Μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.

Sometimes I react nervously when I am stressed.

Breakdown of Μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.

• έχω: to have
• όταν: when
• μερικές φορές: sometimes
• το άγχος: the stress
• αντιδρώ: to react
• νευρικά: nervously

Questions & Answers about Μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.

What is the function of «Μερικές φορές» in this sentence, and can it go in another position?

«Μερικές φορές» means “sometimes” and works as a time adverbial, describing how often the action happens.

In Μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος, it’s in the most natural position: at the beginning of the sentence, before the verb.

You can also move it without changing the meaning much:

• Αντιδρώ μερικές φορές νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.
• Αντιδρώ νευρικά μερικές φορές όταν έχω άγχος.

All are grammatical. The version with «Μερικές φορές» at the beginning is the most neutral and common in everyday speech.

Is there a difference between «μερικές φορές» and «κάποιες φορές»?

Both mean “sometimes”, but there is a slight nuance:

• Μερικές φορές – the standard, most neutral way to say “sometimes”.
• Κάποιες φορές – also “sometimes”, but can feel a bit more vague, like “at certain times / on some occasions”.

In this sentence, μερικές φορές is exactly what most speakers would naturally choose.

Why is there no word for “I” in the Greek sentence?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (like “I”, “you”, “we”) are usually left out because the verb ending already shows the subject.

The verb αντιδρώ is:

• 1st person singular, present tense → “I react”

So αντιδρώ by itself already means “I react”, making εγώ (“I”) unnecessary. You could say:

• Εγώ μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.

but that usually adds emphasis on “I”, like “I (as opposed to others) sometimes react nervously…”. In neutral statements, Greeks normally drop εγώ.

What exactly does the verb «αντιδρώ» mean, and is there another form like «αντιδράω»?

Αντιδρώ means “I react”. It comes from αντιδράω / αντιδρώ, which is one of those verbs with two acceptable present forms:

• αντιδράω – more “full” form
• αντιδρώ – shortened form, very common in everyday speech

Both are correct. Their meanings are identical; it’s just a matter of style and rhythm.

The main present‑tense forms (common spoken forms) are:

• εγώ αντιδρώ – I react
• εσύ αντιδράς – you react
• αυτός/αυτή/αυτό αντιδρά – he/she/it reacts
• εμείς αντιδρούμε – we react
• εσείς αντιδράτε – you (pl./formal) react
• αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά αντιδρούν(ε) – they react

In this sentence, αντιδρώ expresses a habitual reaction: “I (tend to) react nervously”.

What does «νευρικά» mean exactly, and what part of speech is it?

Νευρικά is an adverb meaning roughly “nervously”.

It is formed from the adjective νευρικός (“nervous”) in its neuter plural form νευρικά, which also functions as an adverb (this is very common in Greek: neuter plural of an adjective used adverbially).

So:

• νευρικός – nervous (masculine)
• νευρική – nervous (feminine)
• νευρικό – nervous (neuter)
• νευρικά – nervously (adverb)

In this sentence, αντιδρώ νευρικά = “I react nervously” or “I have a nervous reaction”.

Could the sentence also be «Μερικές φορές είμαι νευρικός όταν έχω άγχος»? Is there a difference?

Yes, that’s a correct sentence, but the meaning changes slightly:

• Μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.
  Focuses on your reaction/behavior → “Sometimes I react in a nervous way.”

• Μερικές φορές είμαι νευρικός όταν έχω άγχος.
  Focuses more on your state or mood → “Sometimes I am nervous when I’m anxious.”

So:

• αντιδρώ νευρικά = how you act
• είμαι νευρικός = how you are / how you feel

What does «άγχος» mean, and is it countable in Greek?

Άγχος means “anxiety, stress”.

Grammatically:

• It is neuter, singular: το άγχος
• The basic form is:
  
  • το άγχος – the anxiety / the stress
  • του άγχους – of the anxiety
  • (no article) άγχος – anxiety in general

In this sentence, όταν έχω άγχος means “when I am anxious / when I feel anxiety”. It’s used without an article because we’re talking about anxiety in a general, non‑specific way, not “a particular piece of anxiety”.

You will also hear:

• έχω πολύ άγχος – I am very anxious / I have a lot of stress
• νιώθω άγχος – I feel anxiety

Why is it «όταν έχω άγχος» and not something with subjunctive, like «όταν να έχω άγχος»?

Greek does not use να after όταν.

• Όταν = “when(ever)” (for real, factual situations)
  It is followed by indicative (normal present/past/future forms), not by να:
  • όταν έχω – when I have
  • όταν είμαι – when I am
  • όταν είχα – when I had, etc.

The particle να introduces subjunctive or non‑factual actions, often after verbs like “want”, “can”, “must”, or after “to” in English:

• θέλω να πάω – I want to go
• μπορώ να βοηθήσω – I can help

So όταν να έχω άγχος is ungrammatical.
Correct patterns:

• όταν έχω άγχος – when I am anxious (habitual)
• όταν είχα άγχος – when I was anxious (past habit)
• όταν θα έχω άγχος – when I will be anxious (future context, less common; often just όταν έχω with future elsewhere in the sentence)

Why is «έχω άγχος» used instead of something like «είμαι αγχωμένος»? Do they mean the same?

Both describe anxiety, but with a slightly different focus:

• έχω άγχος – literally “I have anxiety/stress”; feels a bit more objective / about the condition itself.
• είμαι αγχωμένος – literally “I am anxious / stressed out”; more subjective / about how you feel right now.

In many contexts they’re interchangeable:

• Έχω άγχος για τη δουλειά. – I’m anxious about work.
• Είμαι αγχωμένος για τη δουλειά. – I’m anxious about work.

In this sentence, όταν έχω άγχος is a standard, natural way to say “when I’m under stress / when I’m anxious”, especially for talking about a typical pattern of behavior.

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

Yes. Greek word order is flexible, and this is very natural:

• Όταν έχω άγχος, μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά.

This actually sounds slightly more “organized” or “written‑style”, because it introduces the condition first and then the result.

All of these are acceptable:

• Μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά όταν έχω άγχος.
• Όταν έχω άγχος, μερικές φορές αντιδρώ νευρικά.
• Μερικές φορές, όταν έχω άγχος, αντιδρώ νευρικά.

The meaning remains the same; you just change the emphasis and rhythm a bit.

How is «άγχος» pronounced, especially the γγ sound?

Άγχος is pronounced approximately as:

• [Á-nghos]

Details:

• ά – stressed “a”, like in “father”
• γ before χ – here it contributes to a voiced velar/uvular fricative, then χ is voiceless; to an English ear, the middle sounds like a rough “kh” or “gh” sound at the back of the throat
• ος – like “os” in “boss”, but shorter

So the whole word: /ˈaŋ.xos/ or /ˈaɣ.xos/ depending on speaker; you can think “Á-nghos” with a harsh “h/kh” in the middle.

Which words in the sentence carry the main stress when speaking naturally?

Every Greek word has a written stress mark, but in the sentence, meaning stress (emphasis) is usually on:

• μερικές φορές – often slightly emphasized, since it sets frequency
• αντιδρώ νευρικά – the verb + adverb carry core information
• άγχος – also important content

A neutral way of saying it:
Μερικές ΦΟΡΕς αντιΔΡΩ νευριΚΆ όταν έχω ΑΓΧος.

If you wanted to highlight different things, you could shift emphasis in speech:

• Emphasize how you react: αντιδρώ ΝΕΥΡΙΚΆ
• Emphasize the cause: όταν έχω ΑΓΧΟΣ

Is the sentence talking about a single event or a general habit?

The sentence describes a general habit / repeated pattern.

The use of:

• Μερικές φορές – sometimes
• Present tense αντιδρώ – I react (present, habitual)
• Present tense έχω – I have (ongoing, repeated)

all together show a habitual meaning:
“At times (in general), when I’m anxious, I tend to react nervously.”
Not just once, but as something that happens repeatedly.