Learn Hardcore Greek: Όταν κρυώνω στο γραφείο, αντί για μπουφάν βάζω καπέλο και πίνω ζεστό καφέ. - When I am cold at the office, instead of a jacket I put on a hat and drink hot coffee.

κρυώνω is a verb meaning to feel cold / to get cold.
είμαι κρύος would literally be I am cold (as a property) and is not the usual way to say I feel cold about a person. It sounds more like “I am a cold person” (emotionally) or “this object is cold”.
To talk about feeling cold, Greek normally uses:
- κρυώνω – I’m cold / I’m feeling cold
- κάνει κρύο – it’s cold (weather-wise)

So Όταν κρυώνω is the natural, idiomatic way to say When I’m cold about yourself.

Why is it Όταν κρυώνω and not Όταν κρυώσω? What is the difference?

Both are correct, but they mean slightly different things:

Όταν κρυώνω (present tense):
- Describes a repeated / habitual situation or a general condition.
- Here it means: Whenever I’m (feeling) cold at the office… (a regular pattern).
Όταν κρυώσω (aorist subjunctive):
- Refers to a single event in the future or a specific moment when you get cold.
- It would be more like: When I (happen to) get cold (on that occasion)…

In this sentence, the speaker talks about a usual habit, so Όταν κρυώνω (present) is the natural choice.

What exactly does στο γραφείο mean, and how is it formed?

στο γραφείο means at the office.

Grammatically:

σε = at / in / to (a very common preposition)
το = the (neuter singular article, accusative case)
σε + το → στο (contraction)

γραφείο is the office / desk (neuter noun).

So:

σε + το γραφείο → στο γραφείο = at the office or in the office
In this context, στο γραφείο is understood as at the office (where I work).

How does αντί για work? Is για necessary, and what does the phrase mean exactly?

αντί για means instead of.

αντί by itself also means instead of, usually followed by a noun in the genitive or another structure (more formal/literary).
In everyday modern Greek, αντί για + noun (in the accusative) is extremely common and sounds very natural.

In the sentence:

αντί για μπουφάν = instead of a jacket

You might see or hear:

αντί μπουφάν – also possible, a bit more concise / slightly more formal or written.
αντί για μπουφάν – very common in speech and writing.

So yes, για is not strictly required grammatically, but αντί για is the usual conversational pattern.

Why is there no article before μπουφάν? Why not το μπουφάν?

μπουφάν is a loanword (from French) and is indeclinable in modern Greek (its form doesn’t change). But that’s not the main reason there’s no article here.

Greek often drops the article before a singular countable noun when you are talking about what type of thing you use/wear/eat/drink in a generic way, especially with clothes or food:

φοράω παλτό – I wear a coat
αγοράζω ψωμί – I buy bread
πίνω καφέ – I drink coffee

In αντί για μπουφάν:

The idea is instead of wearing a jacket (as a category), not instead of the jacket (a specific one).
If you said αντί για το μπουφάν, it would mean instead of the (particular) jacket (for example, the one you mentioned earlier).

So the bare μπουφάν feels general: instead of a jacket / instead of jackets in general.

Why is βάζω used for clothing (βάζω καπέλο) instead of φοράω? Are they the same?

Both βάζω and φοράω are used with clothes and accessories, but with slightly different focuses:

βάζω καπέλο literally = I put (a) hat (on)
- Focuses on the action of putting it on.
- Very common when describing what you do (routine, sequence of actions).
φοράω καπέλο = I am wearing a hat / I wear a hat
- Focuses more on the state of wearing something (what you have on).

In practice:

When describing your typical reaction: Όταν κρυώνω … βάζω καπέλο sounds natural: When I’m cold, I put on a hat.
If you were describing what you are currently wearing: Τώρα φοράω καπέλο – I’m wearing a hat now.

They overlap a lot, and both are widely used, but here βάζω suits the idea of a repeated, deliberate action you take.

Why is it βάζω καπέλο and not βάζω το καπέλο or βάζω ένα καπέλο?

All three are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

βάζω καπέλο (no article):
- Very common, especially with clothes.
- Means I put on (a) hat, focusing on the type of item, not a specific hat.
- Sounds like a habitual / generic statement.
βάζω ένα καπέλο:
- I put on a hat (one hat).
- Slightly more specific than bare καπέλο, but still not a particular hat already known in the context.
βάζω το καπέλο:
- I put on the hat, referring to a specific hat that both speaker and listener know (e.g. the hat we talked about, the blue hat on the chair, etc.).

In this sentence, the speaker is describing a general habit, so the bare καπέλο without article fits best.

Does καπέλο here mean a specific hat or just “a hat” in general?

With no article (βάζω καπέλο), it usually means a hat in general, as a type of clothing:

“When I’m cold at the office, I put on a hat” – not necessarily the same one every time.

If the speaker meant one particular known hat, they would be more likely to use:

βάζω το καπέλο μου – I put on my hat
βάζω το καπέλο – I put on the hat (already identified in context)

Why is it ζεστό καφέ and not ζεστός καφές?

This is a case and agreement issue:

The verb πίνω takes a direct object in the accusative case.
The noun καφές (coffee) is masculine:
- ο καφές – nominative (subject form)
- τον καφέ – accusative (object form)

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

ζεστός καφές – nominative (subject) → hot coffee as the subject:
- Ο ζεστός καφές είναι ωραίος. – Hot coffee is nice.
ζεστό καφέ – accusative (object) → hot coffee as the thing you drink:
- Πίνω ζεστό καφέ. – I drink hot coffee.

In our sentence, καφέ is the object of πίνω, so it must be in the accusative, and so must ζεστό:

πίνω ζεστό καφέ = I drink hot coffee.

Why does καφές become καφέ? Is this just pronunciation or grammar?

It’s grammar: it’s the case ending.

The noun καφές declines like this (singular):

ο καφές – nominative (subject)
τον καφέ – accusative (object)
του καφέ – genitive (of the coffee)
καφέ! – vocative (when calling out)

So:

καφές (with stress on the last syllable and -ς) is the subject form.
καφέ (same stress, but without -ς) is the object form and also other cases.

In πίνω ζεστό καφέ, καφέ is accusative, direct object of πίνω.

Can we say πίνω καφέ ζεστό instead of πίνω ζεστό καφέ?

You could say πίνω καφέ ζεστό, and it would still be understandable and grammatically possible, but:

The most natural, default order in Greek is adjective + noun:
- ζεστό καφέ, κρύο νερό, μαύρο φόρεμα.
Putting the adjective after the noun (καφέ ζεστό) can sometimes sound:
- more marked, slightly poetic or emphatic,
- or used to contrast: πίνω καφέ ζεστό, όχι κρύο – I drink coffee hot, not cold.

For a simple, neutral statement like this one, πίνω ζεστό καφέ is by far the most idiomatic.

Why is there a comma after στο γραφείο in Όταν κρυώνω στο γραφείο, αντί για μπουφάν βάζω καπέλο και πίνω ζεστό καφέ?

The comma separates the dependent clause from the main clause:

Όταν κρυώνω στο γραφείο – when I am cold at the office (dependent clause, introduced by Όταν)
αντί για μπουφάν βάζω καπέλο και πίνω ζεστό καφέ – instead of a jacket I put on a hat and drink hot coffee (main clause)

In both English and Greek, it is normal (and clearer) to write:

Όταν … , …
When … , …

You will often see a comma after clauses introduced by όταν, αν, επειδή, όταν, ενώ, etc., especially when they come first in the sentence.