Learn Hardcore Greek: Όταν ζεσταίνομαι μετά τη βόλτα δίπλα στο ποτάμι ή στη λίμνη, πίνω νερό στο μπαλκόνι και νιώθω υπέροχα. - When I get hot after the walk by the river or the lake, I drink water on the balcony and I feel wonderful.

The verb ζεσταίνομαι already tells us the subject is “I”, because of its ending -ομαι (first person singular).
Similarly, πίνω and νιώθω have the -ω ending for “I”.

So:

ζεσταίνομαι = I get hot
πίνω = I drink
νιώθω = I feel

Adding εγώ would only be for emphasis, like “I (as opposed to someone else) feel wonderful.”

What kind of verb is ζεσταίνομαι, and why does it end in -ομαι?

Ζεσταίνομαι is a middle/passive form of the verb ζεσταίνω.

ζεσταίνω = I heat (something), I warm (something)
- e.g. ζεσταίνω το σπίτι = I heat the house.
ζεσταίνομαι = I get warm / I feel hot / I am warming up (myself)

The -ομαι ending is used for:

true passives (I am washed, I am opened, etc.)
many intransitive or “reflexive-like” verbs describing what happens to the subject (I get dressed, I get tired, I get hot, etc.)

So ζεσταίνομαι here means “I get hot / I feel hot”, not “I heat myself” in a literal, reflexive sense.

Why is it μετά τη βόλτα and not something like “μετά από βόλτα” without the article?

Μετά (after) in everyday Greek is very often followed directly by the accusative:

μετά τη βόλτα = after the walk / after my (our) walk

You can also say:

μετά τη βόλτα
μετά από τη βόλτα

Both are correct; μετά + accusative without από is very common in speech.

The article τη is used because it refers to a specific walk the speaker normally takes:

η βόλτα = the walk, the outing, the stroll (feminine noun)

In Greek, you usually use the definite article when you mean “the walk I normally take / that particular walk”, even if English would say just “after walking” or “after my walk” without “the”.

What does βόλτα mean exactly?

Η βόλτα is a very common word meaning:

a walk
a stroll
a little outing / leisurely walk

It usually implies walking for pleasure or relaxation, not just walking to get from A to B.

So μετά τη βόλτα means “after (my/our) stroll / walk (for pleasure).”

Why is it δίπλα στο ποτάμι ή στη λίμνη and not just δίπλα στο ποτάμι ή λίμνη?

In Greek, prepositions and articles are generally repeated for each noun:

δίπλα στο ποτάμι ή στη λίμνη
= next to the river or (next to) the lake

You normally do not drop the second στο/στη in standard Greek. Each noun phrase keeps its own preposition + article:

στο ποτάμι = at/by/on the river
στη λίμνη = at/by/on the lake

What are στο and στη exactly?

They are contractions of the preposition σε (in, at, on, to) with the definite article:

σε + το = στο (masculine/neuter singular)
σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν) (feminine singular)

So:

στο ποτάμι = in/at/on/by the river (το ποτάμι, neuter)
στη λίμνη = in/at/on/by the lake (η λίμνη, feminine)
στο μπαλκόνι = on the balcony (το μπαλκόνι, neuter)

English sometimes uses different prepositions (“by the river”, “on the balcony”), but Greek uses σε for most of these, and the exact meaning comes from context.

What’s the difference between ποτάμι and ποταμός?

Both mean “river”, but:

το ποτάμι is the everyday, neutral word for a river.
ο ποταμός is more formal, more common in written language, geography, or set phrases.

In a casual sentence like this, ποτάμι is the natural choice.

Why is it πίνω νερό without an article, but στο μπαλκόνι with the article?

Two different reasons:

νερό is used as a mass noun (some water, water in general), so you normally leave out the article when you mean an indefinite amount:
- πίνω νερό = I drink water (some water)
- πίνω το νερό = I drink the water (some specific water you already know about)
στο μπαλκόνι refers to a specific place, usually “my balcony” or “our balcony”. In Greek, you almost always use the definite article for specific locations:
- στο μπαλκόνι = on the (my/our) balcony
- στο σπίτι = at home / in the house
- στο γραφείο = at the office

So: no article for “some water”, but article for a concrete place.

Why is it νιώθω υπέροχα and not νιώθω υπέροχος?

Because υπέροχα here is an adverb, not an adjective:

υπέροχος (masc.), υπέροχη (fem.), υπέροχο (neut.) = wonderful (adjective)
υπέροχα = wonderfully, great (adverb, or adverb-like form)

In νιώθω υπέροχα, the word modifies how you feel, so Greek uses the adverb:

νιώθω υπέροχα = I feel wonderful / I feel great

If you said νιώθω υπέροχος, it would sound like “I feel (like I am) a wonderful person/man”, focusing on your own qualities rather than your emotional state. That’s not what is meant here.

Is there a difference between νιώθω and αισθάνομαι?

They are very close in meaning and often interchangeable:

νιώθω = I feel (emotionally or physically), I sense
αισθάνομαι = I feel, I sense, I perceive

In everyday speech:

νιώθω υπέροχα
αισθάνομαι υπέροχα

both sound natural as “I feel wonderful”.

Αισθάνομαι can sound slightly more formal or introspective in some contexts, but in many cases there is no strong difference.

Why are the verbs all in the present tense (ζεσταίνομαι, πίνω, νιώθω)?

This is a general, habitual statement: “Whenever this situation happens, I do this and feel that.”

Greek (like English) normally uses the present simple for general truths and habits:

Όταν ζεσταίνομαι …, πίνω … και νιώθω …
= When(ever) I get hot, I drink … and I feel …

If you wanted to talk about one specific future time, you would use the future or the aorist subjunctive:

Όταν ζεσταθώ, θα πιω νερό.
When I (get) hot, I will drink water.

Here, though, the sentence describes a regular pattern, so the present is correct.

Can the word order around μετά τη βόλτα and Όταν ζεσταίνομαι be changed?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. For example, you could say:

Μετά τη βόλτα, όταν ζεσταίνομαι δίπλα στο ποτάμι ή στη λίμνη, πίνω νερό στο μπαλκόνι και νιώθω υπέροχα.

The meaning stays essentially the same: “After the walk, when I get hot by the river or the lake, I drink water on the balcony and feel wonderful.”

Small changes in order can sometimes affect emphasis or rhythm, but all of these are grammatically fine. The original version is a natural, flowing order.