Learn Hardcore Greek: Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο. - Before the movie starts, I connect the computer to the TV with a cable.

After πριν when we talk about a future event (something that has not happened yet), Greek normally uses the subjunctive, not the indicative:

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία = Before the movie starts / before the movie has started

If you said:

Πριν αρχίζει η ταινία

this would be ungrammatical in standard Modern Greek in this meaning.

The aorist subjunctive αρχίσει focuses on the single, completed event of the movie starting, not on its duration or repetition. That’s exactly what before the movie starts expresses.

Could I say πριν να αρχίσει η ταινία instead? Is να missing here?

Yes, you can also hear or read:

Πριν να αρχίσει η ταινία…

Using να after πριν is common in spoken Greek and also appears in writing. Both:

πριν αρχίσει η ταινία
πριν να αρχίσει η ταινία

are acceptable in modern usage.

Some grammars and teachers prefer πριν αρχίσει (without να) as a bit more formal/standard, but in everyday speech you will definitely encounter both forms. Meaning and grammar are the same: subjunctive after πριν for a future event.

Why does the subject η ταινία come after the verb αρχίσει?

In Greek, word order is more flexible than in English because the endings show the grammatical role of each word.

Η ταινία αρχίζει.
Αρχίζει η ταινία.

Both mean: The movie starts.

In a subordinate clause like:

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία…

Greek very often puts the verb first and the subject after it. This sounds completely natural and doesn’t change the meaning. You could say:

Πριν η ταινία αρχίσει…

but that word order is less common and can sound a bit heavier. The sentence as given is the usual, natural pattern.

Why are τον υπολογιστή and την τηλεόραση in those specific forms?

Both τον υπολογιστή and την τηλεόραση are in the accusative case, because they are direct objects of the verb συνδέω (I connect).

Forms:

ο υπολογιστής → τον υπολογιστή (masculine, accusative singular)
η τηλεόραση → την τηλεόραση (feminine, accusative singular)

In Greek, the definite article changes with case, gender, and number. Here we have:

τον for a masculine singular direct object
την for a feminine singular direct object

The verb συνδέω takes two direct objects in Greek, linked with με:

συνδέω κάτι με κάτι = I connect something with/to something
→ συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση

Why is με used twice? Is that normal, and does it always mean the same thing?

Yes, it is normal here, but each με has a slightly different nuance:

συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση
→ με = with / to: shows what is being connected to what
Structure: συνδέω κάτι με κάτι.
με ένα καλώδιο
→ με = with / using / by means of: shows the instrument or means used.

So the whole second part means:

συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο
I connect the computer to the TV with a cable.

It’s the same preposition με, but it covers both:

association/connection (computer with TV)
instrument/means (with a cable)

This repetition is completely natural in Greek.

Could I use σε instead of με, like συνδέω τον υπολογιστή στην τηλεόραση?

You will hear both patterns, but they are not exactly the same:

συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση
→ more literal: I connect the computer with the TV (A with B)
συνδέω τον υπολογιστή στην τηλεόραση
→ tends to mean: I plug the computer into the TV / I connect the computer to the TV (as a destination)

In practice, many speakers use both, especially in casual speech, and they are both understood as connect the computer to the TV.

Grammatically, though, συνδέω κάτι με κάτι is the more “canonical” pattern for to connect A with B. The sentence you were given uses this more straightforward structure.

What tense and aspect is συνδέω, and why is the present used if the action is in the future (before the movie)?

Συνδέω is the present tense, 1st person singular (I connect).

In Greek (as in English), the present tense can be used for:

general habits / routines
→ Before the movie starts, I (always) connect the computer…
scheduled / very near future events in context
→ Before the movie starts (in a moment), I connect the computer…

So, πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, συνδέω… can easily be understood as:

a habitual action: something the speaker normally does every time before a movie, or
an almost-scheduled sequence (especially if the context is clear).

If you wanted to clearly indicate a single future action, you could say:

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, θα συνδέσω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο.
(Before the movie starts, I will connect…)

Why is there a comma after ταινία?

The comma separates:

the subordinate clause of time: Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία (Before the movie starts)
from the main clause: συνδέω τον υπολογιστή… (I connect the computer…)

Greek punctuation uses a comma here very similarly to English:

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, συνδέω τον υπολογιστή…
When I come home, I eat.

If the time clause comes first, a comma before the main clause is the normal choice. If you reversed the order, you might omit the comma:

Συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο πριν αρχίσει η ταινία.
(no comma necessary)

Why do we have ένα καλώδιο but τον υπολογιστή and την τηλεόραση without ένα?

Greek has indefinite and definite articles, similar to a/an and the in English:

ένα καλώδιο = a cable → indefinite article
τον υπολογιστή, την τηλεόραση = the computer, the TV → definite articles

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about specific devices (the computer and the TV already known from context), but not about a specific, identified cable — just a cable, any suitable one.

So the pattern is exactly like English:

I connect *the computer to the TV with a cable.
→ *συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο.

What are the genders of υπολογιστής, ταινία, τηλεόραση, and καλώδιο, and how can I see that in this sentence?

From the forms in the sentence, we can see:

ο υπολογιστής (the computer) → masculine
- accusative: τον υπολογιστή
η ταινία (the movie/film) → feminine
- nominative: η ταινία (subject of the verb αρχίσει)
η τηλεόραση (the television) → feminine
- accusative: την τηλεόραση
το καλώδιο (the cable) → neuter
- here: ένα καλώδιο (indefinite, neuter singular)

Clues:

The articles ο, τον → typically masculine.
The articles η, την → typically feminine.
The article το, or the indefinite ένα with neuter nouns → neuter.

So you can infer the grammatical gender from the article and its form.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “I will connect” instead of “I connect”?

You’d use the future tense form of συνδέω, which is θα συνδέσω (simple future, aorist):

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, θα συνδέσω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο.
= Before the movie starts, I will connect the computer to the TV with a cable.

Grammar points:

θα + συνδέσω → simple future, single action in the future.
The first clause remains the same: Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία — we still use subjunctive there for the future reference.

Can I use πριν από instead, like πριν από την ταινία? What is the difference?

Yes, but the structure changes:

πριν αρχίσει η ταινία
→ πριν
- verb (subjunctive)
  → before the movie starts (focus on the event of starting)
πριν από την ταινία
→ πριν από
- noun phrase
  → before the movie (as a time period before the movie in general)

So you could say:

Πριν από την ταινία, συνδέω τον υπολογιστή με την τηλεόραση με ένα καλώδιο.
= Before the movie, I connect the computer to the TV with a cable.

The meaning is very close, but:

πριν αρχίσει η ταινία is more precise about the moment when the movie begins.
πριν από την ταινία refers to the time frame before the movie (not necessarily right before it starts).

Does this sentence sound like a habit (something I always do) or a one-time action?

As it stands, with present tense συνδέω, it most naturally suggests a habitual action:

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, συνδέω τον υπολογιστή…
→ Before the movie starts, I (usually/always) connect the computer…

This is how Greek typically expresses a routine: present tense + time clause.

For a clearly one-time future action, Greek speakers often prefer the future tense:

Πριν αρχίσει η ταινία, θα συνδέσω τον υπολογιστή…

Context can change the reading, but without extra context, your original sentence is most naturally understood as describing what you generally do.