Learn Hardcore Greek: Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα, οπότε θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος. - Tomorrow we have a test in class, so I want to be focused.

«έχουμε έλεγχο» = we have a test / check
If you added the article, it would be «έχουμε έναν έλεγχο» (we have a test), but in Greek it’s common to drop the indefinite article, especially in general statements like this.

Why is it «έχουμε έλεγχο» and not something like «κάνουμε τεστ»?

Greek has several ways to say we have a test:

Έχουμε έλεγχο. – very common, especially in schools.
Έχουμε τεστ. – using the loanword τεστ.
Γράφουμε διαγώνισμα. – literally we are writing a test/exam, i.e. we’re taking a test.

«Έχουμε έλεγχο» is natural and slightly more formal/neutral than «έχουμε τεστ».
«Γράφουμε διαγώνισμα» is more specific to writing an exam.

What is the function of «στο μάθημα» and how is it formed?

«Στο μάθημα» means “in/at the lesson / in class” and tells you where the test will happen.

It is formed from:

σε (in/at) + το (the, neuter singular) → στο
μάθημα (lesson, class, school subject) → στο μάθημα (in the lesson / in the class)

So «έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα» = we have a test in class / in the lesson.

You could also hear:

στην τάξη = in the classroom / in the class (more about the physical group/room)
στο μάθημα = more about the lesson or subject period.

What’s the difference between «μάθημα» and «τάξη»?

Both can be translated as class, but they focus on different things:

το μάθημα
- the lesson or class period (e.g. math lesson, English lesson)
- also: a school subject (e.g. Το αγαπημένο μου μάθημα είναι ιστορία. – My favorite subject is history.)
η τάξη
- the classroom (the physical room)
- the group of students or grade level (e.g. η τρίτη τάξη – third grade)

So:

έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα – there’s a test in the lesson.
έχουμε έλεγχο στην τάξη – there is a test in the class / in the classroom (grammatically okay, but less idiomatic for this exact sentence).

What does «οπότε» mean, and how is it different from «γι’ αυτό» or «άρα»?

«Οπότε» roughly means “so / therefore / and so” and introduces a result of what was said before:

Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα, οπότε θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος.
Tomorrow we have a test in class, so I want to be focused.

It’s:

very common in spoken and informal Greek,
slightly less formal than «άρα» or «επομένως».

Comparison:

γι’ αυτό (το λόγο) = for that (reason), that’s why → more explicit about cause.
οπότε = so, and therefore → smoother, more conversational.
άρα = therefore, thus → sounds a bit more logical/formal or rhetorical.

Here all three are possible, but «οπότε» sounds the most natural in everyday speech.

Why is there a comma before «οπότε»?

In Greek, when «οπότε» introduces a result clause, it usually behaves like “so” / “therefore”, and it’s common to separate that clause with a comma:

Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα, οπότε θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος.

You can think of it as: > [Reason], so [result].

Greek punctuation rules vary a bit in practice, but putting a comma before «οπότε» in this use is very standard and matches how people naturally pause in speech.

Why is it «θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος» and not «θέλω να συγκεντρωθώ»?

Both are correct, but they are slightly different:

Θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος.
- literally: I want to be concentrated / focused.
- Emphasizes the state you want to be in at that time (during the test).
Θέλω να συγκεντρωθώ.
- literally: I want to concentrate (myself).
- Emphasizes the action of concentrating, usually starting now or at some point.

In this context, the speaker is talking about tomorrow during the test, so «να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος» (to be in a focused state) is slightly more natural, but «να συγκεντρωθώ» could also make sense in a slightly different context (e.g. right now while studying).

What exactly is «συγκεντρωμένος» grammatically? Is it a verb, an adjective, or something else?

«Συγκεντρωμένος» is a participle used as an adjective.

It comes from the verb «συγκεντρώνω / συγκεντρώνομαι» (to concentrate / to be concentrated).
The form συγκεντρωμένος is the masculine singular nominative form.

It behaves like a regular adjective and agrees with the subject:

Είμαι συγκεντρωμένος. – I am focused. (male speaker)
Είμαι συγκεντρωμένη. – I am focused. (female speaker)
Το παιδί είναι συγκεντρωμένο. – The child is focused. (neuter)

In the sentence, the speaker is assumed to be male, so συγκεντρωμένος is used.

How would the sentence change if the speaker were female?

Only the adjective needs to change:

Masculine:
> Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα, οπότε θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένος.
Feminine:
> Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα, οπότε θέλω να είμαι συγκεντρωμένη.

Everything else in the sentence stays the same.

Why is the verb «έχουμε» (present tense) used to talk about tomorrow?

Greek often uses the present tense to talk about future scheduled events, just like in English when you say “Tomorrow we have a test” (not “we will have a test”).

So:

Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο. = Tomorrow we have a test.
This is natural because a test is a fixed arrangement in the timetable.

You could also say:

Αύριο θα έχουμε έλεγχο. – Tomorrow we will have a test.
This is also correct, but without «θα» is very common when referring to timetabled or scheduled events.

Why don’t we say «εμείς έχουμε έλεγχο»? Where is the subject “we”?

In Greek, the verb ending usually makes the subject pronoun unnecessary.

έχουμε already means “we have” (1st person plural).
So «εμείς» is not needed unless you want to emphasize it.

Examples:

Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο. – Tomorrow we have a test. (normal)
Αύριο εμείς έχουμε έλεγχο. – We have a test tomorrow (as opposed to another group). (emphasis)

Why is there no article before «έλεγχο»? Could we say «έναν έλεγχο»?

Yes, you can say «έχουμε έναν έλεγχο», but in Greek it’s very common to drop the indefinite article when you’re talking about:

professions,
languages,
or a non-specific, one-off event like a test.

So:

Έχουμε έλεγχο αύριο. – We have a test tomorrow.
Έχουμε έναν έλεγχο αύριο. – Also correct; a bit more specific/emphatic.

In everyday school talk, «έχουμε έλεγχο» without «έναν» is extremely natural.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say «Αύριο στο μάθημα έχουμε έλεγχο»?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are possible and natural:

Αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο στο μάθημα.
Αύριο στο μάθημα έχουμε έλεγχο.
Στο μάθημα αύριο έχουμε έλεγχο.

The basic information stays the same. You just shift focus or rhythm a little:

Starting with Αύριο stresses the time.
Starting with Στο μάθημα would stress the place.

The original sentence has a very neutral, natural order.

How do you pronounce the sentence, and where is the stress in each word?

Here’s the sentence with stressed syllables marked in capitals:

ΑΥριο Éχουμε Éλεγχο στο MÁθημα, οPÓτε THÉλω να EÍμαι συγκεντρωMÉνος.

More systematically (stressed syllable in bold):

Αύριο → Áv-rio (Á-vree-o)
έχουμε → É-chou-me (É-hoo-me)
έλεγχο → É-le-gho (É-le-gho)
στο → sto
μάθημα → MÁ-thi-ma (MA-thee-ma)
οπότε → o-PÓ-te (o-PO-te)
θέλω → THÉ-lo (THE-lo)
να → na
είμαι → EÍ-me (EE-me)
συγκεντρωμένος → syn-gen-tro-MÉ-nos (seen-yen-tro-ME-nos)

Each word has one stressed syllable, shown by the written accent in Greek.