Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά.

In winter I gain weight because I eat a lot of sweets.

Breakdown of Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά.

• τρώω: to eat
• γιατί: because
• πολύς: many
• το γλυκό: the dessert
• τον χειμώνα: in winter
• παίρνω κιλά: to gain weight

Questions & Answers about Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά.

What is the role of τον in τον χειμώνα? Why is it there?

Τον is the masculine singular accusative form of the definite article ο (ο / τον χειμώνας = winter).

In this sentence:

• τον χειμώνα literally = the winter (in the accusative case)
• But as a time expression, it is best translated as “in (the) winter”.

Greek very often uses the accusative with a definite article to express time:

• τον χειμώνα = in (the) winter
• το καλοκαίρι = in (the) summer
• κάθε μέρα = every day (also accusative)
• την Κυριακή = on Sunday

So τον is not optional here: it’s part of the normal way to say “in winter” in Greek.

Why is it χειμώνα and not χειμώνας?

Χειμώνας is the dictionary (nominative) form of the noun:

• ο χειμώνας = winter (subject form)

In the phrase τον χειμώνα, the noun is in the accusative:

• Nominative: ο χειμώνας (subject)
• Accusative: τον χειμώνα (object / time expression)

Greek uses the accusative for many time expressions, so you see χειμώνα (without the final -ς) after τον.

So:

• Ο χειμώνας είναι κρύος. = Winter is cold. (nominative)
• Τον χειμώνα κάνει κρύο. = It’s cold in winter. (accusative used as a time expression)

Can I say το χειμώνα instead of τον χειμώνα?

In careful / standard written Greek, the full form is τον χειμώνα.

In everyday speech, many Greeks drop the final -ν of τον, especially before consonants, so you will often hear or see:

• το χειμώνα instead of τον χειμώνα

For you as a learner:

• It’s safer and more correct to learn and use: τον χειμώνα.
• But don’t be confused if you see το χειμώνα — it’s very common colloquially.

Could I say στον χειμώνα with a preposition, like “in the winter”?

In this sentence, you do not use a preposition:

• Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά… ✅ (correct, natural)
• Στον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά… ❌ (sounds wrong/unnatural)

For seasons and similar time periods, Greek normally uses just the accusative with the article, without a preposition:

• Τον χειμώνα… = In (the) winter
• Το καλοκαίρι… = In (the) summer
• Την άνοιξη… = In (the) spring
• Το φθινόπωρο… = In (the) autumn

Why does παίρνω κιλά mean “I gain weight”? It literally looks like “I take kilos”.

Yes, literally παίρνω κιλά is “I take kilos”, but idiomatically it means “I gain weight.”

Some common patterns:

• παίρνω κιλά = I gain weight
• έχω πάρει κιλά = I have put on weight
• έχω πάρει πέντε κιλά = I’ve gained five kilos
• χάνω κιλά = I lose weight
• έχω χάσει κιλά = I have lost weight

So in:

• Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά…
  you should understand: “In winter, I gain weight…”

Why is κιλά plural here? English says “weight” in the singular.

Κιλά is the plural of κιλό (kilo). Greek usually talks about body weight in kilos, not with a separate word like “weight”:

• παίρνω κιλά = gain (some) kilos → gain weight
• χάνω κιλά = lose (some) kilos → lose weight

You can also specify the number:

• Παίρνω τρία κιλά. = I gain three kilos.
• Έχασα δέκα κιλά. = I lost ten kilos.

So even when English uses the uncountable noun “weight”, Greek typically keeps κιλά in the plural.

Why isn’t there an article before κιλά? Why not τα κιλά?

Here κιλά is used in a general, indefinite way: I gain (some) weight.

Compare:

• Παίρνω κιλά. = I gain weight. (unspecified “some kilos”)
• Παίρνω τα κιλά που έχασα. = I gain back the kilos I lost. (specific kilos, so we use τα)

When you talk about a quantity in general (some weight, some kilos), Greek often omits the article, just like English does with “I eat sweets”, “I drink water”:

• Τρώω γλυκά. = I eat sweets.
• Πίνω νερό. = I drink water.
• Παίρνω κιλά. = I gain weight.

Why is γιατί used here? Doesn’t γιατί also mean “why”?

Yes, γιατί is a bit special: it can mean both “why” and “because”, depending on context.

1. As a question word = why

   • Γιατί τρως πολλά γλυκά; = Why do you eat a lot of sweets?

2. As a conjunction = because

   • Τρώω πολλά γλυκά γιατί μου αρέσουν.
     = I eat a lot of sweets because I like them.

In your sentence:

• Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά.
  Here γιατί means “because”:
  In winter I gain weight *because I eat a lot of sweets.*

You can also use επειδή to mean “because”, which is a bit more formal/neutral:

• …επειδή τρώω πολλά γλυκά.

Why is it πολλά γλυκά and not πολύ γλυκά?

The choice between πολύ and πολλά depends on grammar agreement.

• Πολύ is invariable as an adverb:

  • Τρώω πολύ. = I eat a lot.
  • Τρώω πολύ γρήγορα. = I eat very fast.

• Πολύς / πολλή / πολύ / πολλά are adjective forms and must agree with the noun.

Here, γλυκά is neuter plural (see next question), so πολλά must also be neuter plural:

• πολλά γλυκά = many/a lot of sweets (neuter plural) ✅
• πολύ γλυκά ❌ would be wrong in this sense, because πολύ is not agreeing as an adjective here.

Compare:

• Πίνω πολύ καφέ. = I drink a lot of coffee. (here πολύ modifies the verb, or coffee as a mass)
• Τρώω πολλά γλυκά. = I eat many sweets. (πολλά agrees with γλυκά, which is plural)

What exactly is γλυκά here? Is it an adjective or a noun?

Γλυκός is the basic adjective meaning “sweet”:

• γλυκός / γλυκιά / γλυκό = sweet (masc / fem / neut)

From the neuter form γλυκό, you also get a noun:

• το γλυκό = a sweet, a dessert

The neuter plural of this noun is:

• τα γλυκά = sweets, desserts

In your sentence, γλυκά is a neuter plural noun:

• πολλά γλυκά = many sweets / a lot of sweets

So here γλυκά does not mean “sweet things” as an adjective; it is literally “sweets/desserts.”

Why is there no subject pronoun εγώ? How do we know it means “I gain weight”?

Greek normally drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the verb ending.

• παίρνω = I gain / I take
• παίρνεις = you gain
• παίρνει = he / she / it gains

The -ω ending on παίρνω tells us the subject is “I”:

• Παίρνω κιλά. = I gain weight.
• Εγώ παίρνω κιλά. = I (myself) gain weight. (emphatic, stressing “I”)

You usually say just Παίρνω κιλά, and only add εγώ if you want to emphasize the subject:

• Εγώ παίρνω κιλά, όχι εσύ. = I gain weight, not you.

The verb is present tense παίρνω. Does it mean “right now I’m gaining” or “I usually gain”?

Greek present tense is used both for:

1. Ongoing actions (I am doing now)
2. Habitual / repeated actions (I usually/regularly do)

Here, with τον χειμώνα (“in winter”) and a general statement, it clearly has a habitual meaning:

• Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά…
  = In winter, I (tend to) gain weight.
  = Every winter, I gain some weight.

If you wanted to emphasize something happening right now, you would normally add adverbs like:

• Αυτή την περίοδο παίρνω κιλά. = These days I’m gaining weight.
• Τώρα παίρνω κιλά. = Right now I’m putting on weight.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Παίρνω κιλά τον χειμώνα γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, and your alternative is fine.

All of these are grammatical and natural, with only slight changes of emphasis:

• Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά.
• Παίρνω κιλά τον χειμώνα γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά.
• Παίρνω κιλά γιατί τον χειμώνα τρώω πολλά γλυκά.

The original version puts τον χειμώνα first, slightly emphasizing the time frame (as for winter…).
Starting with Παίρνω κιλά emphasizes the result (I gain weight in winter…).

For a learner, the main thing is that:

• The verb παίρνω stays with its object κιλά.
• The clause γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά clearly follows and explains the reason.

How do you pronounce Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολλά γλυκά?

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked by bold syllable):

• Τον χειμώνα παίρνω κιλά γιατί τρώω πολά γλυκά.

Rough guide in Latin letters:

• Τον χειμώνα → ton hi-MO-na (the χ is like a rough “h” as in German “Bach”)
• παίρνω → PER-no (the αι sounds like “e” in “pet”)
• κιλά → ki-LA
• γιατί → ya-TEE
• τρώω → TRO-o (long “o”, like “tróo”)
• πολλά → po-LA
• γλυκά → gli-KA (the γλ like “yl” with a soft “g” before “l”)

The main stressed syllables are: -μώ-, παί-, -λά, -τί, τρώ-, -λά, -κά.