Breakdown of Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
Questions & Answers about Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
In Greek, many verbs that express desire, attempt, necessity, etc. are followed by να plus another verb.
Να works as a particle that introduces a subordinate clause with the verb in the subjunctive mood (in modern terms, the “να-clause”).
So:
- Προσπαθώ να λέω = I try *to say / I try to tell*
- You cannot drop να here; Προσπαθώ λέω is wrong in standard Greek.
Common verbs that work the same way:
- θέλω να πάω – I want to go
- πρέπει να φάω – I must eat
- ελπίζω να έρθεις – I hope (that) you come
This is a classic aspect difference:
- λέω = imperfective aspect → focuses on habit, repetition, or ongoing action
- πώ (subjunctive of πω, from είπα) = perfective aspect → focuses on a single, complete action
So:
Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια
= I try to tell the truth (as a habit, generally, in my life).Προσπαθώ να πω την αλήθεια
= I’m trying to tell the truth (this specific time / in this particular situation).
In your sentence, να λέω is used because it talks about a general principle or ongoing attitude: “I generally try to be truthful.”
In Greek, λέω and μιλάω are not interchangeable:
λέω = to say, to tell
- λέω την αλήθεια – I tell the truth
- λέω ένα ψέμα – I tell a lie
μιλάω = to speak, to talk (usually about speaking a language or talking with someone)
- μιλάω ελληνικά – I speak Greek
- μιλάω με τον φίλο μου – I talk with my friend
Because the idea here is telling the truth, the correct verb is λέω, not μιλάω.
Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.
- η αλήθεια = the truth
- την αλήθεια = the truth in the accusative case
In this sentence:
- λέω takes a direct object in the accusative.
- αλήθεια is feminine singular (η αλήθεια).
- So its accusative form is την αλήθεια.
Literally:
Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια = I try to say *the truth.*
In English we often omit “the,” but in Greek the article is natural and usually required with abstract nouns like η αλήθεια, η αγάπη (love), η ελευθερία (freedom) when you mean them in a general sense.
Παρόλο που is a conjunction that means “even though / although”. It introduces a subordinate clause that expresses contrast with the main clause.
Structure:
- (Main clause), παρόλο που (contrasting clause).
In your sentence:
- Main clause: Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια
- Contrasting clause: παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι
So overall:
- I try to tell the truth, even though sometimes I’m afraid.
You could think of it as:
- παρόλο που ≈ “despite the fact that / although”.
Yes, you can say:
- Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια, αν και μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
Αν και also means “although / even though”.
Nuance:
- παρόλο που is very common in everyday speech, slightly more emphatic.
- αν και is also common and can sound a bit more neutral or slightly more formal, depending on context.
For most everyday purposes, they are interchangeable here.
Μερικές φορές means “sometimes”, literally “some times”.
Breakdown:
- μερικές = some (feminine plural)
- φορές = times (plural of η φορά – time/occasion)
So:
- μερικές φορές = some times / on some occasions → “sometimes”.
The adjective μερικές is in the feminine plural to agree with φορές, which is feminine plural.
Φοβάμαι is one of those Greek verbs that:
- Are middle/passive in form (-μαι),
- But active in meaning in modern Greek.
So:
- φοβάμαι = I am afraid / I fear
There is an active verb φοβίζω = I frighten (someone), which has a different meaning.
Examples:
- Φοβάμαι το σκοτάδι. – I’m afraid of the dark.
- Ο σκύλος φοβίζει τα παιδιά. – The dog frightens the children.
In your sentence, φοβάμαι is used absolutely (no object):
- μερικές φορές φοβάμαι = sometimes I’m afraid.
Yes, word order in Greek is relatively flexible, and your version is still correct:
- Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
- Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια, παρόλο που φοβάμαι μερικές φορές.
Both mean the same thing: I try to tell the truth, even though sometimes I’m afraid.
Placing μερικές φορές:
- before φοβάμαι slightly highlights “sometimes”;
- after φοβάμαι sounds a bit more neutral.
But the difference is very small; both are natural.
The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate concessive clause:
- Main clause: Προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια
- Subordinate clause: παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι
In written Greek, we normally put a comma before conjunctions like:
- παρόλο που, αν και, επειδή, όταν, etc.,
when they introduce a clause that follows the main one.
So the comma here is standard and helps the reader see the sentence structure more clearly.
All three are in the present tense, imperfective aspect, first person singular:
- προσπαθώ – I try / I am trying
- λέω – I say / I tell (here: I habitually tell)
- φοβάμαι – I am afraid
Because they are imperfective present forms, the whole sentence describes a general, ongoing situation or habit:
- I (generally) try to tell the truth, even though sometimes I’m afraid.
Greek is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is usually omitted, because the verb ending already tells you the person and number.
- Προσπαθώ alone clearly means “I try”.
You only add εγώ when you want to emphasize the subject:
- Εγώ προσπαθώ να λέω την αλήθεια, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
= I (as opposed to others) try to tell the truth…
Position:
- Most natural: Εγώ προσπαθώ…
- You could also say Προσπαθώ εγώ να λέω την αλήθεια…, but that usually emphasizes “it is me who tries” in contrast to someone else or something else in the sentence.