Learn Hardcore Greek: Συχνά κατεβάζω επεισόδια στο κινητό μου, για να τα βλέπω στο τρένο όταν δεν έχω ίντερνετ. - I often download episodes to my phone so that I can watch them on the train when I don’t have internet.

κατεβάζω τα ρολά – I pull the shutters down
κατεβάζω τα σκουπίδια – I take the trash down (e.g. from an apartment)
κατεβάζω επεισόδια – I download episodes (i.e. bring data “down” from the internet)

So in tech contexts, κατεβάζω is the standard everyday verb for “to download”.

Why is συχνά placed before the verb? Can I also say Κατεβάζω συχνά επεισόδια…?

Συχνά is an adverb meaning “often”. In Greek it’s quite flexible in position.

Both of these are natural:

Συχνά κατεβάζω επεισόδια…
Κατεβάζω συχνά επεισόδια…

Putting συχνά at the beginning (as in the original sentence) slightly emphasizes the frequency:

Συχνά κατεβάζω… = Often, I download… (focus on “often”)
Κατεβάζω συχνά… = I download often… (focus more on the action “download”, with “often” just modifying it)

Both are correct; it’s a matter of nuance and style, not grammar.

Why is it στο κινητό μου and not σε το κινητό μου?

Greek combines the preposition σε with the definite articles:

σε + το → στο
σε + τη(ν) → στη(ν)
σε + το(ν) (masc.) → στο(ν)
etc.

So, literally it would be σε το κινητό μου (“to/on the mobile of mine”), but in real Greek this always contracts to:

στο κινητό μου = “on my phone / to my phone”

Also, κινητό here is shorthand for κινητό τηλέφωνο = “mobile (phone)”.

Why is μου after κινητό instead of before it (why not μου κινητό)?

Short possessive pronouns in Greek (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) normally come after the noun:

το κινητό μου – my phone
το σπίτι σου – your house
η τσάντα της – her bag

Putting them before the noun (μου κινητό, σου σπίτι) is not normal modern Greek; it sounds either wrong or, in some contexts, very old-fashioned/literary. So:

στο κινητό μου = “on my phone” is the standard word order.

What is the function of για να here? Why not just να τα βλέπω?

Για να introduces purpose: “in order to / so that (I can)”.

…κατεβάζω επεισόδια στο κινητό μου, για να τα βλέπω…
= “…I download episodes to my phone so that I can watch them…”

Technically you can sometimes drop για and just have να, but:

για να clearly expresses purpose / intention
bare να is much broader (it can just introduce a subordinate clause without necessarily meaning “in order to”)

So in this sentence, για να is the natural, explicit way to express the purpose of downloading.

Why is it για να τα βλέπω and not για να τα δω?

This is an aspect difference: present vs aorist subjunctive.

βλέπω → present stem; να τα βλέπω = to be watching them (regularly / habitually / over time)
δώ (from βλέπω → είδα → δω) → aorist stem; να τα δω = to see/watch them once, as a completed event

Here, the meaning is a general, repeated habit:

I often download episodes so I can watch them on the train whenever I don’t have internet (repeated situation).

So Greek prefers the present subjunctive:

για να τα βλέπω στο τρένο = so that I can (keep) watching them on the train (habitual / ongoing)

If you said για να τα δω, it would sound more like:

so that I can (once) see/watch them (at some point on the train)

less clearly habitual.

What does τα stand for in για να τα βλέπω? How does it agree with επεισόδια?

Τα is a direct object pronoun meaning “them”.

It replaces επεισόδια:

κατεβάζω επεισόδια … για να βλέπω τα επεισόδια
→ κατεβάζω επεισόδια … για να τα βλέπω

Agreement:

επεισόδια is neuter plural (το επεισόδιο → τα επεισόδια)
the corresponding pronoun is also neuter plural: τα

So τα refers back to (τα) επεισόδια.

Is βλέπω here indicative or subjunctive? It just looks like a present tense.

Formally, it’s subjunctive, because it comes after να:

να + (present forms) = present subjunctive in Greek
να βλέπω, να βλέπεις, να βλέπει, να βλέπουμε, …

However, in modern Greek, the present indicative and present subjunctive have the same forms. Context and the particle να tell you which is which.

Βλέπω τηλεόραση. – I watch TV. (indicative)
Θέλω να βλέπω τηλεόραση. – I want to watch TV. (subjunctive, same form)

So για να τα βλέπω is grammatically subjunctive, but looks like the present tense you already know.

Why is it στο τρένο and not στο τραίνο? And what does it literally mean?

The standard modern spelling is το τρένο (from Italian treno), not τραίνο (an older spelling you may still see).

στο τρένο = σε + το τρένο = “on the train / in the train / on the subway train” (depending on context)

Greek tends not to distinguish strictly between “in” and “on” here; σε / στο covers both. Context tells you we mean while riding the train.

Why is there no article before ίντερνετ in όταν δεν έχω ίντερνετ?

Ίντερνετ is a borrowed, essentially uncountable noun in Greek, like “internet” in English.

In many everyday contexts, Greeks use it without an article, especially in negative or general statements:

έχω ίντερνετ – I have internet (access)
δεν έχω ίντερνετ – I don’t have internet
παίζει το ίντερνετ; – is the internet working? (here you can hear το ίντερνετ)

So:

όταν δεν έχω ίντερνετ ~ “when I don’t have internet (connection)”

You could say το ίντερνετ in some contexts, but in this everyday, generic sense, dropping the article is very natural.

Could I say διαδίκτυο instead of ίντερνετ? Is there a difference?

Yes:

το ίντερνετ – the common, informal, international word “internet”
το διαδίκτυο – more formal, literally “inter-network”

In casual speech, ί ντερνετ is more frequent. Διαδίκτυο sounds a bit more formal or technical, though it’s absolutely correct.

In this sentence, δεν έχω ίντερνετ sounds very natural and colloquial, like everyday speech.

Why is there a comma before για να τα βλέπω?

The comma separates the main clause from the purpose clause:

Συχνά κατεβάζω επεισόδια στο κινητό μου,
main statement: I often download episodes to my phone
για να τα βλέπω στο τρένο όταν δεν έχω ίντερνετ.
purpose / reason: so that I can watch them on the train when I don’t have internet

In Greek, it’s very common—and stylistically preferred—to use a comma before για να when it starts a clear subordinate clause of purpose like this.