Learn Hardcore Greek: Πριν να αρχίσει η παρουσίαση, σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός. - Before the presentation starts, I jot down two main points on my paper so that I feel relaxed.

Some speakers prefer πριν να + subjunctive in everyday speech.
Others (and many grammars) consider πριν + subjunctive (without να) more standard, especially in writing.

Meaning-wise, there is no difference here. Both mean “before the presentation starts”.

So:

να is optional, not wrong.
If you want to sound a bit more formal or “by the book” in writing, you can drop the να and say «Πριν αρχίσει η παρουσίαση…».

Why is it «αρχίσει» and not «αρχίζει»?

Αρχίσει is the aorist subjunctive, while αρχίζει is the present indicative.

After πριν (να), when you mean “before something happens” (a single event), Greek uses the aorist subjunctive:

Πριν (να) αρχίσει η παρουσίαση…
→ Before the presentation starts/begins (as one event)

If you said:

Πριν αρχίζει η παρουσίαση

this would sound wrong in modern Greek; πριν introducing a time clause that refers to a future/single event wants the subjunctive (αρχίσει), not the present indicative (αρχίζει).

So αρχίσει is required here by the grammar of πριν (να) + subjunctive.

Why is the verb «σημειώνω» used instead of «γράφω»? Do they mean the same thing?

They overlap, but they are not identical.

γράφω = to write (general act of writing)
σημειώνω = to jot down / to make a note of / to mark

In this sentence:

σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου
→ I write down / jot down two key points on my paper

Using σημειώνω emphasizes that you are making short notes, not writing a full text.

If you said:

Γράφω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου

it would still be understandable, but σημειώνω is more natural here because we are talking about quick, brief notes to help you during the presentation.

What exactly does «δύο βασικά σημεία» mean? Why «σημεία» and not «σημειώσεις»?

σημείο literally means point, spot, item.
σημειώσεις means notes (as in written notes, often many, sometimes detailed).

So:

δύο βασικά σημεία = two key points / two main points
It focuses on the content units (two main ideas) rather than the physical notes themselves.

If you said:

Κρατάω σημειώσεις = I take notes (general).
Γράφω δύο βασικές σημειώσεις = I write two main notes (possible, but sounds more like “two main remarks/notes” than “two main talking points”).

In a presentation context, βασικά σημεία is very idiomatic: it means the main talking points you want to remember.

What does «βασικά» add here? Could I leave it out?

Βασικά means basic / fundamental / main / key.

δύο σημεία = two points
δύο βασικά σημεία = two main/key points

You can leave it out grammatically:

…σημειώνω δύο σημεία στο χαρτί μου…

But you’d lose the nuance that these are the important points you want to remember. Βασικά tells us they are not just any points, but the core ones.

What is «στο» in «στο χαρτί μου»? Why not just «σε»?

Στο is the contraction of:

σε + το = στο

So:

σε το χαρτί μου → becomes → στο χαρτί μου

Literally: “on/to the paper of-mine” → “on my paper”.

Greek frequently contracts σε with the definite article:

σε + τον → στον
σε + τη(ν) → στη(ν)
σε + το → στο
σε + τους → στους
σε + τις → στις
σε + τα → στα

You could say just σε χαρτί (“on paper”), but then you’re not referring to a specific paper; you’d also have to drop μου or say σε ένα χαρτί μου, which changes the meaning. For my paper (this particular one), στο χαρτί μου is the normal form.

Why is «μου» placed after the noun in «το χαρτί μου» instead of before like in English (“my paper”)?

In Greek, the possessive pronouns usually come after the noun and its article:

το χαρτί μου = my paper
η παρουσίασή μου = my presentation
το βιβλίο σου = your book

The pattern is:

article + noun + possessive (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους)

Putting the possessive before the noun (μου χαρτί) is not standard in modern Greek and would sound wrong here.

So το χαρτί μου is simply the normal Greek way to say “my paper”.

What is the function of «ώστε να» in «ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός»? Is it purpose, result, or something else?

In this sentence, ώστε να introduces a purpose clause:

…σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός.
→ I write down two key points on my paper so that I feel relaxed.

Ώστε (να) can express:

Purpose (especially in everyday speech):
- Ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός = so that I feel relaxed / in order to feel relaxed
Result (more common without να, often with a comma):
- Έβρεχε πολύ, ώστε ακυρώθηκε η εκδήλωση.
  → It rained a lot, so the event was cancelled.

Here, because of ώστε να + verb, and the meaning clearly being an intended goal, it’s purpose: I do X in order to achieve Y.

Could I use «για να» instead of «ώστε να»? Would it sound different?

Yes, you could say:

…σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου για να νιώθω χαλαρός.

Για να also introduces a purpose clause (“in order to”), and in everyday Greek για να is even more common than ώστε να for purpose.

Nuance:

για να = very common, neutral, everyday.
ώστε να = also common, can sound slightly more “structured” or slightly more formal/careful in some contexts, but in spoken language they overlap a lot.

In this sentence, both are natural. The difference is stylistic, not grammatical.

What’s going on with «νιώθω»? Is it indicative or subjunctive here?

Formally, after ώστε να, the verb is in the subjunctive. For νιώθω, however, the present subjunctive form is identical to the present indicative:

(εγώ) νιώθω = I feel (indicative)
να νιώθω = (that I) feel (subjunctive)

So grammatically:

ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός → subjunctive, because of να.

In practice, learners usually just need to remember:

να + verb → verb is in the subjunctive, even if it looks the same as the indicative.

Why is «χαλαρός» masculine? Would it change if the speaker is a woman?

Χαλαρός is an adjective meaning relaxed, laid-back. Adjectives agree with the gender and number of the subject.

Here, the subject is I (εγώ). The form χαλαρός tells us that the speaker is male:

A man would say:
…ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός.
A woman would say:
…ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρή.

So yes, it changes:

Masculine singular: χαλαρός
Feminine singular: χαλαρή
Neuter singular: χαλαρό
(used for neuter nouns, not for people referring to themselves)

Could I say «ήρεμος» instead of «χαλαρός»? Is there a difference?

You could say:

ώστε να νιώθω ήρεμος = so that I feel calm

Both χαλαρός and ήρεμος are positive feelings but with slightly different nuances:

χαλαρός: relaxed, laid-back, not tense (can be a bit informal).
ήρεμος: calm, peaceful, not anxious/agitated (a bit “quieter” as a word).

In the context of a presentation, both fit, but χαλαρός is very natural, suggesting you don’t feel stressed or uptight.

Why is there a comma after «η παρουσίαση»? Is that required?

Yes, that comma is standard. The structure is:

Πριν (να) αρχίσει η παρουσίαση, [main clause]

The “before…” part (Πριν να αρχίσει η παρουσίαση) is a subordinate time clause placed before the main clause. In Greek punctuation, as in English, we normally separate such a clause from the main clause with a comma.

If the order were reversed, you would usually omit the comma:

Σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου ώστε να νιώθω χαλαρός πριν (να) αρχίσει η παρουσίαση.

Here, you typically don’t put a comma before πριν.

Could I change the word order to «σημειώνω στο χαρτί μου δύο βασικά σημεία»? Is that still correct?

Yes, that is correct and natural:

σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου
σημειώνω στο χαρτί μου δύο βασικά σημεία

Both are fine. Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially within the verb–object–prepositional phrase area.

Subtle nuance:

σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία στο χαρτί μου: neutral order; slight focus on two basic points.
σημειώνω στο χαρτί μου δύο βασικά σημεία: can slightly highlight on my paper (as opposed to somewhere else).

But in normal speech, both sound equally natural.

Why is there no subject pronoun like «εγώ» in «σημειώνω»? How do we know it means “I”?

Greek verbs are conjugated, and the ending shows the subject:

σημειώνω = I note down
σημειώνεις = you note down
σημειώνει = he/she/it notes down

Because σημειώνω clearly shows 1st person singular, you don’t need to say εγώ. In fact, adding εγώ is usually only done for emphasis:

Εγώ σημειώνω δύο βασικά σημεία…
→ I (as opposed to someone else) write down two key points…

So by default, Greek often omits subject pronouns unless there’s a reason to stress them.