Learn Hardcore Greek: Η απουσία ενός ατόμου φαίνεται όταν η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη. - The absence of one person is noticeable when the group effort becomes more difficult.

απουσία is a noun meaning absence, and it is feminine in Greek.
The definite article for feminine singular nominative nouns is η, so we get Η απουσία = “the absence”.
In this sentence, Η απουσία is the subject of the verb φαίνεται.

So the basic structure at the start is:

Η απουσία (subject)
ενός ατόμου (of one person – describes whose absence)
φαίνεται (is seen / becomes apparent).

What case is ενός ατόμου, and why is that case used here?

ενός ατόμου is in the genitive singular.

ένας (one) → ενός in the genitive singular
άτομο (person, individual) → ατόμου in the genitive singular

The genitive here expresses possession/relationship:
Η απουσία ενός ατόμου = “the absence of one person”.

So:

Η απουσία = the absence (subject)
ενός ατόμου = of one person (genitive phrase depending on απουσία).

Why is άτομο used here and not άνθρωπος?

Both άτομο and άνθρωπος can refer to a person, but they differ in nuance:

άτομο
- Literally: individual.
- More neutral and sometimes a bit more impersonal or formal.
- Common in general statements, rules, formal language, or when you don’t focus on personality.
άνθρωπος
- Literally: human (being), person.
- More everyday, slightly more personal or human-sounding.

In a general, slightly abstract statement like this, ενός ατόμου (“of one individual/person”) fits well.
You could also say Η απουσία ενός ανθρώπου φαίνεται... and it would still be correct and understandable, just a bit more “human” sounding.

What exactly is φαίνεται (tense, voice, person), and what does it mean here?

φαίνεται is:

Present tense
3rd person singular
Middle–passive voice of the verb φαίνομαι

Literal meaning: “is seen / appears / seems”.

In context:

Η απουσία ενός ατόμου φαίνεται...
= “The absence of one person becomes apparent / is noticeable...”

So Η απουσία is the subject, and φαίνεται tells us that this absence shows itself or becomes visible/noticeable under the conditions given by the όταν clause.

Why is όταν followed by the present tense γίνεται, and not some other tense or a subjunctive form?

όταν means “when” and can introduce:

A general/regular situation → usually followed by the present indicative in Greek.
A one-time future event → often followed by the subjunctive (όταν
- να is not used; the verb itself is in the subjunctive form).

Here we have a general truth / typical situation:

“You notice the absence of one person when group effort becomes more difficult (in general).”

So Greek uses:

όταν η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη
with γίνεται in the present indicative, expressing something that typically happens.

If it were about a specific future event, you might see forms like:

Όταν η προσπάθεια θα γίνει πιο δύσκολη… (less common / more spoken-like)
Or more naturally: Όταν η προσπάθεια γίνει πιο δύσκολη… (subjunctive for a future event).

What is η ομαδική προσπάθεια grammatically? How does ομαδική work here?

η ομαδική προσπάθεια is a noun phrase:

η = feminine singular definite article (nominative)
ομαδική = adjective, feminine singular nominative (from ομαδικός = group-, collective)
προσπάθεια = feminine singular noun (effort, attempt)

All three agree in:

Gender: feminine
Number: singular
Case: nominative

So:

η προσπάθεια = the effort
η ομαδική προσπάθεια = the group effort / the collective effort

ομαδική is an adjective placed before the noun, a very standard pattern in Greek.

What is γίνεται (form and meaning), and how is it different from είναι?

γίνεται is:

Present tense
3rd person singular
Middle–passive voice of γίνομαι.

Meanings of γίνομαι include:

to become
to happen
to be made / be done (in some contexts)

In this sentence:

η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη
= “the group effort becomes more difficult”.

Difference from είναι:

είναι = “is” (a state).
γίνεται = “becomes / is becoming” (a change into a state).

So:

Η προσπάθεια είναι δύσκολη = The effort is difficult.
Η προσπάθεια γίνεται δύσκολη = The effort becomes / is getting difficult.

Why do we say πιο δύσκολη instead of δυσκολότερη? Are they both correct?

Yes, both are correct and both are used in Greek:

πιο δύσκολη = more difficult
δυσκολότερη = also more difficult (synthetic comparative)

Differences:

πιο + adjective (analytic comparative):
- Very common in modern spoken Greek.
- Often sounds a bit more natural and neutral in everyday use.
-ότερος / -ότερη / -ότερο form (synthetic comparative):
- Still common and perfectly correct.
- Sometimes feels a bit more formal or bookish, depending on the word.

Here:

γίνεται πιο δύσκολη and γίνεται δυσκολότερη mean the same thing.
The version with πιο δύσκολη is stylistically very natural modern Greek.

Why are both ομαδική and δύσκολη in the same feminine form ending in -η?

Both adjectives agree with προσπάθεια, which is:

Feminine
Singular
Nominative (as the subject)

So both adjectives must match that:

ομαδική (group) → feminine singular nominative
δύσκολη (difficult) → feminine singular nominative

We have:

η ομαδική προσπάθεια (feminine singular subject)
γίνεται πιο δύσκολη (the predicate adjective δύσκολη also in feminine singular nominative)

Greek adjectives always agree in gender, number and case with the noun they describe, even when they appear later in the sentence as a complement after a verb like είμαι or γίνομαι.

Can I change the word order, for example put the όταν-clause first?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible. You can say:

Όταν η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη, η απουσία ενός ατόμου φαίνεται.

or even:

Όταν η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη, φαίνεται η απουσία ενός ατόμου.

Both are natural and mean the same thing. The differences are mainly in emphasis:

Original: Η απουσία ενός ατόμου φαίνεται όταν...
– starts by emphasizing the absence and then mentions when it shows.
Όταν η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη, η απουσία ενός ατόμου φαίνεται.
– starts by emphasizing the condition (“when the group effort becomes harder”), then states the result.

How would this change if I wanted to say “the absence of some people” or “the absence of many people”?

You mainly change the genitive phrase:

Η απουσία κάποιων ατόμων φαίνεται όταν...
= “The absence of some people becomes evident when...”
Η απουσία πολλών ατόμων φαίνεται όταν...
= “The absence of many people becomes evident when...”

Grammar points:

κάποιων = genitive plural of κάποιος (some).
πολλών = genitive plural of πολύς (many/much).
ατόμων = genitive plural of άτομα (individuals, people).

The rest of the sentence can remain the same:

...όταν η ομαδική προσπάθεια γίνεται πιο δύσκολη.

Is the sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone? Would it sound natural in everyday speech?

The sentence is neutral and slightly bookish, but still sounds natural.

Words like απουσία, ομαδική προσπάθεια are quite typical for:
- speeches,
- essays,
- articles,
- general statements of life lessons or principles.

In everyday spoken Greek, someone might use simpler or slightly different phrasing, for example:

Καταλαβαίνεις ότι λείπει ένας άνθρωπος όταν η δουλειά της ομάδας δυσκολεύει.
(You realize that a person is missing when the team’s work gets harder.)

But the original sentence is perfectly acceptable in both written and spoken Greek, especially in a more reflective or thoughtful context.