Learn Hardcore Greek: Προσπαθώ να αλλάξω τη δική μου συμπεριφορά όταν έχω άγχος. - I try to change my own behavior when I am stressed.

Να is a particle that introduces the subjunctive form of the verb. Modern Greek doesn’t really use an infinitive like English “to change”. Instead, it uses:

προσπαθώ να αλλάξω ≈ “I try to change”

So να + verb (subjunctive) often corresponds to English “to + verb” or “that I + verb”.
Here, να is required after προσπαθώ to introduce what you are trying to do.

Why is it αλλάξω and not αλλάζω after να?

Both come from the same verb, but:

αλλάζω = present subjunctive (ongoing / repeated action)
αλλάξω = aorist subjunctive (single, complete action)

In this sentence:

προσπαθώ να αλλάξω τη δική μου συμπεριφορά
→ “I try to make a (one-off / decisive) change in my behavior.”

If you said:

προσπαθώ να αλλάζω τη συμπεριφορά μου
it would suggest “I try to be (constantly) changing my behavior / changing it habitually,” which is a different nuance and less natural in this context.

Why is it τη and not η in τη δική μου συμπεριφορά?

Greek articles change form depending on the grammatical case:

η συμπεριφορά = nominative (subject)
τη(ν) συμπεριφορά = accusative (direct object)

In this sentence, συμπεριφορά is the object of να αλλάξω (“to change my behavior”), so it must be in the accusative:

να αλλάξω τη δική μου συμπεριφορά
(not η δική μου συμπεριφορά here)

Why is there both δική and μου? Aren’t they both “my”?

Yes, both relate to possession, but they play different roles:

μου is the ordinary weak possessive pronoun = “my”
δικός / δική / δικό (μου) is an emphatic possessive = “my own / mine”

So:

η συμπεριφορά μου = “my behavior”
η δική μου συμπεριφορά = “my own behavior” (as opposed to someone else’s)

You almost always use δικός / δική / δικό together with μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους, not alone. So ✗ η δική συμπεριφορά is wrong; it must be η δική μου συμπεριφορά.

Could I just say να αλλάξω τη συμπεριφορά μου instead of τη δική μου συμπεριφορά?

Yes:

να αλλάξω τη συμπεριφορά μου = “to change my behavior”

This is perfectly correct and more neutral.
τη δική μου συμπεριφορά adds emphasis:

“to change my own behavior” (implying “instead of focusing on others’ behavior,” or highlighting the contrast).

Why is it δική and not δικός or δικό?

The emphatic possessive δικός / δική / δικό agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it refers to:

συμπεριφορά is feminine, singular, accusative.
So the matching form is δική (feminine singular accusative).

Examples:

ο δικός μου φίλος (masc) – “my own friend”
η δική μου συμπεριφορά (fem) – “my own behavior”
το δικό μου σπίτι (neut) – “my own house”

Why is the article τη placed before δική μου instead of before συμπεριφορά?

In Greek, when you use this emphatic possessive structure, the typical pattern is:

article + δικός/δική/δικό + weak possessive + noun

So you get:

τη δική μου συμπεριφορά
τον δικό σου φίλο
το δικό μας σπίτι

You don’t say ✗ δική μου τη συμπεριφορά. The article belongs to the noun phrase as a whole and comes before δική.

Why is it spelled τη and not την before συμπεριφορά?

The full accusative feminine article is την, but in practice:

Before most consonants, it is usually written and pronounced τη.
Before vowels and certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ), many writers keep την.

Here, συμπεριφορά starts with σ, so it’s standard to write:

τη συμπεριφορά

You may also see την συμπεριφορά in some texts, but τη συμπεριφορά is the common modern spelling.

Why is there no article before άγχος in έχω άγχος?

Άγχος here is treated like an indefinite / abstract noun (similar to “stress, anxiety” in a general sense). Greek often drops the article in such expressions:

έχω άγχος = “I have (some) anxiety / I am under stress”
έχω δουλειά = “I have work (to do)”
έχω χρόνο = “I have time”

If you said έχω το άγχος, you’d be talking about some specific anxiety already known from the context (“I have the anxiety [we mentioned]”), which is not what’s intended here.

What is the difference between έχω άγχος and είμαι αγχωμένος?

Both can be translated as “I am anxious / stressed,” but there is a slight nuance:

έχω άγχος (lit. “I have anxiety”)
– very common, sounds general and can refer to being stressed, worried, under pressure.
είμαι αγχωμένος (lit. “I am anxious-stressed”)
– focuses more on your current emotional state, “I am feeling anxious / stressed right now.”

In many everyday situations they are interchangeable:

Όταν έχω άγχος, …
Όταν είμαι αγχωμένος, …

Both are natural; the sentence you gave just uses the common fixed phrase έχω άγχος.

Can I move όταν έχω άγχος to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes, that’s completely natural:

Όταν έχω άγχος, προσπαθώ να αλλάξω τη δική μου συμπεριφορά.

Greek word order is flexible, and placing the όταν-clause first is very common. The meaning stays the same; it just changes the emphasis slightly (starting with the condition).

What does συμπεριφορά exactly mean, and is there an English cognate?

Συμπεριφορά means “behavior, conduct, way of behaving.”

It comes from συμπεριφέρομαι = “to behave.” There isn’t a direct, obvious English cognate, so it’s a word you mostly have to memorize.

Examples:

Καλή συμπεριφορά – good behavior
Κακή συμπεριφορά – bad behavior
Η συμπεριφορά του στη δουλειά – his behavior at work

How do you pronounce άγχος, especially the γ?

Άγχος is pronounced approximately like [Á-nghos]:

άγ-: the γ before χ is a voiced velar fricative, merging into the χ sound. For learners, you can think of it as a “soft g” that blends into “kh.”
-χος: like “khos” (a hard h from the back of the throat, then “os”).

So, slowly: Á-nghos, with the stress on the first syllable: Ά-γχος.