Learn Hardcore Greek: Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα.

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.

What verb form is θέλω here?

Θέλω is:

Person: 1st person singular (I)
Tense: present
Mood: indicative
Meaning: I want

The basic present tense paradigm for θέλω (I want) is:

θέλω – I want
θέλεις – you (singular) want
θέλει – he/she/it wants
θέλουμε – we want
θέλετε – you (plural/formal) want
θέλουν(ε) – they want

What verb form is κάνω in να κάνω?

Κάνω in να κάνω is:

Person: 1st person singular (I)
Tense: formally present
Mood: subjunctive (because it follows να)

In many verbs, the present subjunctive in Greek looks identical to the present indicative in the 1st person singular. So:

(εγώ) κάνω can be I do (indicative) or (that) I do (subjunctive), depending on context and what comes before it.

Here, να tells you it’s subjunctive: να κάνω = (for) me to do.

Why do we say κάνω ένα διάλειμμα instead of something like παίρνω ένα διάλειμμα?

In English, we say take a break, but Greek uses κάνω with διάλειμμα:

κάνω ένα διάλειμμα = I take a break / I have a break

This is just a set collocation in Greek:

κάνω ένα διάλειμμα (take a break)
κάνω ένα λάθος (make a mistake)
κάνω μια ερώτηση (ask a question)

Using παίρνω ένα διάλειμμα is not idiomatic in modern Greek in this meaning. Native speakers say κάνω διάλειμμα.

What gender is διάλειμμα, and how does that affect ένα μικρό?

Διάλειμμα is a neuter noun.

Nominative/Accusative singular: το διάλειμμα
Indefinite “a break”: ένα διάλειμμα

Because διάλειμμα is neuter, its article and any adjectives with it must also be in the neuter singular:

ένα (neuter) – not ένας (masc) or μία/μια (fem)
μικρό (neuter) – not μικρός (masc) or μικρή (fem)

So:

ένα μικρό διάλειμμα = a small/short break

Why is the adjective μικρό placed before διάλειμμα? Could it come after?

The usual position for adjectives in Greek is before the noun with the article:

ένα μικρό διάλειμμα = a small break

You can sometimes see noun + adjective without a repeated article (especially in poetry, headlines, or certain fixed phrases), but in neutral modern speech:

ένα μικρό διάλειμμα is the normal, natural order.
ένα διάλειμμα μικρό might be used only for stylistic/emphatic reasons (and can sound poetic or marked).

So for everyday language, keep it as ένα μικρό διάλειμμα.

Can I leave out ένα or μικρό? How does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can omit either, with a slight change in nuance.

Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα διάλειμμα.
- I want to take a break now.
- Neutral, just “a break”, no mention of length.
Τώρα θέλω να κάνω μικρό διάλειμμα. (less common; you’d usually keep ένα)
- Still understandable; emphasizes it being small/short, but article omission feels a bit less natural in everyday speech.
Τώρα θέλω να κάνω διάλειμμα.
- Now I want to take a break.
- No article, more general: “take (some) break / have a break” without specifying one break or its size.
Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα.
- Now I want to take a short break.
- Adds the idea that the break will be short.

Could τώρα go at the end, like in English “I want to take a small break now”?

Yes. Both are acceptable:

Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα.
Θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα τώρα.

They mean essentially the same thing. Differences:

Τώρα θέλω…: slight emphasis on now (as opposed to earlier/later).
…διάλειμμα τώρα.: emphasis is more on the action; τώρα just adds the time detail at the end.

Both sound natural in everyday Greek.

How would I say this more politely, like “I would like to take a short break now”?

A more polite/softer version is:

Τώρα θα ήθελα να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα.
- θα ήθελα = I would like

You could also say:

Θα ήθελα να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα τώρα.

Using θα ήθελα instead of θέλω makes it sound more courteous or tentative, especially in formal or semi-formal situations.

How do you pronounce Τώρα θέλω να κάνω ένα μικρό διάλειμμα?

Approximate pronunciation (stress in bold syllables):

Τώρα → TO-ra (TO as in “taw”; τ like English t)
θέλω → THE-lo (θ like th in think, not this)
να → na (like “nah” but shorter)
κάνω → KA-no (KAH-no)
ένα → E-na (EH-na)
μικρό → mi-KRO (mee-KROH)
διάλειμμα → dhi-A-li-ma (the stress on the ά; μμ is just a longer m sound)

More phonetically:
TO-ra THE-lo na KA-no E-na mi-KRO dhi-A-li-ma

What is the difference between μικρό and λίγο in this context? Could I say ένα λίγο διάλειμμα?

μικρό = small / short (describes size or duration as a quality of the noun)
λίγο = a little / a bit (usually refers to quantity or degree)

For breaks:

ένα μικρό διάλειμμα = a short break (the break itself is short in duration)
λίγο διάλειμμα without article might be used informally to mean “a bit of a break”, but it is much less standard than ένα μικρό διάλειμμα, and ένα λίγο διάλειμμα is not idiomatic.

So:
Use ένα μικρό διάλειμμα for “a short break”.