Φοράω γυαλιά όταν διαβάζω, γιατί αλλιώς τα μάτια μου δεν βλέπουν καθαρά.

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Breakdown of Φοράω γυαλιά όταν διαβάζω, γιατί αλλιώς τα μάτια μου δεν βλέπουν καθαρά.

• μου: my
• γιατί: because
• βλέπω: to see

Questions & Answers about Φοράω γυαλιά όταν διαβάζω, γιατί αλλιώς τα μάτια μου δεν βλέπουν καθαρά.

Why is φοράω used here, and not a verb that literally means “to put on”?

Φοράω (foráo) is the normal verb for “to wear” in the sense of “have on (as clothing/eyewear) habitually or right now.”

• Φοράω γυαλιά = “I wear glasses / I (usually) have glasses on.”
  If you wanted to stress the moment of putting them on, you’d use something like βάζω τα γυαλιά μου (“I put my glasses on”). Here the sentence talks about a general habit when reading, so φοράω is the natural choice.

Why is γυαλιά in the plural? Is there a singular form?

In Greek, γυαλιά is almost always plural when it means “(eye)glasses.”

• τα γυαλιά = “the glasses”
  There is a singular το γυαλί meaning “glass” as a material or a pane of glass (e.g. a window), not eyeglasses. So when you talk about the thing you wear to see better, you use the plural γυαλιά.

Why is there no article before γυαλιά in φοράω γυαλιά?

Greek often omits the article with plural nouns when talking about something in a general or habitual way, especially with clothing or things you wear:

• φοράω γυαλιά ≈ “I wear glasses (in general).”
  If you say φοράω τα γυαλιά μου, you’re specifying particular glasses (my own pair, in a specific situation). Here the idea is “I (generally) wear glasses when I read,” so no article is needed.

What nuance does the present tense φοράω have here?