Learn Hardcore Greek: Σβήνω την τηλεόραση, γιατί ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός και δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ. - I turn off the TV because the sound is very loud and I can’t concentrate.

σβήνω τη φωτιά – I put out the fire.
σβήνω το τσιγάρο – I put out the cigarette.
σβήνω τον πίνακα – I wipe/erase the board.
σβήνω την τηλεόραση / το φως / τον υπολογιστή – I turn off the TV / the light / the computer.

So in this sentence σβήνω την τηλεόραση = I’m turning off the TV (or: I turn off the TV). It doesn’t sound like “erasing” here; it’s the normal everyday verb for “turn off” in the sense of stopping a device or light from working.

Why is it σβήνω (present tense)? In English we would often say “I’m turning off the TV” (continuous). Is there a separate continuous form in Greek?

Greek doesn’t have a separate present continuous form like English. The present tense in Greek covers:

simple present: I turn off the TV (in general).
present continuous: I’m turning off the TV (right now).

So σβήνω την τηλεόραση can mean either:

“I turn off the TV” (habitually: every time something happens), or
“I’m turning off the TV” (right now).

Context usually makes it clear. If you wanted a past, you’d change the tense:

Έσβησα την τηλεόραση. – I turned off the TV.
Θα σβήσω την τηλεόραση. – I will turn off the TV.

But for present vs present continuous, Greek uses the same form.

Why do we say την τηλεόραση and not just τηλεόραση without the article?

In Greek, the definite article is used much more than in English.

η τηλεόραση – the TV (nominative, subject)
την τηλεόραση – the TV (accusative, direct object)

Here, την τηλεόραση is the direct object of σβήνω, so it must be in the accusative with its article:

Σβήνω την τηλεόραση. – I’m turning off the TV.

Ommiting the article (σβήνω τηλεόραση) is possible only in very specific contexts, usually:

in titles, headlines, notes, or
when speaking in a very generic or “bare” way (“I do TV” – as in, work in TV).

In normal speech about a specific, real TV set, you almost always use the article: την τηλεόραση.

Why is the comma before γιατί? And does γιατί here mean “because” or “why”?

In modern Greek, γιατί can mean both:

“why” (question), and
“because” (answer / reason).

In your sentence it clearly means “because”:

Σβήνω την τηλεόραση, γιατί ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός…
I’m turning off the TV, because the sound is very loud…

The comma marks the separation between the main clause and the clause of reason:

Main clause: Σβήνω την τηλεόραση
Reason clause: (γιατί) ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός και δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ

In informal writing, some people may skip the comma, but putting it is considered correct and clearer, especially when γιατί means “because.”

Can I replace γιατί with επειδή here? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Σβήνω την τηλεόραση, επειδή ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός…

Both γιατί and επειδή can introduce a reason clause (“because”). The differences are small:

γιατί
- More common in everyday speech.
- Can mean both “why” and “because”.
επειδή
- Only means “because”, never “why”.
- Sounds a bit more formal or neutral; often preferred in writing or when you want to avoid ambiguity.

In this sentence, both are fine and natural; γιατί is just a bit more colloquial.

Why is it ο ήχος and not something like ο θόρυβος? What’s the difference?

Both words exist but have different meanings:

ο ήχος = sound (neutral word)
- any sound: music, a voice, TV sound, etc.
- ο ήχος της τηλεόρασης – the sound of the TV.
ο θόρυβος = noise (usually unpleasant / disruptive)
- loud, disturbing sound.
- έχει πολύ θόρυβο έξω – there’s a lot of noise outside.

In this sentence:

ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός = “the sound is very loud.” You’re talking about the general volume of the TV, not necessarily calling it “noise.”

If you wanted to emphasize that it’s annoying noise, you could say:

Υπάρχει πολύ θόρυβος και δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ.
There is a lot of noise and I can’t concentrate.

How does πολύ δυνατός work here? Why is δυνατός masculine, and why not πολύ δυνατά?

Let’s break it down:

ο ήχος (the sound) is masculine singular.
The adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun:
- masculine, singular, nominative → δυνατός.

So:

ο ήχος είναι δυνατός – the sound is loud.
ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός – the sound is very loud.

Πολύ here is an adverb modifying the adjective δυνατός (“very loud”). It does not change its form:

πολύ δυνατός ήχος – very loud sound.
πολύ δυνατή μουσική – very loud music (feminine noun).
πολύ δυνατό τραγούδι – very loud song (neuter noun).

Πολύ δυνατά would be an adverb describing how something is done:

Μιλάει πολύ δυνατά. – He/She speaks very loudly.

In your sentence you’re not describing the manner of an action; you’re describing the quality of the sound, so you use the adjective δυνατός, not the adverb δυνατά.

Why is there no word for “I” in Σβήνω την τηλεόραση? Where did the subject go?

Greek is a “pro-drop” language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός…) are often omitted, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

The verb σβήνω is:

1st person singular: (εγώ) σβήνω – I turn off / I’m turning off.

So Σβήνω την τηλεόραση already clearly means “I’m turning off the TV.”

You only add εγώ for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:

Εγώ σβήνω την τηλεόραση, όχι εσύ.
I’m turning off the TV, not you.

In neutral sentences, though, you usually drop the pronoun.

How does δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ work grammatically? Why do we need να?

The structure is:

δεν μπορώ – I can’t / I am not able
να συγκεντρωθώ – to concentrate

In Greek, after verbs like μπορώ (can), θέλω (want), πρέπει (must), we use:

the particle να
- subjunctive form of the verb.

So instead of an English infinitive (“to concentrate”), Greek uses να + subjunctive:

μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ – I can concentrate.
δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ – I can’t concentrate.

Να doesn’t literally mean “to” like the English infinitive marker, but functionally it often corresponds to “to” after verbs like can/want/try/etc.

Why is the verb συγκεντρωθώ and not συγκεντρώνομαι?

Both come from the same verb συγκεντρώνομαι (to concentrate, to focus), but:

συγκεντρώνομαι is present tense (indicative or subjunctive).
συγκεντρωθώ is the aorist subjunctive form.

After να, Greek can choose between:

present subjunctive: να συγκεντρώνομαι
aorist subjunctive: να συγκεντρωθώ

The difference is aspect:

να συγκεντρώνομαι – “to be concentrating” (ongoing process).
να συγκεντρωθώ – “to (manage to) concentrate” (single achievement: get myself into a state of concentration).

In everyday speech with μπορώ, people naturally prefer the aorist subjunctive:

δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ – I can’t (manage to) concentrate.

Using δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρώνομαι would sound unusual here; it feels more like “I can’t be in a continuous state of concentrating,” and isn’t the default choice.

Why does συγκεντρωθώ look “reflexive”? Is this verb always used like that?

Yes, συγκεντρώνομαι is a middle / reflexive-type verb in Greek. It literally means something like “I concentrate myself / I gather myself (mentally).”

συγκεντρώνω – I gather / collect (something).
συγκεντρώνομαι – I gather myself → I concentrate.

So:

Προσπαθώ να συγκεντρωθώ. – I’m trying to concentrate.
Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ. – I can’t concentrate.

When talking about your own mental focus, you virtually always use this -ομαι form (middle/reflexive). The non-reflexive συγκεντρώνω is used when you gather/collect other things:

συγκεντρώνω χρήματα – I collect money.
συγκεντρώνω στοιχεία – I gather data.

Could the word order be different, like Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ γιατί ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός? Is that still correct?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and very natural:

Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ, γιατί ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός.

Meaning stays the same:

I can’t concentrate because the sound is very loud.

Both orders are fine:

Σβήνω την τηλεόραση, γιατί ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός και δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ.
Δεν μπορώ να συγκεντρωθώ, γιατί ο ήχος είναι πολύ δυνατός, και σβήνω την τηλεόραση.

Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially with whole clauses. What changes is mainly the emphasis (what you mention first), not the basic meaning.