Learn Hardcore Greek: Θα πάρουμε το λεωφορείο για το κέντρο, εκτός αν αύριο γίνει απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς. - We will take the bus to the center, unless there is a strike on public transport tomorrow.

Θα + πάρουμε = future of the verb παίρνω (to take).
πάρουμε is the aorist stem (subjunctive form), so θα πάρουμε presents a single, complete action in the future: we will take the bus (one time, a specific occasion).
θα παίρνουμε (with the imperfective stem παίρνουμε) would mean we will be taking / we will take regularly, stressing repetition or duration.

So in this sentence, θα πάρουμε matches the idea of one specific future plan, not a habit.

Why is it το λεωφορείο with the definite article? Could it be just λεωφορείο?

Greek uses the definite article much more than English.

το λεωφορείο literally is the bus, but in context it often just means the bus as a means of transport, roughly like English the bus or even just the bus in we will take the bus.
In most everyday sentences about transport, Greek prefers the article:
- Παίρνω το λεωφορείο – I take the bus.
- Παίρνω το μετρό – I take the metro.

You can say Θα πάρουμε λεωφορείο (no article). That sounds a bit more like we will go by bus (focusing on the mode of travel, not on a particular bus), and is somewhat less common in everyday speech than το λεωφορείο here.

So το λεωφορείο is the most natural choice.

Why is it για το κέντρο and not στο κέντρο?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance.

για το κέντρο literally: for the center / for downtown
It focuses on destination / direction: we are heading toward the center.
στο κέντρο literally: to the center / into the center / in the center
It focuses on the place itself, the end point.

In this sentence:

Θα πάρουμε το λεωφορείο για το κέντρο ≈ We will take the bus into town / towards the city center.

You could also hear:

Θα πάρουμε το λεωφορείο στο κέντρο, which is understandable and not wrong, but για το κέντρο is very idiomatic for the bus that goes downtown / the bus to the center.

What does εκτός αν mean, and how is it used here?

εκτός αν means unless.

Structure in the sentence:

…, εκτός αν αύριο γίνει απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς.
→ …, unless there is a strike in public transport tomorrow.

Usage notes:

εκτός αν introduces an exception to what was just stated.
It behaves much like English unless, not like simple if.
Common variants:
- εκτός κι αν
- εκτός και αν
- More formal: εκτός εάν

All of these mean roughly the same in this context: unless.

Why is it αν αύριο γίνει and not αν αύριο θα γίνει?

In Greek, when you use αν (if) for a real future condition, you do not use θα in that αν-clause. Instead, you use the subjunctive form of the verb.

Here:

αν … γίνει → if … happens / if … takes place
γίνει is the aorist subjunctive of γίνομαι.

So:

εκτός αν αύριο γίνει απεργία
→ unless a strike happens tomorrow / unless there is a strike tomorrow.

A structure like αν αύριο θα γίνει is ungrammatical in standard modern Greek, just like English if it will happen is normally wrong in this type of conditional.

What does γίνει come from, and what does it mean here?

γίνει is a form of the verb γίνομαι.

Paradigm (simplified):

Present: γίνομαι – I become / I happen
Aorist (past): έγινα – I became / I happened
Aorist subjunctive: να γίνω (1st sg), να γίνει (3rd sg), etc.

In αν αύριο γίνει απεργία:

γίνει is 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive.
It means happens / takes place.

So the phrase literally is if tomorrow a strike happens, which corresponds in natural English to if there is a strike tomorrow. Greek often uses γίνεται / γίνει where English uses there is / there will be for events or actions.

What exactly does απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς mean? Why στα?

Literally:

απεργία – strike
στα μέσα μεταφοράς – in/on the means of transport

στα = σε + τα (in / at / on + the).

So απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς ≈ a strike in the public transport system.

Why στα?

Greek often uses σε + definite article to show the sector or area affected:
- απεργία στα σχολεία – a strike in the schools
- απεργία στα νοσοκομεία – a strike in the hospitals
Similarly, απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς: the strike affects transport services.

You might also see:

απεργία των μέσων μεταφοράς – literally strike of the means of transport, also possible, but στα μέσα μεταφοράς is very idiomatic in everyday speech.

What does μέσα μεταφοράς mean? Is it the same as “public transport”?

μέσα μεταφοράς literally means means of transport.

μέσο μεταφοράς – a means of transport (singular)
μέσα μεταφοράς – means of transport (plural)

In practice:

In everyday conversation, τα μέσα μεταφοράς (especially in a context like απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς) almost always refers to public transport: buses, metro, trams, trolleybuses, etc.
A more precise term you may see is μέσα μαζικής μεταφοράς – means of mass transport, i.e. mass transit or public transportation. This can be shortened in speech to μέσα μεταφοράς.

So in this sentence, μέσα μεταφοράς is best understood as public transport services.

Why is αύριο placed after αν and before γίνει? Can it move around?

Yes, αύριο (tomorrow) is flexible in word order. Here we have:

εκτός αν αύριο γίνει απεργία…

Other natural possibilities:

εκτός αν γίνει αύριο απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς
εκτός αν αύριο γίνει απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς (original)
Less common but still possible in speech:
- εκτός αν γίνει απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς αύριο

General rule:

Time adverbs like αύριο can appear at the beginning, before the verb, or at the end of the clause.
The choice often affects rhythm and emphasis more than meaning. Here, placing αύριο early keeps the flow smooth and sounds very natural.

Is the sentence formal, informal, or neutral in register?

It is neutral, everyday Greek.

All words used (Θα πάρουμε, το λεωφορείο, για το κέντρο, εκτός αν, αύριο, γίνει απεργία, στα μέσα μεταφοράς) are standard, neither slangy nor very formal.
You could say this to friends, family, colleagues, or in most casual and semi-formal situations.

It would also be fine in written text such as a message or an email, not just spoken Greek.

How do you pronounce the main tricky words: λεωφορείο, κέντρο, απεργία, μεταφοράς, γίνει?

Approximate pronunciation (stress is marked with capital letters):

λεωφορείο – le-o-fo-REE-o
- Four syllables: λε-ω-φο-ρεί-ο (the ω and ει combine in pronunciation; you effectively hear 4 beats).
κέντρο – KEN-dro
απεργία – a-per-YEE-a
- γ before ι sounds like y in yes.
μεταφοράς – me-ta-fo-RAS
- Final ς is like English s.
γίνει – YEE-ni
- γ before ι again like y in yes.

All of these follow regular modern Greek pronunciation rules; the written double vowels ει, ι, η, υ, οι are all pronounced like i (as in machine).

Why is there a comma before εκτός αν?

The comma marks the boundary between the main clause and the conditional exception clause:

Main clause: Θα πάρουμε το λεωφορείο για το κέντρο
Exception clause: εκτός αν αύριο γίνει απεργία στα μέσα μεταφοράς

In Greek, as in English, it is standard to separate such subordinate clauses with a comma when they follow the main clause.

So the comma here functions very much like in English:

We will take the bus to the center, unless there is a strike tomorrow.