Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο. - She doesn’t wear much makeup when she goes to the university.

δεν (or δε before some consonants) is used before verbs to make a sentence negative.
- Δεν φοράει… = She doesn’t wear…
όχι is used:
- as a stand‑alone no (answer to a question)
  - – Φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ; – Όχι.
- or to negate a noun, adjective, or whole phrase in contrast:
  - Όχι πολύ μακιγιάζ, αλλά λίγο. = Not much makeup, but a little.

So in Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ…, we must use δεν because we are negating the verb.

What tense and aspect is φοράει, and why is it translated as doesn’t wear (habitually)?

Φοράει is:

Present tense
3rd person singular
From the verb φοράω / φορώ (to wear)

In Greek, the present tense is used for both:

right now actions:
- Τώρα φοράει ένα κόκκινο φόρεμα. = Right now she’s wearing a red dress.
habitual / general actions:
- Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο.
  = She doesn’t wear much makeup when she goes to university (in general).

English distinguishes wears vs is wearing, but Greek uses the same present tense form φοράει for both; the context gives you the meaning.

Why is the subject she not written (no αυτή)?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language, meaning the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person:

φοράω = I wear
φοράς = you wear
φοράει = he/she/it wears

Since φοράει already tells us it’s he/she/it, Greek normally leaves out αυτός / αυτή / αυτό unless:

We need to emphasize who it is:
- Αυτή δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ, όχι η αδερφή της.
Or to avoid ambiguity in a longer context.

In this sentence, Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ… is perfectly natural and usually understood as she from context.

What is the difference between πολύ and πολλά, and why is πολύ μακιγιάζ used here?

Πολύ and πολλά both relate to a lot / much / many, but they work differently:

πολύ (in this sentence) is an adverb meaning much / a lot:
- Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ. = She doesn’t wear *much makeup.*
- Τρώει πολύ. = He eats a lot.
πολλά is the neuter plural form of the adjective:
- πολλά βιβλία = many books
- πολλά προβλήματα = many problems

Μακιγιάζ is treated like an uncountable noun in this context (like “water”, “sugar”), so Greek uses πολύ (much), not πολλά (many):

πολύ μακιγιάζ = much makeup
If it were something countable: πολλά κραγιόν = many lipsticks

What kind of noun is μακιγιάζ? Does it change form in different cases?

Μακιγιάζ is:

A loanword from French
Grammatically neuter
Indeclinable (it keeps the same form in all cases and numbers)

So we say:

το μακιγιάζ (nominative / accusative singular)
του μακιγιάζ (genitive singular)
τα μακιγιάζ (plural – when used)

But the word itself stays μακιγιάζ; only the article and surrounding words change.

Why is there no article before μακιγιάζ (why not το μακιγιάζ)?

Greek often omits the article before uncountable nouns when they are used in a general, non‑specific sense, especially with πολύ:

Πίνω πολύ νερό. = I drink a lot of water.
Τρώει πολύ ψωμί. = He eats a lot of bread.
Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ. = She doesn’t wear much makeup.

If you say το μακιγιάζ, it sounds more like a specific amount or the makeup in a particular context (for example, all the makeup on a table), which isn’t what is meant here.

What is the difference between όταν and αν, and why is όταν used here?

όταν = when (for times that actually occur or are expected to occur)
αν = if (for conditions that may or may not happen)

In our sentence:

όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο = when she goes to university (it’s a regular, real situation)

If we used αν, it would mean if she goes to university (a condition that might or might not be fulfilled), which changes the meaning.

So we use όταν to describe a regular, habitual situation that actually happens.

Why is πηγαίνει used and not πάει, since both mean goes?

Both πηγαίνω and πάω mean to go, but:

πηγαίνω is a bit more formal / neutral.
πάω is more colloquial / everyday speech.

In the present:

Πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο.
Πάει στο πανεπιστήμιο.

Both mean She goes to university.

In written or slightly more careful speech, πηγαίνει is very common. In normal conversation, you’ll hear πάει a lot. The choice here is mostly about style, not grammar.

What does στο mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Στο is a contraction of:

σε (in, at, to) + το (the, neuter singular)

So:

σε + το πανεπιστήμιο → στο πανεπιστήμιο

It can translate as:

to the university, or
at the university, depending on context.

Greek commonly contracts σε with articles:

σε + τον → στον
σε + την → στην
σε + τους → στους, etc.

Why does Greek say στο πανεπιστήμιο with the article, even though English says to university without the?

Greek uses the definite article more often than English, especially with:

institutions,
places we go as activities (school, work, church, university, etc.)

So:

Πηγαίνει στο σχολείο. = She goes to school.
Πηγαίνει στη δουλειά. = She goes to work.
Πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο. = She goes to university.

Even though English drops the, Greek normally keeps the article (στο), and it sounds very natural and standard that way.

Can the word order change? For example, can we start with όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο?

Yes. Greek has relatively flexible word order. A very natural alternative is:

Όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο, δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ.

This has the same meaning as:

Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο.

Putting όταν… at the beginning simply changes the emphasis slightly (starting with the time frame), but it’s fully correct and common.

How do you pronounce the tricky parts of this sentence?

Approximate pronunciation (stress in bold):

Δεν → /ðen/ (like th in this
- en)
φοράει → /foˈra.i/
- often flows in speech almost like fo‑RÁ‑i
πολύ → /poˈli/ (po‑LÍ)
μακιγιάζ → /maciˈʝaz/
- γ before ι is like a soft y sound; roughly ma‑ki‑YÁZ
όταν → /ˈotan/ (Ó‑tan)
πηγαίνει → /piˈʝeni/
- again that soft γ → pi‑YÉ‑ni
στο → /sto/
πανεπιστήμιο → /paniˈpistimio/
- pa‑ni‑PI‑sti‑mio (stress on pi)

So the whole sentence:

Δεν φοράει πολύ μακιγιάζ όταν πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο.
→ /ðen foˈra.i poˈli maciˈʝaz ˈotan piˈʝeni sto paniˈpistimio/