Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.

Whenever it is hot, I prefer to stay at home.

Breakdown of Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.

• το σπίτι: the home
• έχω: to have
• να: to
• σε: at
• μένω: to stay
• προτιμάω: to prefer
• η ζέστη: the heat
• όποτε: whenever

Questions & Answers about Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.

What is the difference between όποτε and όταν? In English they both look like when.

Both can be translated as when, but:

• όποτε = whenever, any time that
  It implies something that happens every time a condition is true, in a general, repeated way.

  • Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.
    = Whenever it’s hot, I prefer to stay at home.

• όταν = when (more neutral)
  It can be used for:

  • single events: Όταν ήρθες, κοιμόμουν. = When you came, I was sleeping.
  • repeated/general events, like όποτε: Όταν έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.

In this sentence, όποτε emphasizes the idea of every time it’s hot. Using όταν here is also correct, just a bit less explicitly “whenever-ish.”

Why do we say έχει ζέστη for it is hot? Why not use a word for it?

Greek normally doesn’t use an it subject for weather.

Common weather structures are:

• έχει ζέστη = it is hot (literally: it has heat)
• έχει κρύο = it is cold (literally: it has cold)
• κάνει ζέστη / κρύο = it is hot / cold (literally: it makes heat / cold)
• βρέχει = it is raining
• χιονίζει = it is snowing

So έχει here is a 3rd person singular form with no expressed subject; Greek just uses the verb form without a dummy it. That’s normal and grammatical in Greek.

Why is there no article in έχει ζέστη? Why not έχει τη ζέστη?

In this expression, ζέστη is used like an uncountable, generic mass noun (similar to water, milk in English).

• έχει ζέστη = there is (some) heat / it is hot

If you said έχει τη ζέστη, it would sound like you are talking about some specific heat that both speakers know about, which is not what you want for general weather.

So:

• Correct/natural: έχει ζέστη, έχει κρύο, έχει υγρασία.
• With article (τη ζέστη) you usually refer to a specific heat:
  • Δεν αντέχω τη ζέστη εδώ. = I can’t stand the heat here. (specific, known heat of a place)

What is the role of να in προτιμώ να μένω? Is this a subjunctive?

Greek does not have an infinitive like English to stay. Instead, it uses να + verb.

• προτιμώ να μένω ≈ I prefer to stay
• θέλω να φάω ≈ I want to eat

Grammatically, this να + verb set is often called the subjunctive, but in modern Greek, learners usually just learn it as the normal way to express:

• to do something after verbs like θέλω, μπορώ, πρέπει, προτιμώ, etc.

So:

• προτιμώ μένω is wrong.
• You need προτιμώ να μένω with να introducing the verb.

Why is it να μένω and not να μείνω? What is the difference between these two forms?

Greek verbs have aspect: imperfective and perfective.

• μένω (imperfective) = I stay / I am staying
  Used for ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions.
• μείνω (perfective) = I stay (once, as a single complete action)
  Used for single, complete events.

In your sentence:

• Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.
  The idea is habitual: whenever it is hot, I generally stay at home (for some time). So the imperfective μένω is correct.

If you said:

• Προτιμώ να μείνω στο σπίτι.
  That sounds like: In this specific situation, I prefer to (go and) stay at home (on this occasion).
  A single decision/event, not a general habit.

So:

• να μένω – fits repeated/habitual whenever.
• να μείνω – fits a one-off decision/situation.

What does προτιμώ exactly mean, and how is it used?

προτιμώ = I prefer.

• It is a regular verb ending in -ώ (1st person singular, present).
• Subject “I” is included in the verb ending, so Greek usually drops εγώ:
  • Προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι. = I prefer to stay home.
  • Εγώ προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι. = I prefer to stay home (with emphasis on I).

Typical patterns:

• προτιμώ + να + verb
  Προτιμώ να βγαίνω νωρίς. = I prefer to go out early.
• προτιμώ + noun
  Προτιμώ τον καφέ. = I prefer coffee.

So προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι is the normal way to say I prefer to stay at home.

Can we change the word order? For example, can I say Προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι όταν έχει ζέστη?

Yes, the word order is flexible. All of these are correct:

• Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.
• Προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι, όποτε έχει ζέστη.
• Προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι όταν έχει ζέστη.

Small notes:

• When the όποτε / όταν-clause comes first, you almost always use a comma:
  • Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.
• When it comes second, speakers often still use a comma, but in informal writing sometimes drop it:
  • Προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι, όταν έχει ζέστη.

The meaning stays essentially the same; the word order mainly affects which part you emphasize.

What is the difference between σπίτι, στο σπίτι, and σπίτι μου?

All involve σπίτι (house / home), but with different nuances:

• σπίτι (bare, no preposition, no article), often means (at) home:

  • Θέλω να μείνω σπίτι. = I want to stay home.

• στο σπίτι = in/at the house (literally: σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι)
  This can mean at home, but can also just mean at the house as a place.

• σπίτι μου = my home / my house:

  • Μου αρέσει να μένω σπίτι μου. = I like staying at my place / my home.

In your sentence:

• να μένω στο σπίτι can be understood as to stay at home, especially in a general context like this.

Why do we use the present tense (έχει, προτιμώ, μένω) to talk about a general rule, not the future?

Greek uses the present for:

• general truths
• habits
• whenever/if… then… statements

So:

• Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.
  = Whenever it is hot (in general), I prefer to stay at home.

This is parallel to English present simple in “When it’s hot, I stay home.”

If you add θα (future marker), it changes the meaning to something more like specific future situations and often sounds unnatural:

• Όποτε θα έχει ζέστη, θα προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.
  This is not how Greek normally expresses general habits and sounds off.

So for general habits, stick with the present in both clauses.

Is there a difference between μένω and κάθομαι here? Could I say προτιμώ να κάθομαι στο σπίτι?

Yes, you can say:

• Προτιμώ να κάθομαι στο σπίτι.

Differences:

• μένω = to stay / to remain / to live (as in “reside”)
  In this sentence it means stay / remain at home.

• κάθομαι = literally to sit, but very often used like hang around / stay at home, more informal:

  • Σήμερα κάθομαι σπίτι. = I’m staying home today / I’m not going out.

So:

• να μένω στο σπίτι sounds a bit more neutral/standard.
• να κάθομαι στο σπίτι sounds a bit more colloquial, with a flavour of just being at home, not going anywhere.

How do you pronounce ζέστη and what sound is ζ?

ζέστη is pronounced approximately ZEHS-tee:

• ζ = like z in zoo
• έ = like e in pet
• σ = like s in see
• τη at the end sounds like tee

So:

• ζέστη = [ˈzesti] in IPA.

The meaning in this context is heat (literally), or hot weather.

Is there any difference between όποτε and οπότε?

Yes, they look similar but are different words:

• όποτε = whenever
  Introduces a time condition:

  • Όποτε έχει ζέστη, προτιμώ να μένω στο σπίτι.

• οπότε = so / and so / therefore / at which point
  Introduces a result / consequence or continues a narrative:

  • Είχε πολλή ζέστη, οπότε έμεινα στο σπίτι.
    = It was very hot, so I stayed at home.

So in your sentence, only όποτε (with meaning whenever) is correct.