspect)

Here, δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ focuses on achieving the state of concentration (one “goal”), so the aorist subjunctive συγκεντρωθώ is more natural than συγκεντρώνομαι.

Why is the verb συγκεντρωθώ in the middle/passive voice?

Many Greek verbs that describe states, feelings, or actions affecting oneself are commonly used in the middle/passive voice, even when English uses an active form:

συγκεντρώνομαι = I concentrate (lit. I collect/focus myself)
θυμάμαι = I remember
φοβάμαι = I’m afraid

In form, these are middle/passive; in meaning, they often correspond to intransitive active verbs in English.

So:

να συγκεντρωθώ literally is like “to concentrate myself,” but idiomatically just “to concentrate.”

Why is it στις ειδήσεις and not σε τις ειδήσεις?

Στις is a contraction of the preposition σε + the definite article τις:

σε
- τις → στις

So:

σε = in / at / on / to
τις ειδήσεις = the news (fem. plural accusative)

Together:

στις ειδήσεις = in/on the news program / on the news

This contraction is standard and almost always used in speech and writing. Similarly:

σε + τον → στον
σε + τους → στους
σε + τα → στα

Why is ειδήσεις plural, when English “news” is uncountable?

In Greek, ειδήσεις is:

Feminine
Plural: οι ειδήσεις (the news)
Singular: η είδηση = a piece of news / a news item

So οι ειδήσεις literally means “the news items”, but idiomatically it means “the news” (as a TV or radio news program).

That’s why we say:

Βλέπω τις ειδήσεις. = I’m watching the news (program).
Στις οκτώ έχει ειδήσεις. = There’s news at eight.

So using plural στις ειδήσεις naturally corresponds to English singular “on the news.”

What exactly does στις ειδήσεις mean here—“in the news” or “on the news program”?

In this context, στις ειδήσεις means “during the news program” / “while the news is on.”

So:

δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις
= I can’t concentrate on the news (program I’m watching).

Depending on context, στις ειδήσεις can mean:

On the news program (TV/radio bulletin)
- Τι είπαν στις ειδήσεις; = What did they say on the news?
Less commonly, in the news (media) in a broader sense, but here it’s clearly about watching or following a TV news show.

Could the word order be changed, for example: Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις, κλείσε την τηλεόραση?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, and this alternative is grammatical:

Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις, κλείσε την τηλεόραση.

However, the nuance changes slightly:

Original: Κλείσε την τηλεόραση, αλλιώς δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ…
→ First a command, then the consequence introduced with αλλιώς.
Alternative: Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις, κλείσε την τηλεόραση.
→ First you state the problem, then you give the command/solution.

Both are natural; the original uses αλλιώς to make the causal relationship more explicit.

Why is the negation δεν placed before μπορώ and not before συγκεντρωθώ?

In modern Greek, δεν generally comes before the finite (conjugated) verb of the clause:

δεν μπορώ = I cannot
να συγκεντρωθώ is an infinitive-like subordinate part (subjunctive), not the main conjugated verb.

So the pattern is:

δεν
- μπορώ
  - να
    - συγκεντρωθώ

You would not say:

✗ μπορώ να δεν συγκεντρωθώ
✗ δεν να συγκεντρωθώ

In a different sentence where συγκεντρώνομαι is the main verb, δεν would go before that:

Δεν συγκεντρώνομαι. = I’m not concentrating.

How would you say this sentence politely to one person, or to a group?

Change the imperative from 2nd person singular to 2nd person plural:

Κλείστε την τηλεόραση, αλλιώς δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ στις ειδήσεις.

This works for:

Polite singular (speaking respectfully to one person, e.g., a stranger, older person, a customer).
Plural (addressing more than one person).

Everything else in the sentence stays the same.

Is κλείσε την τηλεόραση more like “close the TV” or “turn off the TV”?

Literally, κλείνω means “to close”, but when used with devices or appliances, it usually means “to turn off / switch off”:

κλείνω την πόρτα = I close the door.
κλείνω την τηλεόραση = I turn off the TV.
κλείνω το φως = I turn off the light.
κλείνω τον υπολογιστή = I turn off the computer.

So idiomatically, Κλείσε την τηλεόραση is best translated as:

Turn off the TV.