Learn Hardcore Greek: Γράφω σημειώσεις ώστε να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες. - I write notes so that I remember the details.

για να is more common in everyday speech and a bit more neutral; ώστε να can sound slightly more formal or careful, but in many contexts they’re interchangeable here.

Why do we need να before θυμάμαι?

να is the marker of the Greek subjunctive. After purpose expressions like ώστε or για, Greek normally uses να + verb.

Structure here:

ώστε
- να
  - θυμάμαι

Without να, ώστε θυμάμαι would be wrong in modern Greek.
The pattern is:

Ώστε να / για να / για να μπορώ να
- subjunctive (να + verb)
  e.g. ώστε να θυμάμαι, για να δω, για να καταλάβεις.

Why is the verb θυμάμαι and not something like θυμώ?

Θυμάμαι is the standard verb for “I remember” in modern Greek.

θυμάμαι = I remember
(present, 1st person singular, middle/passive form)

There is no commonly used active form like θυμώ meaning I remember.
So you always say:

Θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες. – I remember the details.
Δεν θυμάμαι. – I don’t remember.

Is θυμάμαι here present tense, and does it refer to the future?

Yes, θυμάμαι is present tense. Greek often uses the present to talk about a general or future result when it’s inside a να-clause of purpose:

Γράφω σημειώσεις ώστε να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες.
Literally: I write notes so that I remember the details.
Meaning: …so that I will be able to remember / so that I don’t forget them later.

So even though the remembering happens later, Greek keeps θυμάμαι in the present after να. English prefers “so that I can remember / will remember”.

Could we say ώστε να θυμηθώ instead of ώστε να θυμάμαι? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but the meaning changes:

ώστε να θυμάμαι (present subjunctive)
Focus on a continuous or general ability to remember over time.
I write notes so that I (can) remember the details (in general / whenever I need them).
ώστε να θυμηθώ (aorist subjunctive)
Focus on one moment of remembering in the future.
I write notes so that I will remember (them at some particular time / so it will come back to me).

In your sentence, ώστε να θυμάμαι emphasizes ongoing access to the details, which fits better for “taking notes”.

Why don’t we say εγώ γράφω? Where is the subject “I”?

In Greek, the verb ending usually shows the subject, so the subject pronoun is often dropped.

Γράφω already means “I write / I am writing” (1st person singular).
Adding εγώ is only needed for emphasis or contrast:
Εγώ γράφω σημειώσεις, όχι εσύ. – I write notes, not you.

So the normal, neutral sentence is just:

Γράφω σημειώσεις ώστε να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες.

Why is σημειώσεις in the plural, and why is there no article (no τις σημειώσεις)?

Σημειώσεις is plural because in English you also usually talk about “notes”, not “a note”, when referring to this habit.

μία σημείωση – a note
σημειώσεις – notes

There’s no article because it’s an indefinite plural: “(some) notes” in general, not specific ones.

Compare:

Γράφω σημειώσεις. – I write (some) notes / I take notes.
Γράφω τις σημειώσεις. – I am writing the notes (already known which notes).

Here we mean the general activity of taking notes, so no article is correct.

What is the difference between γράφω σημειώσεις and κρατάω σημειώσεις?

Both can translate as “I take notes”, but there’s a nuance:

γράφω σημειώσεις – literally “I write notes”; neutral and clear.
κρατάω σημειώσεις – literally “I keep/hold notes”; very common idiom for “take notes (while listening)”.

In many contexts they’re interchangeable:

Στο μάθημα κρατάω / γράφω σημειώσεις.
I take notes in class.

Your sentence with γράφω σημειώσεις is perfectly natural.

What tense is γράφω here? Could we say θα γράψω σημειώσεις instead?

Γράφω is present tense:

Γράφω σημειώσεις – I write notes / I am writing notes (habit or now).

You could say:

Γράφω σημειώσεις ώστε να θυμάμαι…
– I (generally) write notes so that I remember… (habit / typical behavior).

If you say:

Θα γράψω σημειώσεις ώστε να θυμάμαι…
– I will write notes so that I remember… (a specific future action).

So γράφω describes a habit or a typical strategy; θα γράψω is a specific future plan.

What grammar form is τις λεπτομέρειες? How do the article and noun agree?

Τις λεπτομέρειες is:

λεπτομέρεια – detail (singular, feminine)
λεπτομέρειες – details (plural, feminine)
τις λεπτομέρειες – accusative plural feminine with definite article.

Agreement:

Article: τις (feminine, plural, accusative)
Noun: λεπτομέρειες (feminine, plural, accusative)

It’s the direct object of θυμάμαι:

θυμάμαι τι; – τις λεπτομέρειες.
I remember what? – the details.

Could the word order change, for example: Για να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες, γράφω σημειώσεις?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and natural.

Both are fine:

Γράφω σημειώσεις ώστε/για να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες.
Ώστε/Για να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες, γράφω σημειώσεις.

Moving the ώστε/για να-clause to the front just emphasizes the purpose a bit more:
In order to remember the details, I write notes.

Do we need a comma before ώστε in this sentence?

You often see both:

Γράφω σημειώσεις ώστε να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες.
Γράφω σημειώσεις, ώστε να θυμάμαι τις λεπτομέρειες.

With a comma, ώστε να θυμάμαι… feels a bit more like an added explanation/result.
Without the comma, it reads more tightly as the purpose of the action.

In everyday writing, both are acceptable; many speakers omit the comma in short sentences like this.