Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου όταν είναι λυπημένη.

I hug my friend when she is sad.

Breakdown of Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου όταν είναι λυπημένη.

• είμαι: to be
• η φίλη: the female friend
• μου: my
• όταν: when
• λυπημένος: sad
• παίρνω αγκαλιά: to hug

Questions & Answers about Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου όταν είναι λυπημένη.

What is the literal meaning of Παίρνω αγκαλιά and why does it mean I hug?

Literally, παίρνω αγκαλιά is something like “I take (someone) in (my) arms”.

• παίρνω = I take
• αγκαλιά = hug / embrace / (a) cuddle / arms (as in “in my arms”)

Greek often uses a “light verb + noun” combination where English would use a single verb.
So:

• παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου = I take my friend in my arms → I hug my friend.

It’s an idiomatic, very common way to say to hug in Greek.

What is the difference between παίρνω αγκαλιά and αγκαλιάζω?

Both usually translate as to hug, but there are nuances:

• αγκαλιάζω is the straightforward verb “to hug / to embrace”.

  • Αγκαλιάζω τη φίλη μου. = I hug my friend.

• παίρνω αγκαλιά is slightly more colloquial and image-rich: “to take someone in (your) arms”.

  • Τη φίλη μου την παίρνω αγκαλιά. = I take my friend in my arms / I hug my friend.

In everyday speech, both are very common and often interchangeable.
παίρνω αγκαλιά can feel a bit more tender or emotional in some contexts, but the difference is subtle.

What exactly is τη in τη φίλη μου, and why not την φίλη μου?

Here, τη is the feminine definite article in the accusative singular: “the”.

• Nominative: η φίλη = the (female) friend
• Accusative: τη(ν) φίλη = the (female) friend (as object)

In modern Greek spelling, the final -ν of την is often omitted before most consonants:

• Before consonants like φ, θ, χ, κ, π, τ, σ you will very often see τη instead of την.
• Before vowels and some consonants (π, τ, κ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ), many people keep την.

So:

• τη φίλη μου and την φίλη μου are both correct;
• τη φίλη μου is just a common, modern spelling choice.

Why is μου placed after φίλη (as in τη φίλη μου) instead of before, like in English “my friend”?

Greek possessive pronouns like μου (my), σου (your), του (his) usually come after the noun:

• η φίλη μου = my friend
• το βιβλίο σου = your book
• το σπίτι του = his house

These are clitic forms (unstressed little words) that attach to the noun phrase they modify.

You could also use the stressed possessive adjective (rare in this sentence, but for emphasis):

• η δικιά μου φίλη = my friend (as opposed to someone else’s)

In normal, neutral speech:
τη φίλη μου is the standard order: article + noun + possessive clitic.

Why is it τη φίλη μου and not ο φίλος μου? How does gender work here?

φίλη is the feminine form of friend, and φίλος is the masculine form:

• η φίλη = (female) friend
• ο φίλος = (male) friend

Since the sentence refers to a female friend, it uses the feminine:

• τη φίλη μου = my (female) friend

If it were a male friend, you would say:

• Παίρνω αγκαλιά τον φίλο μου όταν είναι λυπημένος.
  (I hug my (male) friend when he is sad.)

Notice how τον φίλο (masculine article in the accusative) and λυπημένος (masculine form of “sad”) both change to match the masculine gender.

Why is it λυπημένη and not λυπημένος or λυπημένο?

Λυπημένη is the feminine singular form of the adjective λυπημένος (sad):

• Masculine: λυπημένος
• Feminine: λυπημένη
• Neuter: λυπημένο

Adjectives in Greek agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.
Here, the implied subject of είναι λυπημένη is η φίλη (μου) — a female person:

• (Η φίλη μου) είναι λυπημένη. = (My (female) friend) is sad.

If it were a male friend:

• (Ο φίλος μου) είναι λυπημένος. = (My (male) friend) is sad.

If you were talking about something neuter:

• Το παιδί είναι λυπημένο. = The child is sad.

Why is εγώ (I) not written in the sentence?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

• παίρνω = I take
• παίρνεις = you take
• παίρνει = he / she / it takes

So Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου automatically means “I hug my friend” without needing εγώ.

You would add εγώ only for emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου, όχι εσύ.
  I hug my friend, not you.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Παίρνω τη φίλη μου αγκαλιά?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible, especially with objects and adverbial phrases.

All of these are natural and mean essentially the same:

• Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου.
• Παίρνω τη φίλη μου αγκαλιά.
• Τη φίλη μου την παίρνω αγκαλιά. (more emphatic on τη φίλη μου)

The default, slightly more neutral-sounding order here is probably:

• Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου.

Different orders can give slight emphasis shifts, but they are all grammatical.

Why is the present tense used with όταν here? Does it mean something habitual?

Yes. In:

• Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου όταν είναι λυπημένη.

both verbs are in the present tense, and this normally means a general, repeated, or habitual action:

• I hug my friend when she is sad (in general, whenever that situation happens).

Typical pattern for general truths or habits:

• Όταν + present, present.
  
  • Όταν πεινάω, τρώω. = When I’m hungry, I eat.
  • Όταν έχω χρόνο, διαβάζω. = When I have time, I read.

If you wanted a specific time in the past, you’d use past tenses:

• Την πήρα αγκαλιά όταν ήταν λυπημένη.
  I hugged her when she was sad (on that occasion).

What is the difference between όταν and αν in sentences like this?

• όταν = when
  It introduces a time clause. It can be used for:

  • a specific time: Όταν ήρθες, κοιμόμουν. = When you came, I was sleeping.
  • or habitual time: Όταν είναι λυπημένη, την παίρνω αγκαλιά. = When she is sad, I hug her.

• αν = if
  It introduces a condition:

  • Αν είναι λυπημένη, την παίρνω αγκαλιά. = If she is sad, I hug her.

In your sentence, όταν is natural because it describes whenever that situation occurs, not just a possibility.

Why do we say είναι λυπημένη (is sad) and not simply use a verb like λυπάται?

Greek has two common ways to express being sad:

1. είμαι + adjective:

   • είναι λυπημένη = she is sad
     Adjective form, very similar to English.

2. λυπάμαι (to be sad, to feel sorry):

   • λυπάται = he/she is sad / feels sorry

Both are correct but slightly different in nuance:

• είναι λυπημένη focuses on her emotional state (she is in a sad mood).
• λυπάται can mean she is sad / she feels sorry (possibly about something specific).

In your sentence, είναι λυπημένη sounds very natural and straightforward for “when she is sad”.

Can I put the όταν-clause at the beginning? Do I need a comma?

Yes, you can put the όταν-clause first. Then you typically add a comma:

• Όταν είναι λυπημένη, παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου.
  When she is sad, I hug my friend.

So you have two main options:

• Παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου όταν είναι λυπημένη. (no comma)
• Όταν είναι λυπημένη, παίρνω αγκαλιά τη φίλη μου. (comma after the clause)

Both are correct and natural. The version with όταν first sometimes gives a bit more focus to the condition/time (“When she is sad…”).

How is the sentence pronounced, and where is the stress?

Syllable stress (marked with ´):

• Παίρνω → PÉR-no (first syllable stressed)
• αγκαλιά → a-ngka-LIÁ (last syllable stressed)
• τη φίλη → ti FÍ-li (first syllable stressed in φίλη)
• μου → mu (no written accent; clitic)
• όταν → Ó-tan (first syllable)
• είναι → Í-ne (first syllable)
• λυπημένη → ly-pi-MÉ-ni (third syllable)

Full sentence, with stressed syllables in caps:

PÉR-no agka-LIÁ ti FÍ-li mu Ó-tan Í-ne lypi-MÉ-ni.

Spoken naturally, τη and μου are quite weak and attach closely to φίλη.