Learn Hardcore Greek: Αν δεν συνδέσεις σωστά το καλώδιο, οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά στην οθόνη. - If you don’t connect the cable correctly, the subtitles don’t appear well on the screen.

Αν δεν συνδέσεις σωστά το καλώδιο = If you don’t connect the cable properly.
It talks about a possible / hypothetical situation, not something that always happens or is guaranteed.

If you wanted a more general, habitual meaning (when you don’t connect it properly, this always happens), you might use όταν:

Όταν δεν συνδέεις σωστά το καλώδιο, οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά. = When you don’t connect the cable properly, the subtitles don’t look good.

Why is it συνδέσεις and not συνδέεις? What tense/mood is συνδέσεις?

Συνδέσεις is the aorist subjunctive of συνδέω (to connect).

Αν + subjunctive is the usual pattern for future / hypothetical conditions:
- Αν συνδέσεις το καλώδιο… = If you connect the cable…
The aorist here focuses on the whole action as a single event, not on duration or repetition.

If you said Αν δεν συνδέεις σωστά το καλώδιο, it would sound more like If you are not (generally) connecting the cable properly / if you don’t usually connect it properly, which is less natural for a one‑time action.

Why is there no word for you in Αν δεν συνδέσεις σωστά το καλώδιο?

Greek often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

Συνδέσεις is 2nd person singular (you), so εσύ is not necessary.
Αν δεν συνδέσεις… = If you don’t connect… even though you is not said.

You can add the pronoun for emphasis or contrast:

Αν εσύ δεν συνδέσεις σωστά το καλώδιο… = If you (as opposed to someone else) don’t connect the cable properly…

What is σωστά here? Why not σωστό or σωστός?

Σωστά is an adverb, meaning correctly / properly.

Greek often forms adverbs from adjectives by using the neuter plural form of the adjective:
- σωστός (correct, masc. sg. adjective) → σωστά (correctly, adverb)
So:
- συνδέω σωστά = I connect correctly / properly

Σωστός / σωστό / σωστή are adjective forms and would describe a noun, not how the verb is done.

Why do we say το καλώδιο with the article το? Could we just say καλώδιο?

Το is the definite article (the) for neuter singular nouns.

το καλώδιο = the cable
In this context, we usually refer to a specific, known cable (for example, the cable of your device), so the article is normal and expected.

You can say καλώδιο without the article in some contexts, for example:

Πρέπει να αγοράσω καλώδιο. = I need to buy a cable. (any cable, in general)

Here, το καλώδιο sounds more natural because it implies that cable involved in connecting the device.

What does καλώδιο mean grammatically? What gender and case is it in?

Καλώδιο is a neuter noun. In the sentence:

το καλώδιο is neuter singular, accusative case, because it is the direct object of συνδέσεις (what you connect).
Its basic form (dictionary form) is also το καλώδιο (nominative/accusative neuter singular).

So you have:

το καλώδιο (nom./acc. singular)
τα καλώδια (nom./acc. plural)

Why are υπότιτλοι plural? Could I say ο υπότιτλος instead?

Υπότιτλοι is the plural of υπότιτλος and literally means subtitles.

On a screen, we normally talk about subtitles in the plural, not a subtitle, just like in English:
- Οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά. = The subtitles don’t look good.

You can use the singular ο υπότιτλος if you talk about one specific subtitle:

Αυτός ο υπότιτλος είναι λάθος. = This subtitle is wrong.

But in this sentence the speaker is talking about the whole set of subtitles, so the plural οι υπότιτλοι is natural.

What exactly is φαίνονται? Why not a simple verb like βλέπουν or είναι?

Φαίνονται is the 3rd person plural, present tense, middle/passive of φαίνομαι, which means to appear / to be visible / to look (a certain way).

Οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά.
= The subtitles don’t appear well / don’t look good / are not clearly visible.

Using φαίνονται emphasizes how they look / are seen on the screen, not the action of someone seeing them.
If you used βλέπονται, it would be more like are seen, but φαίνονται is the common verb here.

Why is it δεν φαίνονται καλά and not φαίνονται δεν καλά? Where does δεν normally go?

Δεν is the basic negation word for verbs and it normally comes directly before the verb:

δεν φαίνονται = do not appear / are not visible
Standard order: δεν + verb

So:

Οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά. (correct, natural)
Οι υπότιτλοι φαίνονται δεν καλά. (incorrect / ungrammatical)

Greek doesn’t move δεν around the sentence the way English can move not with auxiliaries; it just sits before the verb it negates.

What is the difference between καλός and καλά in δεν φαίνονται καλά?

Καλός is an adjective (good), and καλά here is an adverb (well).

καλός describes nouns:
- καλός υπότιτλος = a good subtitle
καλά describes verbs / how something happens or looks:
- φαίνονται καλά = they appear well / they look good

So δεν φαίνονται καλά = they don’t look good / they don’t appear well, which is about how they appear, not whether the subtitles are good in quality.

Why is it στην οθόνη and not σε την οθόνη or εις την οθόνη?

Στην is a contraction of σε + την.

σε = in / on / at
την = the (feminine singular accusative)
σε + την οθόνη → στην οθόνη

So:

στην οθόνη = on the screen

The full form σε την οθόνη is grammatically understandable but not used in normal modern speech; the contracted form στην is standard.
Εις την is older / more formal (katharevousa style) and not used in everyday modern Greek.

How flexible is the word order in this sentence? Can I move parts around?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, so you can move elements for emphasis as long as the grammar (articles, endings) is correct. For example:

Αν δεν συνδέσεις σωστά το καλώδιο, οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά στην οθόνη. (original)
Οι υπότιτλοι δεν φαίνονται καλά στην οθόνη, αν δεν συνδέσεις σωστά το καλώδιο.
Αν δεν συνδέσεις το καλώδιο σωστά, οι υπότιτλοι στην οθόνη δεν φαίνονται καλά.

All of these are understandable and natural.
What you cannot easily change is the tight pairs like δεν + φαίνονται and contractions like στην οθόνη.

How do you stress and pronounce the tricky words like συνδέσεις, υπότιτλοι, and φαίνονται?

Stress in Greek is very important and marked with the accent.

συνδέσεις: sin–THÉ–sis
- Stress on the second syllable (δέ).
υπότιτλοι: ee–PÓ–tit–lee
- Stress on πό (υπό).
φαίνονται: FÉ–non–te
- Stress on φαί, pronounced like fe (as in fetch but a bit more open).

Each word has one stressed syllable, and putting the stress in the wrong place can make the word sound strange or even like another word.