Learn Hardcore Greek: Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται, χαμηλώνω την ένταση με το τηλεκοντρόλ για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν. - When everyone is sleeping, I lower the volume with the remote so as not to disturb anyone.

Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται = When everyone sleeps / When everyone is sleeping (time: at the time that they are sleeping).
αν means “if” (condition), not just “when”:
- Αν όλοι κοιμούνται, χαμηλώνω την ένταση… = If everyone is sleeping, I turn down the volume… (only under that condition).

So:

Use όταν for time: όταν φτάνω σπίτι = when I arrive home.
Use αν for condition: αν φτάσω σπίτι νωρίς = if I get home early.

In this sentence we are talking about what we do whenever that time comes (the time when everyone sleeps), so όταν is correct.

What is the function of όλοι in Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται? Why not όλους?

Όλοι here is a pronoun meaning “everyone / all (of them)”.

Όλοι is nominative plural masculine.
It acts as the subject of the verb κοιμούνται.

You use nominative for the subject, so:

Όλοι κοιμούνται. = Everyone is sleeping.

Όλους is accusative and would be used as an object:

Τους βλέπω όλους. = I see them all.

Since in the sentence “everyone” is the one doing the sleeping, it must be όλοι, not όλους.

Why is it κοιμούνται and not something like κοιμάνε or κοιμούν? What verb is this?

The verb is κοιμάμαι = “to sleep”.

It is one of those Greek verbs that appear only in the middle/passive form (so‑called “deponent” verbs), even though the meaning is active.
Present tense forms (indicative):
- (εγώ) κοιμάμαι – I sleep
- (εσύ) κοιμάσαι – you sleep
- (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) κοιμάται – he/she/it sleeps
- (εμείς) κοιμόμαστε – we sleep
- (εσείς) κοιμάστε – you (pl) sleep
- (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) κοιμούνται – they sleep

So κοιμούνται is:

3rd person plural, present, middle/passive endings, from κοιμάμαι.
Meaning in English: “(they) sleep / are sleeping”.

Forms like κοιμάνε are non‑standard / dialectal. In standard modern Greek, κοιμούνται is the correct form in careful speech and writing.

Why is there a comma after κοιμούνται? Can I change the order of the clauses?

The sentence has two parts:

Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται, – a subordinate time clause (When everyone is sleeping,)
χαμηλώνω την ένταση… – the main clause (I turn down the volume…)

When the Όταν‑clause comes first, Greek normally puts a comma before the main clause, just like English:

Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται, χαμηλώνω την ένταση…

You can switch the order:

Χαμηλώνω την ένταση με το τηλεκοντρόλ, όταν όλοι κοιμούνται.

Here the comma is optional but common. Meaning stays the same. What you cannot do is drop the comma when the Όταν‑clause comes first; that would look wrong in standard writing.

What exactly does χαμηλώνω mean, and how is it different from χαμηλώσω?

Χαμηλώνω is the present (imperfective) form of the verb χαμηλώνω = “to lower, to turn down, to make lower”.

Χαμηλώνω την ένταση. = I turn down the volume / I am turning down the volume.
It can be used for habits, general truths, or ongoing actions.

The aorist (perfective) subjunctive is χαμηλώσω:

Θα χαμηλώσω την ένταση. = I will turn down the volume (one complete action in the future).
Για να χαμηλώσω την ένταση… = in order to turn the volume down (focus on a single completed lowering).

In the sentence:

χαμηλώνω την ένταση fits because we’re describing what the speaker usually / habitually does whenever that situation occurs (when everyone is sleeping).

So:

χαμηλώνω – ongoing / repeated / habitual.
χαμηλώσω – one‑time, whole action seen as complete.

Why is it την ένταση and not just ένταση without the article? What does ένταση mean here?

Ένταση is a feminine noun meaning “intensity”, and in this context it is “volume (level)” of the sound.

την ένταση = the volume / the intensity.

We use the definite article την (feminine, accusative singular) because we are talking about a specific, known intensity: the intensity/volume of, for example, the TV or music currently playing.

In natural Greek, with concrete, specific things like this, the article is very often used:

Ανεβάζω την ένταση. = I turn the volume up.
Χαμηλώνω την ένταση. = I turn the volume down.

You can also hear:

Χαμηλώνω τον ήχο. = I turn down the sound.

Both την ένταση and τον ήχο are common; ένταση focuses on the level, ήχος on the sound itself.

What is the role of με in με το τηλεκοντρόλ? Could I say από το τηλεκοντρόλ instead?

Με here expresses means / instrument: it tells you what you use to do the action.

με το τηλεκοντρόλ = with the remote control, i.e. using the remote.

So:

Χαμηλώνω την ένταση με το τηλεκοντρόλ.
- I turn down the volume with the remote.

Using από here (από το τηλεκοντρόλ) is not idiomatic in standard Greek for “using the remote” and would sound off.

Use με to express:

instrument: Γράφω με στυλό. = I write with a pen.
company: Πηγαίνω με τους φίλους μου. = I go with my friends.

In this sentence, με το τηλεκοντρόλ clearly indicates the instrument used.

What does για να do in για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν? How is it different from just να?

Για να introduces a purpose clause: it means “in order to / so (as) to”.

…χαμηλώνω την ένταση… για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν.
- I turn down the volume in order not to disturb anyone.

Structure:

για να + (subjunctive form) = purpose:
- Γυμνάζομαι για να είμαι υγιής. = I exercise (in order) to be healthy.
- Διαβάζω για να περάσω τις εξετάσεις. = I study to pass the exams.

Just να can introduce many kinds of subordinate clauses (wishes, orders, results, etc.), not specifically purpose:

Θέλω να φύγω. = I want to leave.
Μπορεί να έρθει. = He may come.

When you want to clearly say “so that / in order to”, για να is the standard choice.

Why do we use μην instead of δεν before ενοχλώ?

Greek has two negative particles used in different environments:

δεν before indicative forms (normal, finite verb forms):
- Δεν ενοχλώ. = I do not disturb.
μη(ν) before:
- subjunctive clauses with να / για να / ώστε να, etc.
- imperatives, infinitive‑like forms, wishes, etc.

In the sentence:

για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν
- για να introduces a clause with a subjunctive form (ενοχλώ here behaves as subjunctive because of να),
- so the correct negative is μην, not δεν.

Compare:

Δεν ενοχλώ κανέναν. = I am not disturbing anyone. (main clause, indicative)
Για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν. = in order not to disturb anyone. (subordinate, with να)

Why is it ενοχλώ and not ενοχλήσω after για να? What is the difference in meaning?

The verb is ενοχλώ = “to bother / to disturb”.

With να / για να, you generally have a choice between:

present (imperfective) subjunctive: να ενοχλώ
aorist (perfective) subjunctive: να ενοχλήσω

They differ in aspect, not in time:

να ενοχλώ – focuses on an ongoing / repeated / habitual action or state.
- για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν = so that I am not (in general) disturbing anyone / so as not to be disturbing anyone.
να ενοχλήσω – focuses on one complete event.
- για να μην ενοχλήσω κανέναν = so that I don’t disturb anyone (even once).

In this sentence, the whole context is habitual:

When everyone is sleeping, I (habitually) turn down the volume so that I am not disturbing anyone.

So the present (imperfective) form ενοχλώ matches that idea of an ongoing situation better. Για να μην ενοχλήσω κανέναν would be more about avoiding a single act of disturbance at that moment.

What does κανέναν mean here, and why is it singular and masculine?

Κανέναν comes from the pronoun κανένας (“anyone / no one” depending on context).

κανένας – masculine nominative singular
κανέναν – masculine accusative singular (also genitive in many speakers)
καμία – feminine
κανένα – neuter

In this sentence:

ενοχλώ κανέναν – κανέναν is the direct object, so it must be in the accusative.
Under the negative μην, κανέναν means “anyone / anyone at all”:
- για να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν = in order not to disturb anyone.

It is singular masculine because:

Greek normally uses the masculine singular of these pronouns in a generic, gender‑neutral way, to mean “anyone / no one”.
English uses “anyone” (also singular and not marked for gender).

You could in theory make gender/number agree with a specific group, but in general κανέναν is the standard, neutral choice in this type of sentence.

Could the sentence be Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται, χαμηλώνω την ένταση για να μην ενοχλήσω κανέναν instead? Is that wrong?

That alternative is not wrong; it is grammatically correct and natural:

Όταν όλοι κοιμούνται, χαμηλώνω την ένταση για να μην ενοχλήσω κανέναν.

Nuance:

να μην ενοχλώ κανέναν – avoids being in a state of disturbing people; it feels more continuous / general.
να μην ενοχλήσω κανέναν – avoids committing the act of disturbing even once; it feels more like “so that I don’t (even once) disturb anyone”.

Because the sentence already has a habitual flavor (it’s what I do whenever that situation happens), ενοχλώ matches that well.
But everyday speakers might easily say either ενοχλώ or ενοχλήσω here without a big difference in perceived meaning.