Learn Hardcore Greek: Αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου. - Whether I will go on vacation in August depends on my work.

So αν θα πάω literally feels like if I will go / whether I will go, which matches natural English wording in this sentence:
Whether I will go on vacation in August depends on my job.

Grammatically, many grammarians prefer αν πάω (without θα) in more formal or careful language, but αν θα + future is very widespread in everyday Greek, especially when:

You are talking about a real future situation, not a general condition.
The focus is on the future decision/event itself, not a repeated or timeless condition.

Both:

Αν πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο…
Αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο…

can be heard, but the version with θα sounds more explicitly future-oriented and more colloquial.

Can I say αν πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο instead of αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say αν πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο, and many speakers (especially in more formal speech or writing) would prefer that.

Nuance:

Αν πάω διακοπές…
Sounds a bit more neutral/standard; often taught in textbooks. Grammatically “clean.”
Αν θα πάω διακοπές…
Very common in everyday speech; puts extra emphasis on the future aspect (whether this future event will actually happen).

In your sentence, both are acceptable and mean the same in practice:

Αν (θα) πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου.
= Whether I’ll go on vacation in August depends on my job.

What is the difference between αν and εάν?

εάν is basically the more formal / literary version of αν. In everyday spoken Greek, you mostly hear αν.

In this sentence:

Αν θα πάω διακοπές…
Εάν θα πάω διακοπές…

both are possible, but αν is more natural in normal conversation.

Key points:

αν: informal, neutral, most common in speech.
εάν: more formal, more common in writing, official documents, careful speech.

They mean the same (if / whether); the difference is mainly register, not meaning.

Why is θα πάω used here and not something like πηγαίνω or να πάω?

Θα πάω is the simple future:

θα = future particle
πάω = subjunctive/“aorist” form of πηγαίνω (to go)
Together: θα πάω = I will go

You use θα + verb when you talk about a specific future event:

Θα πάω διακοπές = I will go on vacation.

Alternatives:

αν πηγαίνω = if I am going / if I go (repeatedly, habitually) – wrong nuance here.
να πάω; = Shall I go? / (for me) to go? – different structure, not used after αν in this meaning.

Because the sentence talks about one future decision/event, θα πάω is the correct and natural choice.

Could I change the word order and say Εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο?

Yes. Both orders are grammatically correct:

Αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου.
Εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο.

The meaning is the same. The difference is focus:

Original order starts with αν θα πάω διακοπές…
→ Emphasis on the going on vacation as the topic.
Alternative order starts with εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου…
→ Emphasis on the dependence on my job.

Both sound natural in modern Greek.

Why is it τον Αύγουστο and not just Αύγουστο or σε Αύγουστο?

Τον Αύγουστο is:

τον = masculine accusative singular article
Αύγουστο = August (masculine noun, accusative case)

In Greek, months are masculine and very often appear with the definite article in time expressions:

τον Ιανουάριο = in January
τον Μάιο = in May
τον Αύγουστο = in August

There is no preposition like in used here; instead, the language uses the accusative + article to express “in [month]”.

So:

τον Αύγουστο = in August
(literally something like “the August”, but functioning as a time expression)

Saying just Αύγουστο (without τον) is possible in some contexts, especially in very short answers or headings, but the normal full phrase in a sentence is τον Αύγουστο.

Why is Αύγουστο in the accusative case? It is not the object of a verb here, is it?

In Greek, the accusative case is used not only for direct objects but also very often in time expressions:

κάθε μέρα = every day
την Κυριακή = on Sunday
τον Ιούνιο = in June
τον Αύγουστο = in August

So τον Αύγουστο is an accusative of time, meaning “during August / in August.”

It is not a direct object of the verb εξαρτάται; it is an adverbial (a time phrase). Greek simply uses the accusative case for this role.

Why is διακοπές plural? In English we often say on vacation in the singular.

In Greek, the normal word for holiday/vacation is διακοπές in the plural:

πάω διακοπές = I go on vacation / I go on holiday
ήταν σε διακοπές = he/she was on vacation

The singular διακοπή exists, but it means interruption / break, not “holiday” in the usual sense:

διακοπή ρεύματος = power cut (interruption of electricity)
διακοπή μαθήματος = interruption of a lesson

So to talk about holidays, always use διακοπές (plural) and normally without article:

πάω διακοπές (not πάω τις διακοπές in this general sense)

Why is it από τη δουλειά μου and not από δουλειά μου or από την δουλειά μου?

Breakdown:

από = from / on / by (here: depends on)
τη = feminine accusative singular article (short form of την)
δουλειά = job / work
μου = my

So από τη δουλειά μου = on my job / on my work.

Why do we need the article?
In Greek, possessed nouns almost always take the definite article:
- το σπίτι μου = my house
- η μητέρα μου = my mother
- η δουλειά μου = my job
Saying από δουλειά μου (without article) is not standard; it sounds wrong.
Why τη and not την?
Την is the full form; τη is the shortened form, and both are correct.
Before a consonant, everyday spelling and speech usually prefer the short form:
- τη δουλειά (common)
- την δουλειά (also possible, more old-fashioned spelling)

So από τη δουλειά μου is the normal, natural form.

What does εξαρτάται από mean exactly, and how is it used grammatically?

The verb εξαρτάται means it depends.

Full verb: εξαρτιέμαι / εξαρτώμαι (to depend)
Most commonly used as εξαρτάται (3rd person singular: it depends)

The construction is:

εξαρτάται από + noun / pronoun = depends on …

Examples:

Εξαρτάται από τον καιρό. = It depends on the weather.
Εξαρτάται από σένα. = It depends on you.
Εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου. = It depends on my job.

In your sentence:

Subject = the whole clause αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο
Verb = εξαρτάται
Prepositional phrase = από τη δουλειά μου

So literally:
Whether I will go on vacation in August depends on my job.

Where is the grammatical subject of εξαρτάται in this sentence?

The subject is the whole clause:

Αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο = whether I will go on vacation in August

Greek allows an entire subordinate clause to function as the subject of a verb:

Αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο (subject)
εξαρτάται (verb)
από τη δουλειά μου (prepositional phrase: depends on what)

You could also make the structure more explicit (though less natural) by saying:

Το αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου.
Here, το αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο is clearly the subject, introduced by το.

Can αν in this sentence be translated as whether instead of if?

Yes. In this sentence αν is best understood as whether:

Αν θα πάω διακοπές τον Αύγουστο εξαρτάται από τη δουλειά μου.
= Whether I will go on vacation in August depends on my job.

Greek αν covers both English if and whether. Here:

It does not mean a condition like If I go on vacation, I’ll be happy,
but an indirect question / uncertainty: whether I’ll go or not.

So in this context, thinking αν = whether is the most accurate.