Learn Hardcore Greek: Η μαμά μου λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει. - My mom tells me to take a jacket and a hat when it’s windy.

λέει να παίρνω (present subjunctive) = she tells me to take (a jacket and hat) as a general habit, regularly.
- This fits a rule your mom repeats: “whenever it’s windy, you should be taking a jacket and hat.”
λέει να πάρω (aorist subjunctive) = she tells me to take (them) on one specific occasion.
- Example: Right now it’s windy and you’re going out: Η μαμά μου λέει να πάρω μπουφάν και καπέλο. = My mom is telling me (now) to take a jacket and hat.

So να παίρνω emphasizes a repeated / habitual action, while να πάρω emphasizes a single, whole action. In this sentence, να παίρνω matches the idea “whenever it’s windy, as a rule.”

Why do we use παίρνω (“take”) and not φοράω (“wear”)?

Both verbs are possible, but they focus on different parts of the situation:

παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο = take a jacket and a hat (with you)
- The focus is on bringing or picking them up when you go out, regardless of whether you put them on immediately.
φοράω μπουφάν και καπέλο = wear a jacket and a hat
- The focus is on having them on your body.

A Greek mom could very naturally say either:

Η μαμά μου λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.
Η μαμά μου λέει να φοράω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.

The first is: “She tells me to take them.”
The second is: “She tells me to wear them.”

Context decides which one feels more natural.

What is the function of να in λέει να παίρνω?

Modern Greek does not use an infinitive like English “to take.” Instead, it uses να + verb, which marks the subjunctive.

να παίρνω literally = “(that) I take” / “to take”.

After verbs of saying, asking, wanting, ordering, etc., Greek usually uses να + subjunctive:

θέλω να πάρω = I want to take
προσπαθώ να μάθω = I try to learn
μου λέει να διαβάζω = she tells me to study (regularly)

So in λέει να παίρνω, να introduces the action your mom is telling you to do.

Is παίρνω here present tense or subjunctive?

Formally, it is the present subjunctive of παίρνω.

In Modern Greek, the present indicative and present subjunctive look the same; what tells you it’s subjunctive is the particle να in front:

(εγώ) παίρνω = I take (indicative)
να παίρνω = that I take / (for me) to take (subjunctive)

So:

Η μαμά μου λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο.
The να
- παίρνω shows it’s not simply a statement of fact, but something desired / ordered / recommended.

What exactly does μου mean in Η μαμά μου?

Here μου is a weak (clitic) possessive pronoun meaning “my.”

μαμά = mom
η μαμά μου = my mom

Key points:

In Greek, possessives like μου, σου, του usually go after the noun they possess.
The article η goes before the noun: η μαμά μου, literally “the mom of-me.”

So μου here is not “to me”; it is just “my.”

If you wanted to say “My mom tells me…”, you would usually say:

Η μαμά μου μου λέει… = My mom tells me…

The first μου = my (possessive), the second μου = to me (indirect object).

Why do we say Η μαμά μου with an article, instead of just Μαμά μου?

Greek normally uses the definite article with family members:

η μαμά μου = my mom
ο μπαμπάς μου = my dad
ο αδερφός μου = my brother

In English you say “my mom” without “the,” but Greek tends to prefer the structure article + noun + possessive, even when it feels “extra” to an English speaker.

You sometimes hear Μαμά without an article when you are addressing her directly:

Μαμά, έλα εδώ! = Mom, come here!

But in a normal sentence like Η μαμά μου λέει…, you keep the article.

Where is the “me” in “My mom tells me to take a jacket…”? I only see μου once.

In this specific sentence:

Η μαμά μου λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.

you are actually saying:

“My mom says that I should take a jacket and a hat when it’s windy.”

There is no explicit “me” as an object of λέει here. The μου only marks possession (my mom), not “to me.”

If you wanted to express “tells me” clearly, you would add another μου:

Η μαμά μου μου λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.
= My mom tells me to take a jacket and a hat when it’s windy.

So:

first μου = my
second μου = to me

Greek allows this “double μου” and it is very natural.

Why is there no article before μπουφάν and καπέλο?

Greek often drops the definite article when speaking in general, especially with clothing and objects in this kind of instruction:

παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο = I take a jacket and a hat (not specific ones)
φοράω παπούτσια = I wear shoes

If you are talking about specific, known items, you normally use the article:

Παίρνω το μπουφάν και το καπέλο μου.
= I take my (particular) jacket and my (particular) hat.

In your sentence, the mom is giving a general rule (“take a jacket and a hat, any appropriate ones”), so omitting the articles το is natural.

What genders and cases are μπουφάν and καπέλο here?

Both are in the accusative (direct object of παίρνω).

μπουφάν:
- Gender: neuter
- It is indeclinable (the form is the same in all cases and numbers), so το μπουφάν (nom./acc. sing.), τα μπουφάν (nom./acc. plural) all look similar.
καπέλο:
- Gender: neuter
- Regular declension:
  - το καπέλο (nom./acc. singular)
  - τα καπέλα (nom./acc. plural)

In this sentence:

(παίρνω) μπουφάν και καπέλο = I take (a) jacket and (a) hat → both accusative as objects of παίρνω.

Could we say όταν φυσήξει instead of όταν φυσάει? What is the difference?

Yes, but it changes the meaning.

όταν φυσάει (present) = when it is windy / whenever it’s windy.
- This is about general situations or ongoing wind.
- Used for habits/rules: να παίρνω … όταν φυσάει fits perfectly.
όταν φυσήξει (aorist subjunctive) = when the wind starts / when it blows (once, at some point).
- This focuses on the moment the wind begins or happens once.
- More like: “When it blows (that time), do X.”

For your sentence, the habitual rule “whenever it’s windy” is better with:

όταν φυσάει.

What does φυσάει come from, and is φυσά also correct?

φυσάει is the 3rd person singular of the verb φυσάω = to blow (wind).

In everyday Modern Greek, both forms are accepted:

φυσάει (more “full” form)
φυσά (shorter colloquial form)

So you may hear:

Όταν φυσάει, κάνει κρύο.
Όταν φυσά, κάνει κρύο.

Both mean “When it’s windy, it’s cold.” In your sentence, φυσάει is perfectly standard.

How would we make the sentence negative: “My mom tells me not to take a jacket and a hat when it’s windy”?

You use μην (or μη) for negating the subjunctive, placed right before the verb:

Η μαμά μου λέει να μην παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.
= My mom tells me not to take a jacket and a hat when it’s windy.

Structure:

λέει να
- μην
  - verb (subjunctive)
    - να μην παίρνω = “(for me) not to take.”

Can I change the word order, for example Μου λέει η μαμά να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, and Μου λέει η μαμά… is natural.

Possible variants (all grammatical, with slight changes in emphasis):

Η μαμά μου λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.
(neutral; subject first)
Μου λέει η μαμά να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο όταν φυσάει.
(emphasis on “she tells me”)
Η μαμά μου, όταν φυσάει, λέει να παίρνω μπουφάν και καπέλο.
(emphasis on the condition “when it’s windy”)

The basic grammatical relationships (who tells whom to do what) stay the same; only the focus changes slightly.

How would I say “My mom tells me to wear my jacket and my hat when it’s windy”?

A natural Greek version is:

Η μαμά μου μου λέει να φοράω το μπουφάν και το καπέλο μου όταν φυσάει.

Breakdown:

Η μαμά μου = my mom
μου λέει = tells me
να φοράω = to wear (habitually)
το μπουφάν και το καπέλο μου = my jacket and my hat
- You can either attach μου once at the end (“my hat”) to imply both are yours, or repeat it:
  - το μπουφάν μου και το καπέλο μου
όταν φυσάει = when it’s windy

This version explicitly includes “me” (μου λέει) and uses φοράω for “wear.”