Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ. - I don’t depend so much on the internet anymore.

Grammatically, it is the middle/passive voice of the verb εξαρτώ. In Modern Greek, some verbs that involve states, feelings, or dependence are most commonly used in the middle/passive form, even though in English they look “active”.

εξαρτώμαι από κάτι = I depend on something
There is also εξαρτάμαι, which is very common in everyday speech and practically synonymous with εξαρτώμαι.

You would not normally say ✗ εξαρτώ από το ίντερνετ for “I depend on the internet”. The natural form is εξαρτώμαι (or εξαρτάμαι) από το ίντερνετ.

Why do we use από with εξαρτώμαι? Could we leave it out?

With this verb, από is required to introduce the thing you depend on.

εξαρτώμαι από το ίντερνετ = I depend on the internet
(literally: I am dependent *from the internet*)

Without από, the sentence would be ungrammatical:

✗ Δεν εξαρτώμαι το ίντερνετ. (wrong)
✓ Δεν εξαρτώμαι από το ίντερνετ. (correct)

So, από basically corresponds to English “on” in the expression depend on.

What exactly does πια mean here, and how does it differ from similar words like πλέον or άλλο?

In this sentence, πια means “anymore / no longer”. It implies that in the past you did depend on the internet, but now you don’t.

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
= I don’t depend so much on the internet anymore.

Comparison with similar words:

πια – very common in everyday speech; often has an emotional, conversational tone.
πλέον – similar meaning (“anymore / no longer / any longer / any more”), but sounds a bit more formal or neutral.
- You could also say: Δεν εξαρτώμαι πλέον τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
άλλο – literally “any more / anymore” in the sense of “no more”:
- Δεν εξαρτώμαι άλλο από το ίντερνετ.
  = I don’t depend on the internet anymore.
  This is also correct; it can feel a bit more final.

All three (πια, πλέον, άλλο) could work, but πια is the most colloquial, natural choice in many situations.

What is the role of τόσο in the sentence? Does it mean “so much” or something else?

Here τόσο means “so much / that much / to that extent”.

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
= I don’t depend that much on the internet anymore.
= I’m not so dependent on the internet anymore.

It is modifying the idea of how strongly or how much you depend.
If you remove it:

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια από το ίντερνετ.
= I don’t depend on the internet anymore. (a stronger, more absolute statement)

With τόσο, it suggests reduced dependence, not necessarily zero.

Can we change the word order of πια and τόσο? For example:
Δεν εξαρτώμαι τόσο πια από το ίντερνετ or Πια δεν εξαρτώμαι τόσο από το ίντερνετ?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible, and all of these are possible with only slight differences in emphasis.

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
– Very natural; neutral emphasis.
Δεν εξαρτώμαι τόσο πια από το ίντερνετ.
– Also possible. It subtly shifts the rhythm, but the meaning is basically the same. The focus can feel slightly more on πια following τόσο.
Πια δεν εξαρτώμαι τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
– Also correct. Starting with πια emphasizes the idea of “nowadays / anymore”: – Anymore, I don’t depend so much on the internet.

In everyday speech, (1) and (3) are the most common-sounding.

Why do we have the article το in το ίντερνετ? In English we just say “on the internet” or even “on internet” in other contexts.

Modern Greek typically uses the definite article much more than English. Ίντερνετ is treated as a neuter noun, so it normally appears with the article:

το ίντερνετ = the internet

You almost always use the article in this kind of sentence:

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ.

Leaving out the article (✗ από ίντερνετ) sounds incomplete or very non‑standard in this context.

In Greek, even abstract or unique things usually get the article:

το διαδίκτυο (the internet/network)
η μουσική (music)
η αγάπη (love)

So το ίντερνετ with the article is the normal form.

Is ίντερνετ declinable? What gender is it, and is there another Greek word for “internet”?

Ίντερνετ is usually treated as an indeclinable neuter noun:

το ίντερνετ (nominative/accusative)
του ίντερνετ (often used as a kind of “genitive” without changing the noun itself)

In practice, you don’t change the ending -ινερνετ; only the article and surrounding words change.

There is also a more “Greek” word: το διαδίκτυο (literally “the net/network”).
You could say:

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το διαδίκτυο.

Both το ίντερνετ and το διαδίκτυο are understood. Ίντερνετ sounds more colloquial / direct borrowing from English; διαδίκτυο is a standard Greek term.

How are εξαρτώμαι and ίντερνετ pronounced and where does the stress fall?

Εξαρτώμαι:

Pronunciation (roughly): ek-sar-TÓ-me
Stress on the second‑to‑last syllable -τώ-.

Ίντερνετ:

Pronunciation (roughly): ÍN-ter-net
Stress on the first syllable Ίν-.

So the full sentence:

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
≈ Then exarTÓme pia TÓso apó to Ínternet.

What tense/aspect is εξαρτώμαι here? Is it closer to “I don’t depend anymore” or “I’m not depending anymore”?

Εξαρτώμαι is present tense, imperfective aspect.

In English, this can correspond to both:

“I don’t depend” (simple present)
“I’m not depending” (present continuous), depending on context.

In a sentence like this, it describes a general present state or habit. So the most natural English interpretation is:

I don’t depend so much on the internet anymore.
(meaning: as a general situation now, compared to the past)

Greek doesn’t make the same strong distinction between simple and continuous present that English does; here it just describes your current, ongoing state.

Could we say Δεν είμαι πια τόσο εξαρτημένος από το ίντερνετ instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s also correct, with a slightly different structure:

Δεν είμαι πια τόσο εξαρτημένος από το ίντερνετ.
= I’m not so dependent on the internet anymore.

Differences:

Δεν εξαρτώμαι πια τόσο από το ίντερνετ.
– Uses the verb εξαρτώμαι (“I depend”).
Δεν είμαι πια τόσο εξαρτημένος από το ίντερνετ.
– Uses είμαι (I am) + the adjective εξαρτημένος (“dependent”).

Meaning-wise, they are very close. The version with εξαρτώμαι is a bit more compact and is often the first pattern taught for “depend on”.

Why do we use από and not some other preposition, like με or σε?

In Greek, each verb tends to “pair” naturally with a specific preposition. For expressing dependence, the standard pattern is:

εξαρτώμαι από κάτι = I depend on something
είμαι εξαρτημένος από κάτι = I am dependent on something

Using με (“with”) or σε (“in/on/at”) here would sound odd or wrong:

✗ εξαρτώμαι με το ίντερνετ (incorrect)
✗ εξαρτώμαι σε το ίντερνετ / στο ίντερνετ (incorrect)

So in this structure, από is fixed with εξαρτώμαι to express “depend on”.