Learn Hardcore Greek: Όταν φυσάει, ο αέρας στην πόλη δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό. - When it is windy, the air in the city is not as clean as in the village.

φυσάει comes from the verb φυσάω / φυσώ = to blow (of the wind, or to blow air).
Greek prefers a concrete verb (the wind blows) instead of a structure like “it is windy”.

So όταν φυσάει is the natural way to say “when it’s windy” in Greek.

Why is there no word for “it” in όταν φυσάει? Why not Όταν αυτό φυσάει?

Greek normally drops subject pronouns when they are obvious from the verb ending.

φυσάει already tells you “he/she/it blows”.
There is no separate dummy subject like English “it” in “it is raining / it’s windy”.

Όταν αυτό φυσάει would sound strange here, as if “this thing blows”. The correct, natural form is just Όταν φυσάει.

What’s the difference between φυσάει and φυσά? Are both correct?

Yes, both are correct forms of the same verb in the present tense:

φυσάει – more common in standard / careful speech and writing.
φυσά – also correct, a bit shorter and very common in everyday speech.

In this sentence you could say either:

Όταν φυσάει, ο αέρας…
Όταν φυσά, ο αέρας…

Both sound natural.

Why is it ο αέρας with the article, but I don’t see an article before χωριό?

There is an article before χωριό, but it’s hidden inside στο.

στο = σε + το (in + the, neuter)
στο χωριό = in the village

So we have:

ο αέρας = the air
στην πόλη = σε + την πόλη = in the city
στο χωριό = σε + το χωριό = in the village

Greek often contracts σε + article:

σε τον → στον
σε την → στη(ν)
σε το → στο
σε τις → στις, etc.

Could we omit the article and say just αέρας στην πόλη?

Normally, no. Here the definite article is natural and expected:

ο αέρας στην πόλη = the air in the city (the air as a specific, known thing in this context)

Saying αέρας στην πόλη without the article generally sounds incomplete or wrong here. Greek tends to use the definite article more than English, especially with general nouns like ο αέρας, το νερό, ο ήλιος when they’re clearly defined by context.

What does τόσο … όσο … mean here? Is it like “as … as …” in English?

Yes. τόσο … όσο … is the standard structure for “as … as …” comparisons.

τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό
→ as clean as (it is) in the village

With δεν in front, it becomes:

δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό
→ it is not as clean as (it is) in the village

So τόσο + adjective + όσο ≈ “as + adjective + as”.

Why is there no verb after όσο? Why not όσο είναι στο χωριό?

The full form όσο είναι στο χωριό is correct and possible:

…δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο είναι στο χωριό.

But Greek often omits the repeated verb when it is clear from context. So:

…δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό.

is a natural elliptical form, understood as όσο (είναι) στο χωριό. Native speakers do this all the time.

What exactly is the role of όσο here? Is it “as” or “than”?

In this structure τόσο … όσο …, όσο means “as” (not “than”).

With τόσο, it forms an equality comparison: as X as Y.
When you want a normal comparative (“more X than Y”), you usually use από:
- Ο αέρας στην πόλη είναι πιο καθαρός από τον αέρα στο χωριό.
  → The air in the city is cleaner than the air in the village.

Here, όσο works together with τόσο to build “(not) as clean as”.

Why is καθαρός in the masculine form? Shouldn’t “clean” be neutral?

Adjectives in Greek agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.

ο αέρας = masculine, singular, nominative
So the adjective must also be masculine, singular, nominative → καθαρός

If the noun were neuter, you’d see the neuter form:

το νερό δεν είναι τόσο καθαρό όσο στο χωριό.
(νερό is neuter, so καθαρό)

Why is it στην πόλη but στο χωριό? Why do the forms of “in the” change?

Because the noun genders are different, so the articles change and the contractions with σε change too:

η πόλη (feminine) → σε την πόλη → στην πόλη (in the city)
το χωριό (neuter) → σε το χωριό → στο χωριό (in the village)

So the pattern is:

σε + την (fem.) → στη(ν)
σε + το (neut.) → στο
σε + τον (masc.) → στον, etc.

Why do we use δεν and not μην before είναι?

δεν is the normal negation particle for statements in the indicative:

Δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός. → He/it is not so clean.

μην is mainly used:

with the subjunctive: να μην είναι
in negative commands / wishes: να μην πας, μη φύγεις

Here we have a simple statement with είναι, so we must use δεν.

Could we change the word order, for example: Ο αέρας στην πόλη δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό όταν φυσάει?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct, but the emphasis shifts slightly.

Original: Όταν φυσάει, ο αέρας στην πόλη δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό.
→ Starts by setting the condition/time (“When it’s windy…”).
Ο αέρας στην πόλη δεν είναι τόσο καθαρός όσο στο χωριό όταν φυσάει.
→ Starts with the topic (“The air in the city…”), and adds when it’s windy at the end.

Both are fine. The original is slightly more natural and focused on the condition.

Could we replace όταν φυσάει with something like όταν έχει αέρα?

Yes, you might also hear:

Όταν έχει αέρα, ο αέρας στην πόλη…

έχει αέρα = there is wind / it’s windy (literally “it has wind”).
Both όταν φυσάει and όταν έχει αέρα are idiomatic; όταν φυσάει is a bit more direct (“when it blows”).