Learn Hardcore Greek: Υπάρχει πολλή συγκίνηση όταν όλη η οικογένεια είναι ξανά μαζί στο ίδιο σπίτι. - There is a lot of emotion when the whole family is together again in the same house.

You could say something like νιώθουμε πολλή συγκίνηση (we feel a lot of emotion), but that would shift the focus from the situation (the family being together) to the people and their feelings. Υπάρχει keeps it more neutral and descriptive, like English there is.

Why is it πολλή συγκίνηση and not πολύ συγκίνηση?

Συγκίνηση (emotion, being moved, sentimental excitement) is a feminine singular noun.

The word πολύς / πολλή / πολύ is an adjective that must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

masculine: πολύς (e.g. πολύς κόσμος – a lot of people)
feminine: πολλή (e.g. πολλή δουλειά – a lot of work)
neuter: πολύ (e.g. πολύ νερό – a lot of water)

Since συγκίνηση is feminine singular in the nominative:

πολλή συγκίνηση = a lot of emotion

The form πολύ as an adverb (meaning very / a lot) is used before adjectives or verbs:

πολύ ωραίο – very nice
δουλεύει πολύ – he/she works a lot

But in this sentence, πολλή is an adjective modifying a noun, so πολλή is the correct form.

What exactly does συγκίνηση mean? Is it just emotion, or something more specific?

Συγκίνηση is a bit richer than plain emotion. It usually refers to:

being moved, feeling touched emotionally
a mix of tenderness, nostalgia, joy, sadness, etc.

In context, Υπάρχει πολλή συγκίνηση suggests:

there is a lot of emotional intensity,
people are deeply touched, maybe even teary,
not just excitement, but sentimental or heartfelt emotion.

Depending on context, you might translate it as:

emotion, sentiment, being moved, a lot of feeling.

Why is it όλη η οικογένεια and not όλοι η οικογένεια?

Because οικογένεια is a singular feminine noun meaning family as a unit.

όλη η οικογένεια = the whole family / the entire family (seen as one group)

Όλοι is plural and typically used with people in the plural:

όλοι οι άνθρωποι – all (the) people
όλοι μας – all of us

So:

όλη η οικογένεια (singular) = the whole family
όλα τα παιδιά (plural neuter) = all the children
όλοι οι φίλοι μου (plural masculine) = all my friends

Using όλοι η οικογένεια would be grammatically wrong, because όλοι doesn’t agree with the singular noun η οικογένεια.

If οικογένεια means a group of people, why is the verb είναι singular and not plural?

In Greek, η οικογένεια is grammatically singular, like the family in English.

όλη η οικογένεια είναι... – the whole family is...
η ομάδα είναι έτοιμη. – the team is ready.

Even though the word refers to multiple people, it’s treated as one unit grammatically, so it takes the third person singular verb:

είναι (is), not είναι as plural of a plural subject—here it's just matching a singular noun.

Compare:

η οικογένεια είναι χαρούμενη. – the family is happy.
τα μέλη της οικογένειας είναι χαρούμενα. – the members of the family are happy. (Here μέλη is plural, so the idea is explicitly plural.)

What is the difference between όταν and όποτε? Could I use όποτε here?

Όταν and όποτε both relate to when, but:

όταν = when (at the time that) – can be specific or general
όποτε = whenever (any time that) – usually repeated / whenever it happens

In this sentence:

...όταν όλη η οικογένεια είναι ξανά μαζί...
suggests a typical situation (every time the family is together there is emotion), but it’s often translated as when in English.

Could you use όποτε?

Υπάρχει πολλή συγκίνηση όποτε όλη η οικογένεια είναι ξανά μαζί...
Grammatically it works and emphasizes every time / whenever this happens.

Όταν is a bit more neutral and more common in such general-statement sentences. Όποτε sounds slightly more “whenever it happens,” stressing the repeatable nature of the situation.

What does ξανά mean exactly, and how is it different from πάλι?

Both ξανά and πάλι often translate as again, but there are some tendencies:

ξανά:
– neutral again, once more
– often sounds a bit neater or slightly more formal
πάλι:
– again, but also yet again, once more, repeatedly
– can sometimes carry a hint of annoyance or repetition, depending on context

In this sentence:

είναι ξανά μαζί – they are together again (after being apart)

You could say:

είναι πάλι μαζί – also correct, usually same meaning here.

In many contexts they’re interchangeable, but πάλι can pick up emotional coloring (complaint, surprise, etc.) more easily:

Πάλι άργησες; – You’re late again? (annoyance)
Θέλω να το δω ξανά. – I want to see it again (once more, more neutral).

Why is it στο ίδιο σπίτι and not σε το ίδιο σπίτι?

Στο is the contraction of:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the – neuter singular)

So:

σε το σπίτι → στο σπίτι

Similarly:

σε τον δρόμο → στον δρόμο
σε την τάξη → στην τάξη

This contraction is standard and required in normal Greek; σε το ίδιο σπίτι sounds wrong and unnatural. So:

στο ίδιο σπίτι = in the same house / under the same roof.

Why is it ίδιο σπίτι and not ίδια σπίτι?

Σπίτι is a neuter singular noun:

το σπίτι – the house/home

The adjective ίδιος / ίδια / ίδιο (same) must agree with the noun:

masculine: ίδιος (e.g. ο ίδιος άνθρωπος)
feminine: ίδια (e.g. η ίδια πόλη)
neuter: ίδιο (e.g. το ίδιο σπίτι)

So:

το ίδιο σπίτι – the same house
στο ίδιο σπίτι – in the same house

Using ίδια σπίτι would be incorrect, because ίδια is feminine, but σπίτι is neuter.

What is the subject of υπάρχει in this sentence? Is it συγκίνηση?

Yes. Grammatically, πολλή συγκίνηση is the subject of υπάρχει.

Word order in Greek is more flexible than in English. The basic “logical” structure is:

[πολλή συγκίνηση] υπάρχει όταν... – There is [a lot of emotion] when...

But it’s very natural to put υπάρχει first:

Υπάρχει πολλή συγκίνηση όταν...

So:

Υπάρχει – verb (there is)
πολλή συγκίνηση – subject (a lot of emotion)

Why is the present tense είναι used, and not a past tense like ήταν?

The present είναι here expresses a general, timeless truth – what typically or always happens in that kind of situation:

Υπάρχει πολλή συγκίνηση όταν... είναι ξανά μαζί...
⇒ There is a lot of emotion when(ever) the whole family is together again.

This is similar to English present simple in general statements:

When the family is together, there is a lot of emotion.

If you used the past:

Υπήρχε πολλή συγκίνηση όταν όλη η οικογένεια ήταν ξανά μαζί...
⇒ There was a lot of emotion when the whole family was together again (on that specific occasion in the past).

So:

Present = general, habitual, typical situation.
Past = one specific event or period in the past.

Is όλη η οικογένεια the same as η όλη οικογένεια? Can I move όλη after the article?

No, they are not the same, and η όλη οικογένεια is not natural in this meaning.

The usual way to say the whole family is:

όλη η οικογένεια

When you put όλη before the article, it behaves like “all the / the whole”:

όλη η τάξη – the whole class
όλη η πόλη – the whole city

Η όλη οικογένεια would sound odd; η όλη can occur in very specific, more abstract expressions (like η όλη κατάσταση – the whole situation), but even there όλη η κατάσταση is more common.

So, for everyday speech:

stick to όλη η οικογένεια for the whole family.

Could the sentence start with Όταν instead of Υπάρχει? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can start with Όταν:

Όταν όλη η οικογένεια είναι ξανά μαζί στο ίδιο σπίτι, υπάρχει πολλή συγκίνηση.

This is just a different word order, very natural in both Greek and English:

When the whole family is together again in the same house, there is a lot of emotion.

The meaning stays the same; you simply emphasize the condition/situation first (when…), and then the result (there is a lot of emotion).