Learn Hardcore Greek: Η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος είναι πάντα εκεί, αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό. - The possibility of making a mistake is always there, but that is natural.

In Greek, abstract nouns are often used with the definite article when we talk about them in a general way.
- η πιθανότητα = the possibility / the chance in general.
So Η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος… literally is The possibility that you make a mistake…, but in natural English we drop the and say The possibility of making a mistake… or There’s always a chance you’ll make a mistake….
Leaving out the article (Πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος…) would sound incomplete or stylistically odd in standard Greek in this context.

What is να κάνεις λάθος grammatically? Is κάνεις just the present tense “you do”?

να κάνεις is the subjunctive of the verb κάνω (to do/make).
- Present indicative: κάνεις = you do / you make
- Subjunctive: να κάνεις = (that) you do / (that) you make
Modern Greek doesn’t have a separate infinitive form (like “to do” in English). Instead, it uses να + subjunctive where English often uses an infinitive or that-clauses:
- η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος
  = the possibility (for you) to make a mistake / that you make a mistake
In this sentence, the whole clause να κάνεις λάθος acts as the complement of η πιθανότητα:
Η πιθανότητα [να κάνεις λάθος] = The possibility [that you make a mistake].

Is λάθος a noun or an adjective here, and why doesn’t it change form?

Here λάθος is functioning as a noun (“a mistake”). The expression κάνω λάθος means to make a mistake / to be wrong.
λάθος is indeclinable in the singular: its form does not change for case or gender:
- κάνω λάθος – I make a mistake
- έκανα λάθος – I made a mistake
- το λάθος – the mistake
There is also an adjectival/“adverbial” use:
- το έκανες λάθος = you did it wrongly / incorrectly
In your sentence, it’s the fixed expression να κάνεις λάθος = to make a mistake.

Why is there no article before λάθος? Why not να κάνεις ένα λάθος or να κάνεις το λάθος?

κάνω λάθος without an article is a set expression meaning I make a mistake / I’m wrong in a general, non‑specific sense.
If you say:
- να κάνεις ένα λάθος = to make a (one) mistake (a specific occurrence)
- να κάνεις το λάθος = to make the mistake (a particular, identifiable mistake)
In this sentence, we’re talking about the general possibility of being wrong / making a mistake, so the idiomatic expression να κάνεις λάθος (no article) is the most natural choice.
You could grammatically say η πιθανότητα να κάνεις ένα λάθος, but it shifts the nuance slightly toward “the possibility that you make some specific mistake,” and it doesn’t sound as neutral and general.

Could we use ότι instead of να and say Η πιθανότητα ότι κάνεις λάθος…?

No, that would be unnatural. ότι introduces a clause describing something presented more as a fact:
- Ξέρω ότι κάνεις λάθος. = I know that you are wrong.
Here we are talking about a potential situation, not a known fact. For this, Greek uses να + subjunctive:
- η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος = the possibility that you might be wrong / might make a mistake
So να (not ότι) is the normal and idiomatic choice after η πιθανότητα.

What exactly does εκεί (“there”) add in είναι πάντα εκεί? Could we omit it?

είναι πάντα εκεί literally: is always there.
εκεί here is figurative. It doesn’t mean a physical location; it means:
- it is always present,
- it is always lurking in the background,
- it exists as a constant possibility.
You can say:
- Η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος υπάρχει πάντα, αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό.
  (The possibility … always exists…)
Omitting εκεί and just saying είναι πάντα is grammatical but a bit bare and less idiomatic. εκεί adds a slight emotional/visual flavor, as if that possibility is “sitting there” in the background.

What is the role of πάντα here, and can it go somewhere else in the sentence?

πάντα is an adverb meaning always.
In είναι πάντα εκεί, it modifies είναι:
it is always there.
Greek is flexible with adverb placement. Acceptable variations include:
- Η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος είναι πάντα εκεί… (as given)
- Η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος πάντα είναι εκεί… (less natural here)
- Πάντα είναι εκεί η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος… (more emphatic: it’s always there that possibility…)
The original word order (είναι πάντα εκεί) is the most neutral and natural in standard usage.

What does αυτό in αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό refer to?

αυτό is a neuter demonstrative pronoun: this / that / it.
Here it refers back to the whole idea just mentioned:
- the fact that the possibility of you making a mistake is always there.
So αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό = but that is natural, i.e. but it’s natural that there is always such a possibility.
In Greek, neuter αυτό is commonly used to refer to whole situations, actions, or abstract ideas stated in the previous clause or sentence.

Could we drop αυτό and just say …αλλά είναι φυσικό? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:
- Η πιθανότητα να κάνεις λάθος είναι πάντα εκεί, αλλά είναι φυσικό.
In Greek, the subject pronoun is often omitted, and είναι φυσικό on its own still clearly refers to the previous idea.
The difference is mostly in emphasis:
- αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό: a bit more pointed; you’re explicitly picking up that thing and commenting on it.
- αλλά είναι φυσικό: slightly softer, more flowing, less contrastive.
Both are grammatically correct and natural; the version with αυτό feels a bit more “spelled out” and emphatic.

What’s the nuance of φυσικό here? How is it different from φυσιολογικό?

φυσικό literally relates to nature (φύση), but in everyday speech it often means:
- normal, understandable, to be expected, not surprising.
φυσιολογικό is closer to “physiological / according to normal functioning,” but in everyday language it also means normal / standard / within the norm.
In this sentence:
- αυτό είναι φυσικό ≈ that’s completely normal / that’s only natural.
You could also say:
- αλλά αυτό είναι φυσιολογικό.
  This is also acceptable, but φυσικό is the more common, idiomatic choice in this kind of reassuring, general statement.

Does να κάνεις λάθος mean “that you are wrong” or “that you make a mistake”? How would you say “that you are wrong” directly?

να κάνεις λάθος is usually understood as to make a mistake, but in many contexts it overlaps with to be wrong in English:
- Νομίζω ότι κάνεις λάθος. = I think you’re wrong / I think you’re making a mistake.
A more direct way to say “you are wrong” is:
- Είσαι λάθος. (colloquial, often sounds a bit blunt or confrontational)
In your sentence, both interpretations are close:
- “the possibility that you make a mistake is always there”
- “the possibility that you’re wrong is always there”
English tends to phrase this more naturally as “The chance of making a mistake is always there”, which is why translations usually go that way.

Could this sentence be made more general, like “There is always the possibility of making a mistake” (not specifically you)? How would the Greek change?

Yes. In Greek you can avoid the specific 2nd person singular by using different subjects or structures:
- Υπάρχει πάντα η πιθανότητα να γίνει λάθος, αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό.
  = There is always the possibility that a mistake be made…
- Υπάρχει πάντα η πιθανότητα να κάνουμε λάθος, αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό.
  = There is always the possibility that we make a mistake…
- Υπάρχει πάντα η πιθανότητα λάθους, αλλά αυτό είναι φυσικό.
  = There is always the possibility of error…
The original να κάνεις λάθος directly addresses “you”, which makes it sound more personal and conversational.