Questions & Answers about Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα.
What does each word in Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα literally mean?
Word by word:
- Τώρα = now
- θέλω = I want
- να = particle introducing a verb in the subjunctive (often translated as to in English in this kind of structure)
- κάνω = I do / I make
- ένα = a / one (neuter gender)
- μικρό = small / short (neuter, singular)
- διάλειμμα = break / pause (neuter noun)
So literally: Now I want to do a small break (natural English: Now I want to take a short break).
Why is να used before κάνω? Is it like the English to?
Να is a particle that usually introduces the subjunctive in Greek. After verbs of wanting, needing, trying, planning, etc., Greek typically uses [verb] + να + subjunctive.
In this sentence:
- θέλω = I want
- να κάνω = (for me) to do / to make (subjunctive)
So θέλω να κάνω = I want to do.
It’s similar in function to English to (as in want to do), but grammatically it’s not an infinitive marker; it’s a subjunctive marker. Greek doesn’t have an infinitive the way English does.