Learn Hardcore Greek: Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου.

Προσπαθώ = I try / I am trying
- stem: προσπαθ-
- ending: -ώ → 1st person singular (I)
ζηλεύω can also mean I am jealous / I envy, but here it’s in a subordinate clause.

So εγώ (I) is understood from the verb form προσπαθώ, and you don’t need to say it explicitly:

(Εγώ) προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου.

What does να do in προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω? Why do we need it?

Να is a particle that introduces a subordinate clause in the subjunctive mood.

After many verbs that express:

effort (προσπαθώ – I try),
desire (θέλω – I want),
intention (σκοπεύω – I intend),

Greek normally uses να + verb instead of an infinitive.

So:

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω...
literally: I try that I-not be-jealous...
functionally: I try not to be jealous...

You cannot say ✗ προσπαθώ ζηλεύω here; you need να:

προσπαθώ να ζηλεύω / να μην ζηλεύω

Where is the to in to be jealous? Doesn’t Greek have an infinitive?

Modern Greek does not really use an infinitive the way English does.

Instead of an infinitive like to be jealous, Greek uses:

να + finite verb

So:

to be jealous → να ζηλεύω
to go → να πάω
to see → να δω

In your sentence:

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου.
corresponds to
I try not to be jealous of my friends.

Here να ζηλεύω plays the role of English to be jealous.

Why is the negation μην and not δεν?

Greek has two main negative particles:

δεν → used with indicative (normal, factual statements)
- Δεν ζηλεύω. = I am not jealous / I don’t envy.
μη(ν) → used with subjunctive, imperative, and prohibitions
- Να μην ζηλεύεις. = Don’t be jealous.
- Μην ζηλεύεις! = Don’t be jealous!

In your sentence, ζηλεύω is in a να-clause, i.e. in the subjunctive, so we must use μη(ν):

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου.

Using δεν here (✗ να δεν ζηλεύω) is ungrammatical in standard Modern Greek.

Why is the order να μην ζηλεύω and not μην να ζηλεύω?

The normal order in Greek is:

να + (μη(ν)) + verb

So:

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω. ✅
✗ Προσπαθώ μην να ζηλεύω. ❌

You can write να μη ζηλεύω or να μην ζηλεύω; both occur in modern usage. The important rules are:

να comes first, directly after the main verb (προσπαθώ).
μη(ν) comes right before the verb it negates (ζηλεύω).

What tense or form is ζηλεύω here? It looks like the present, but you say it’s subjunctive.

Formally, ζηλεύω is the present stem of the verb ζηλεύω. In Modern Greek, the present indicative and present subjunctive often look identical:

(Εγώ) ζηλεύω. = I am jealous / I envy. (indicative)
να ζηλεύω = to be jealous / that I be jealous. (subjunctive)

How do we know it’s subjunctive here?

Because it comes after να:
να ζηλεύω → present subjunctive form.

So grammatically:

ζηλεύω = present stem, 1st person singular
mood: subjunctive, signaled by να
aspect: imperfective (ongoing / repeated).

Why is it ζηλεύω and not ζηλέψω? What’s the difference?

Greek distinguishes aspect:

ζηλεύω (imperfective aspect)
- ongoing, repeated, or habitual action/state
- here: to be jealous (in general / habitually)
ζηλέψω (aorist aspect)
- a single, complete event
- να ζηλέψω ≈ to become jealous (once / on some occasion)

Compare:

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου.
→ I try not to be (generally) jealous of my friends.
(working on your character/attitude, in general)
Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλέψω τους φίλους μου σήμερα.
→ I’m trying not to get jealous of my friends today.
(one specific situation / episode)

Both are grammatically correct, but they express different nuances.

What exactly does τους φίλους μου mean grammatically?

Τους φίλους μου breaks down as:

τους = masculine accusative plural definite article
→ the
φίλους = accusative plural of ο φίλος
→ friends
μου = weak possessive pronoun
→ my

Together:

τους φίλους μου = my friends (literally: the friends my)

Case:

It’s in the accusative, because it is the direct object of ζηλεύω:
- ζηλεύω + (whom?) τους φίλους μου

Why do we need both τους and μου to say my friends? Could we just say φίλους μου?

You can say φίλους μου in some contexts, but:

The most natural, fully definite way to say my friends is:
- οι φίλοι μου (subject)
- τους φίλους μου (object)

Using the definite article (οι / τους) is very common with possessives in Greek. It usually indicates:

a specific, known group → my (known) friends

Without the article:

φίλοι μου / φίλους μου can sound a bit less definite or have a slightly different nuance (more like friends of mine), and it’s more restricted in usage.

In this sentence, you are talking about your specific friends, so:

τους φίλους μου is the natural choice.

Why does μου come after φίλους and not before, like μου φίλους?

The usual order in Greek is:

article + noun + weak possessive pronoun

So:

τους φίλους μου = my friends
το σπίτι μου = my house
η μητέρα μου = my mother

The weak possessive (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) typically comes after the noun.

You can put a strong possessive before the noun for emphasis, but that changes the structure:

οι δικοί μου φίλοι = my own friends / my friends (as opposed to someone else’s)

So ✗ τους μου φίλους is wrong in standard Greek; the normal version is τους φίλους μου.

Could I leave out τους φίλους μου and just say Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω?

Yes.

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω.
= I try not to be jealous. (in general, without saying of whom)

Adding τους φίλους μου specifies who you tend to be jealous of:

Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου.
= I try not to be jealous of my friends.

In English I say jealous of someone. Why does Greek use no preposition and just ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου?

Greek uses the verb ζηλεύω as a transitive verb, taking a direct object:

ζηλεύω κάποιον = I envy / am jealous of someone

So:

ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου
literally: I envy my friends
but in everyday English this is often translated as
I’m jealous of my friends.

No preposition like of or for is needed; the person you are jealous of is directly in the accusative.

What tense is προσπαθώ, and does it mean I try or I am trying?

Προσπαθώ is:

present tense
active voice
1st person singular

In Greek, the present can cover both:

I try (habitual / general)
I am trying (right now / currently)

So Προσπαθώ να μην ζηλεύω τους φίλους μου. can mean either:

I try not to be jealous of my friends. (in general, as a principle) or
I am trying not to be jealous of my friends. (in this period / situation),

depending on context. The Greek form προσπαθώ itself doesn’t force one or the other.