Learn Hardcore Greek: Πάω να πατήσω παύση, αλλά η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω, γιατί η καλύτερη σκηνή έρχεται στη συνέχεια. - I go to press pause, but my friend tells me to leave it because the best scene is coming next.

«Πάω να πατήσω παύση» literally is “I’m going to press pause”, but in Greek it usually has the nuance “I’m just about / I’m on the point of pressing pause”.

Πάω να + subjunctive often implies an immediate, almost-started action.
Θα πατήσω παύση is more neutral: simply “I will press pause / I’m going to press pause”, without that strong “I’m doing it right now” feeling.

So:

Πάω να πατήσω παύση ≈ I’m about to press pause (my finger is already moving).
Θα πατήσω παύση ≈ I will press pause (future or intention, less “right-this-second”).

Why is it «πατήσω» and not «πατάω» after «να»?

In «Πάω να πατήσω παύση», the verb after να is in the subjunctive (here: aorist subjunctive).

πατάω = present tense, indicative (I press / I am pressing).
να πατήσω = aorist subjunctive (to press once, a single complete action).

With να, Greek normally chooses:

aorist subjunctive for a single, complete action: να πατήσω (press once).
present subjunctive for ongoing / repeated actions: να πατάω (to be pressing, to press repeatedly).

Here it’s just one click on the pause button, so να πατήσω is correct.

How does «πατήσω παύση» work? Why is there no article, and what does «παύση» mean here?

«παύση» means “pause” (both the state of pausing and, in context, the pause button/function).

In everyday speech, Greek speakers often say:

πατάω παύση = I press pause
πατάω το pause / το κουμπί παύσης = I press the pause (button)

The article can be:

omitted when you’re thinking of the function in general: πατάω παύση (“press pause”).
used when you think of a specific button: πατάω την παύση (“press the pause button”).

In this sentence, it’s natural to omit the article: πατήσω παύση ≈ “press pause”.

What exactly does «να» do in «Πάω να πατήσω…» and «λέει να την αφήσω…»?

Να here is a subjunctive marker; it doesn’t translate directly into English.

It’s used:

after verbs like πάω να to show an intended/near-future action: Πάω να πατήσω.
after verbs of saying/wanting/asking like λέω, θέλω, προσπαθώ:
η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω = my friend tells me to leave it.

So να + subjunctive often corresponds to English “to + verb” or “that I should + verb”, e.g.:

λέει να την αφήσω ≈ “she says (that) I should leave it / she tells me to leave it”.

In «η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω», what does «την» refer to, and why is it feminine?

«Την» is a feminine singular object pronoun meaning “it / her”.

It refers back to «παύση», which is:

grammatically feminine: η παύση
therefore takes την as its object pronoun.

So:

να αφήσω την παύση → with pronoun: να την αφήσω
Literally: “to leave it (the pause)”, i.e. “not to press pause / to let it keep playing”.

Why is it «να την αφήσω» and not something like «να τη σταματήσω»? What does «αφήσω» mean here?

The verb αφήνω basically means “leave / let / allow (something to stay as it is)”.

να την αφήσω = “to leave it (as it is), to let it be”
In this context: “don’t touch the pause button, let the movie keep playing”.

If you said να τη σταματήσω (“to stop it”), you’d mean the opposite: pressing pause or otherwise stopping playback. The friend is telling you not to stop it, so να την αφήσω is the right choice.

Why is there no explicit “me” in «η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω»? How do we know she’s talking to me?

Literally, «η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω» is “my friend says to leave it”.

Greek often omits indirect objects like “to me” when they’re obvious from context. You could explicitly say:

η φίλη μου μου λέει να την αφήσω = my friend tells me to leave it.

But in normal conversation, if it’s clear she’s talking to you, people just say:

η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω
and the “to me” is understood.

Why is it «η φίλη μου» and not something like «μου η φίλη»? How does possession work here?

In modern Greek, the normal pattern is:

article + noun + possessive clitic
→ η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
→ ο φίλος μου = my (male) friend

So:

η φίλη = the (female) friend
μου = my
η φίλη μου = my (female) friend

Forms like «μου η φίλη» are not standard in modern spoken Greek in this meaning; the possessive almost always follows the noun like this: η φίλη μου.

Why is «έρχεται» (present tense) used in «η καλύτερη σκηνή έρχεται στη συνέχεια» if it refers to the future?

Greek very often uses the present tense for near future events, especially when they are:

already planned / scheduled, or
about to happen soon.

So:

η καλύτερη σκηνή έρχεται στη συνέχεια
literally: “the best scene is coming in the continuation”
functionally: “the best scene is coming up next”.

You could also say:

η καλύτερη σκηνή θα έρθει στη συνέχεια (= “will come next”),
but the present έρχεται is very natural here, just like English “is coming up next.”

What does «στη συνέχεια» mean exactly, and how is it different from just «μετά» or «συνέχεια»?

«στη συνέχεια» literally is “in the continuation / afterwards” and is commonly used as “after that / next / subsequently.”

στη συνέχεια = next / afterwards / in what follows (more neutral/formal).
μετά = after / later (very general and colloquial).
συνέχεια (without στη) more often means “constantly / all the time”:
e.g. βλέπει ταινίες συνέχεια = he watches movies all the time.

So «η καλύτερη σκηνή έρχεται στη συνέχεια» = “the best scene is coming up next / afterwards.”

Why is the pronoun placed before the verb in «να την αφήσω» and not after it?

Greek clitic object pronouns (like με, σε, τον, την, το, μας, σας, τους, τις, τα) usually go before the verb in:

simple tenses:
την αφήνω = I leave it
subjunctive with να:
να την αφήσω = to leave it

They go after the verb only in:

affirmative imperatives (commands):
άφησέ την = leave it
πες του = tell him

So here, because it’s να + subjunctive, the correct order is να την αφήσω, not να αφήσω την (which would sound wrong in this meaning).

Could the sentence be phrased with «θα» instead of «πάω να» and present instead of «έρχεται»? Would that change the meaning?

You could say, for example:

Θα πατήσω παύση, αλλά η φίλη μου λέει να την αφήσω, γιατί η καλύτερη σκηνή θα έρθει στη συνέχεια.

This is perfectly correct, but the nuance changes slightly:

Πάω να πατήσω = I’m just about to press (very immediate).
Θα πατήσω = I will press / I’m going to press (more neutral future).
η καλύτερη σκηνή έρχεται στη συνέχεια = the best scene is (already) coming up next (more vivid/present).
η καλύτερη σκηνή θα έρθει στη συνέχεια = the best scene will come next (slightly more distant, more “future-like”).

The overall meaning stays the same, but the original version feels a bit more immediate and conversational.