Breakdown of Οι γονείς μου εκτιμούν όταν τους μιλάω με σεβασμό, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνούμε.
Questions & Answers about Οι γονείς μου εκτιμούν όταν τους μιλάω με σεβασμό, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνούμε.
Yes. μου is the unstressed (clitic) form of εγώ in the genitive case and here it means my.
- Οι γονείς = the parents
- μου = of me → my
In Greek, possession is usually shown by putting a genitive pronoun after the noun:
- το σπίτι μου = my house
- ο αδερφός σου = your brother
- η δουλειά τους = their job
So Οι γονείς μου literally is the parents of me, which corresponds to my parents in English.
Because the subject Οι γονείς μου (my parents) is plural, the verb must also be plural.
The verb is εκτιμώ (to appreciate, to value).
- 1st person singular: εκτιμώ = I appreciate
- 3rd person singular: εκτιμά = he/she/it appreciates
- 3rd person plural: εκτιμούν (or εκτιμάνε) = they appreciate
In the sentence:
- Οι γονείς μου εκτιμούν… = My parents appreciate…
So εκτιμούν agrees with οι γονείς (they).
όταν means when / whenever (for real, repeated, or general situations in time).
αν means if (for conditions or possibilities).
Here, the idea is about what generally happens when that situation occurs:
- εκτιμούν όταν τους μιλάω με σεβασμό
= they appreciate it when I speak to them with respect
This describes a general pattern: Whenever I speak to them respectfully, they appreciate it.
If you said αν instead of όταν, it would sound more like a conditional “if”:
- εκτιμούν αν τους μιλάω με σεβασμό
→ sounds like “they appreciate it if I speak to them with respect” (more hypothetical / conditional, and less natural here).
In everyday Greek, όταν is the natural choice for situations that actually happen or tend to happen, as in this sentence.
τους is the indirect object pronoun: to them.
The verb μιλάω usually takes σε + person:
- μιλάω σε κάποιον = I speak to someone
With pronouns, Greek often replaces σε + pronoun with a clitic pronoun:
- μιλάω σε αυτούς → τους μιλάω = I speak to them
- μιλάω σε εσένα → σου μιλάω = I’m talking to you
In your sentence:
- όταν τους μιλάω = when I speak to them
Without τους, μιλάω would be more like just “I speak / I talk” in general, without specifying “to whom”. The pronoun makes it explicit and natural: I speak to them.
Yes, both forms are correct and mean I speak / I talk.
- μιλάω is the longer, fully regular form.
- μιλώ is a shorter, more traditional/literary form, but also used in everyday speech.
In modern spoken Greek, μιλάω is very common and sounds completely natural.
Conjugation pattern (present):
- μιλάω / μιλώ – I speak
- μιλάς / μιλάς – you speak
- μιλάει / μιλά – he/she/it speaks
- μιλάμε – we speak
- μιλάτε – you (pl.) speak
- μιλάνε / μιλούν(ε) – they speak
So you could also say:
- …όταν τους μιλώ με σεβασμό…
with no change in meaning.
Here με means with, and σεβασμό is the accusative of σεβασμός (respect).
- με σεβασμό = with respect
This is a fixed and very common expression:
- Μιλάω με σεβασμό. = I speak with respect.
- Φέρσου με σεβασμό. = Behave with respect.
Using σε would not be idiomatic here. σε usually means to / in / at / on, and it doesn’t fit this adverbial phrase. The preposition for “with (a manner, quality)” is με:
- με αγάπη = with love
- με προσοχή = with care
- με ηρεμία = calmly (lit. with calmness)
αν = if / even if
ακόμα κι αν = even if / even though (emphasizing the contrast)
ακόμα (or ακόμη) means still / even.
In the structure ακόμα κι αν, it works like English even in even if:
- …με σεβασμό, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνούμε.
= …with respect, even if we disagree.
This adds the idea: not only when we agree, but even in the case that we disagree.
It underlines that disagreement doesn’t cancel the respectful attitude.
You could technically say …αν διαφωνούμε, but ακόμα κι αν is stronger and more natural for stressing this contrast.
κι is simply a contracted form of και (and).
Greek often changes και to κι before a word that begins with a vowel, to make pronunciation smoother:
- και αν → κι αν
- και εγώ → κι εγώ
- και έτσι → κι έτσι
So:
- ακόμα και αν
- ακόμα κι αν
are both correct; ακόμα κι αν is just more fluid in speech and very common in writing too.
In Greek, as in English, the present tense is often used to talk about general situations, habits, or typical behavior.
- διαφωνούμε = we disagree (present, habitual or general)
The sentence describes a general rule:
- My parents appreciate it when I speak respectfully, even in cases where we disagree (in general).
Using future (θα διαφωνήσουμε) would mean we will disagree (on a specific future occasion), which is not what’s meant. Subjunctive (να διαφωνούμε) wouldn’t fit here either; όταν + present is the standard pattern for “whenever / when (in general) …”.
The comma separates the main clause from a subordinate clause that adds an extra condition or contrast.
Structure:
- Main idea: Οι γονείς μου εκτιμούν όταν τους μιλάω με σεβασμό,
- Added contrast: ακόμα κι αν διαφωνούμε.
In Greek, it is standard to place a comma before clauses introduced by ακόμα κι αν, αν και, παρόλο που, etc., when they add contrast or a concessive meaning (similar to “even if / even though” in English).
So the comma here is normal and recommended.