Breakdown of Πριν να πάρουμε απόφαση για το ταξίδι, θέλω να δώσουμε σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία να μιλήσουν.
Questions & Answers about Πριν να πάρουμε απόφαση για το ταξίδι, θέλω να δώσουμε σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία να μιλήσουν.
In Modern Greek, πριν (before) can be followed either:
- by να + verb (subjunctive):
- Πριν να πάρουμε απόφαση…
- or directly by the subjunctive form (without να):
- Πριν πάρουμε απόφαση…
In everyday speech, both are acceptable and very common. Many speakers actually prefer the version without να:
- Πριν πάρουμε απόφαση για το ταξίδι…
In more formal writing, some style guides recommend πριν + subjunctive without να, but this is not a strict rule in spoken language.
So:
- The meaning is the same in this sentence.
- Using or omitting να after πριν is a matter of style and habit, not correctness here.
Greek distinguishes aspect (kind of action) even in the subjunctive:
- να πάρουμε = aorist subjunctive → a single, complete action (“to take/make a decision once”)
- να παίρνουμε = present subjunctive → ongoing or repeated action (“to be taking decisions / to keep taking decisions”)
With πριν, when you talk about a single event that must happen before something else, the aorist is the natural choice:
- Πριν (να) πάρουμε απόφαση…
“Before we make a decision…”
If you said:
- Πριν (να) παίρνουμε αποφάσεις…
it would suggest something like “before we (habitually) make decisions”, which doesn’t fit the context of one trip. So πάρουμε is used because it presents the decision as one complete act that comes after the discussion.
Every language has fixed verb–noun combinations. In Greek, the natural collocation is:
- παίρνω απόφαση = to make / take a decision
(literally “I take a decision”)
You would not normally say:
- κάνω απόφαση ✗
Some common related patterns:
- παίρνω μια απόφαση – I make a decision
- παίρνω την τελική απόφαση – I make the final decision
- παίρνω σημαντικές αποφάσεις – I make important decisions
So να πάρουμε απόφαση is simply using the standard verb–noun pair in Greek.
In Greek, the definite and indefinite feeling is often expressed differently from English.
Here:
- να πάρουμε απόφαση → literally “to take (a) decision”
There is no article, but it is understood as “a decision / some decision” in general.
You could say:
- να πάρουμε μία απόφαση – “to make a (one) decision”
This is also correct and a bit more explicit, sometimes with a slight emphasis that we need to finally make a decision.
But:
- να πάρουμε την απόφαση usually means “to make the decision” (a specific one you already have in mind).
The version in your sentence is generic: “before we make a decision (about the trip)”. Using no article with certain nouns, especially in set phrases like παίρνω απόφαση, is very natural in Greek.
The preposition για (for, about, regarding) in Modern Greek is always followed by the accusative case.
- το ταξίδι is neuter singular accusative (το
- ταξίδι).
So:
- για το ταξίδι = “about/for the trip”
Other examples:
- για τον φίλο μου – for my friend (masc. acc.)
- για την δουλειά – about the job/work (fem. acc.)
So here για το ταξίδι is exactly the expected form after για.
The verb θέλω means “I want”. The subject is I (εγώ), even if εγώ is not written.
Greek allows this pattern:
- Θέλω να δώσω… – “I want to give…” (I = subject of both verbs)
- Θέλω να δώσουμε… – “I want us to give…” (I = subject of θέλω, we = subject of δώσουμε)
So in your sentence:
- θέλω να δώσουμε σε όλους…
literally: “I want that we give everyone…”
The English structure “I want us to give…” is mirrored in Greek by:
- Θέλω να + [we-form of the verb]
→ Θέλω να δώσουμε…
→ Θέλω να πάμε… (I want us to go)
→ Θέλω να συζητήσουμε… (I want us to discuss)
This is very natural and common in Modern Greek.
Again, this is the aspect difference:
- να δώσουμε – aorist subjunctive → one complete act of giving (give everyone a chance once)
- να δίνουμε – present subjunctive → ongoing / repeated giving (to be constantly giving chances)
The meaning here is:
- “…I want us to give everyone the same chance (once, for this discussion/decision).”
So να δώσουμε is the correct choice, because it refers to a single “giving” of an opportunity, not an ongoing habit.
In Modern Greek, the equivalent of the English indirect object (to/for someone) usually needs the preposition σε.
- σε όλους = “to everyone / to all (people)”
So:
- να δώσουμε σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία
literally: “to give to everyone the same opportunity”
Compare:
- Δίνω σε κάποιον κάτι. – I give something to someone.
- Λέω σε όλους την αλήθεια. – I tell everyone the truth.
You could, in very colloquial speech, hear να δώσουμε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία in some dialect-influenced contexts, but standard, correct Greek needs the preposition σε here: σε όλους.
The phrase:
- την ίδια ευκαιρία = “the same opportunity”
In Greek, when you use ίδιος/ίδια/ίδιο (“same”) in this type of comparison, you normally use the definite article:
- την ίδια μέρα – the same day
- το ίδιο πρόβλημα – the same problem
- τον ίδιο άνθρωπο – the same person
Saying ίδια ευκαιρία without την sounds incomplete or unidiomatic here.
Also, the article helps mark that we are talking about the one same opportunity being shared, not just “a similar opportunity”. So την ίδια ευκαιρία is the natural phrasing.
In Greek, grammatical gender is a property of each noun and must be learned with the noun.
- η ευκαιρία (the opportunity) is feminine.
Therefore, related words agree in gender:
- την ευκαιρία (fem. article, acc.)
- ίδια (fem. form of “same”: ίδιος, ίδια, ίδιο)
So:
- την ίδια ευκαιρία
(article fem. sing. acc. + adjective fem. sing. acc. + noun fem. sing. acc.)
There is no rule from meaning; you just learn it as:
η ευκαιρία – feminine
like:- η ιστορία (the story) – feminine
- η εταιρεία (the company) – feminine
Many -ία nouns are feminine, which helps, but there are exceptions. Always memorise noun + article: η ευκαιρία.
να μιλήσουν is 3rd person plural subjunctive → “that they speak”.
The subject is implied by σε όλους → “to everyone”. The idea is:
- “I want us to give everyone the same opportunity to speak.”
So, grammatically:
- σε όλους ≈ “to all (of them)”
- → να μιλήσουν = “for them to speak”
The subject of να μιλήσουν is they (all those people who are getting the opportunity). Greek often leaves the subject pronoun out when it’s clear from context and verb ending.
You could make it explicit (a bit heavier):
- …να μιλήσουν όλοι. – “…for everyone to speak.”
Again, aspect:
- να μιλήσουν – aorist subjunctive
→ one complete action: “for them to speak / to have their say (once each)” - να μιλάνε – present subjunctive
→ ongoing/repeated: “for them to be talking / to keep talking”
In context, you want everyone to have a turn to speak, not to talk endlessly, so the aorist να μιλήσουν is the natural choice.
If you said:
- …την ίδια ευκαιρία να μιλάνε.
it would sound more like “the same opportunity to (keep) talking”, which is not what is usually meant in such a meeting/decision context.
Yes, Greek allows flexible word order, especially for emphasis. These are all possible and natural:
- θέλω να δώσουμε σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία να μιλήσουν.
- θέλω να δώσουμε την ίδια ευκαιρία σε όλους να μιλήσουν.
The difference is mostly emphasis:
- σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία → mild emphasis on “to everyone”.
- την ίδια ευκαιρία σε όλους → mild emphasis on “the same opportunity”.
The basic meaning does not change. Both orders are fine in normal conversation.
Yes. Greek allows you to swap the order of the main clause and the πριν… clause:
- Πριν (να) πάρουμε απόφαση για το ταξίδι, θέλω να δώσουμε σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία να μιλήσουν.
- Θέλω να δώσουμε σε όλους την ίδια ευκαιρία να μιλήσουν, πριν (να) πάρουμε απόφαση για το ταξίδι.
Both are grammatically correct and natural. The difference is stylistic:
- Starting with Πριν… foregrounds the condition / time frame.
- Ending with πριν… sounds a bit more like an afterthought or clarification.
In English, it’s similar to:
- “Before we make a decision…, I want us to…”
vs. - “I want us to…, before we make a decision…”
Both versions work in Greek.