Learn Hardcore Greek: Όταν διαβάζω ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις, αισθάνομαι καλύτερα αν μετά περπατήσω λίγο στον πεζόδρομο. - When I read worrying news, I feel better if I then walk a bit on the pedestrian street.

When Greeks say διαβάζω ειδήσεις, they conceptually think of many pieces of news, so the plural is natural. English has evolved so that news is grammatically singular and uncountable, but Greek kept the older, countable sense.

So:

μία είδηση = one piece of news
οι ειδήσεις = the news (in general, what we see in the media)

That’s why you see ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις (worrying news items) in the plural.

Why is ανησυχητικές in the feminine plural form? How is it agreeing with ειδήσεις?

Ανησυχητικές is an adjective modifying ειδήσεις, so it must match ειδήσεις in:

gender
number
case

Ειδήσεις is:

feminine
plural
accusative (object of διαβάζω)

So ανησυχητικές is also:

feminine plural accusative

If we changed the noun, the adjective would change too, for example:

ανησυχητική είδηση (singular feminine)
ανησυχητικός τίτλος (worrying headline – masculine singular)
ανησυχητικό άρθρο (worrying article – neuter singular)

The sentence uses ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις because ειδήσεις is feminine plural.

Why is there no article before ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις? Why not τις ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις?

Greek often drops the article when talking about something in a general, non-specific way.

διαβάζω ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις
= I read worrying news in general (no specific set of news items)
διαβάζω τις ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις
= I read the worrying news (some specific news items already known to speaker and listener)

Here, the meaning is about a general habit: whenever I read worrying news (as a category), so no article fits better: ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις.

Why is διαβάζω in the present tense? Shouldn’t it be a future tense if it’s about whenever this happens?

In Greek, the present tense is regularly used for:

habits
general truths
repeated events

Όταν διαβάζω ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις means:

Whenever / when(ever) I read worrying news (as a repeated, typical situation)

Greek does not need the future here. If you said:

Όταν θα διαβάζω ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις…
it would sound unusual or overly specific, not like a natural general statement.

So present + όταν is the standard way to express a habitual condition in Greek.

Why is the subject “I” not written explicitly? Is the subject understood?

Yes, in Greek the subject pronoun is usually omitted because the verb ending shows the person.

διαβάζω = I read
αισθάνομαι = I feel
περπατήσω = (that) I walk

The -ω ending in διαβάζω and the -ομαι in αισθάνομαι both indicate 1st person singular. So εγώ is not needed unless you want to emphasize I specifically (Εγώ όταν διαβάζω…).

This is called a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is dropped unless emphasis is needed.

Why is αισθάνομαι used here? What is the difference between αισθάνομαι and νιώθω?

Both αισθάνομαι and νιώθω can mean I feel, and in many contexts they are interchangeable.

Nuances:

νιώθω is more common and a bit more informal / everyday.
αισθάνομαι can sound slightly more formal or introspective, and it is inherently middle/passive in form (ending in -ομαι).

In this sentence, you could also say:

Νιώθω καλύτερα αν μετά περπατήσω λίγο…

Both are correct; αισθάνομαι just gives a slightly more “internal state” or formal tone.

Why does αισθάνομαι end in -ομαι? Is it passive?

Αισθάνομαι is in the middle/passive voice form, but many Greek verbs mainly exist in this -ομαι form and are not truly “passive” in meaning. They are called deponent verbs in traditional grammar.

Examples:

αισθάνομαι – I feel
θυμάμαι – I remember
φοβάμαι – I am afraid

There is a theoretical active αισθάνω, but you almost never see it; αισθάνομαι is the normal active meaning I feel.

So here αισθάνομαι simply means I feel, not I am felt.

Why is αν used before μετά περπατήσω? What is the difference between όταν and αν in this sentence?

Όταν introduces a time clause: it answers when something happens.

Όταν διαβάζω ανησυχητικές ειδήσεις
= When(ever) I read worrying news

Αν introduces a conditional clause: it answers if / under what condition something happens.

αισθάνομαι καλύτερα αν μετά περπατήσω λίγο
= I feel better if I then walk a bit

So the logic is:

Time: when I read worrying news,
Result/condition: I feel better if I then walk a bit.

You normally would not repeat όταν there, because the second part is not purely temporal; it is conditional.

Why is περπατήσω in the subjunctive (with αν) and not περπατάω / περπατάω in the present?

In modern Greek, after αν in conditional sentences about the present or future, you usually use the subjunctive, often with the aorist stem:

αν + subjunctive (usually aorist)

Περπατήσω is:

aorist subjunctive, 1st person singular of περπατάω / περπατώ

Structure:

αισθάνομαι καλύτερα αν (εγώ) περπατήσω λίγο
= I feel better if I (should) walk a bit

Why aorist?
The aorist subjunctive views the action as a single, complete event (one walk), perfectly fitting the idea “if I happen to walk (a bit)”.

You could also hear αν περπατάω λίγο, but that would suggest a more ongoing/habitual action (if I am walking / if I walk regularly), which slightly changes the nuance. The given sentence focuses on taking one walk afterwards, so περπατήσω is natural.

What does μετά do here, and why is it placed after αν: αν μετά περπατήσω instead of αν περπατήσω μετά?

Μετά means afterwards / then / after that.

Word order in Greek is relatively flexible. Both:

αν μετά περπατήσω λίγο
αν περπατήσω μετά λίγο

are grammatically possible, but they have slightly different rhythms and emphasis.

Placing μετά right after αν:

subtly highlights the sequence: if afterwards I walk a bit (after reading the news).

If you move μετά:

αν περπατήσω λίγο μετά can sound a bit more like if I walk a bit later, with later attached more closely to walk a bit.

In the original, αν μετά περπατήσω λίγο feels very natural and clearly means:

if, after that, I go for a short walk.

What is the function of λίγο in περπατήσω λίγο? Why is it after the verb?

Λίγο here means a little / a bit / for a short while and modifies the verb περπατήσω:

περπατήσω λίγο = walk a bit / walk for a short time

In Greek, adverbs and adverb-like words (such as λίγο) are often placed:

after the verb they modify

You could also say:

λίγο να περπατήσω
να περπατήσω λίγο

but with simple indicative/subjunctive forms, verb + λίγο is very common:

ξεκουράζομαι λίγο – I rest a bit
διαβάζω λίγο – I read a little
περπατάω λίγο – I walk a bit

Why is it στον πεζόδρομο and not σε τον πεζόδρομο? What is going on with this form?

Στον is the contracted form of:

σε (in / at / on / to)
- τον (the, masculine accusative singular)

So:

σε + τον πεζόδρομο → στον πεζόδρομο

Greek regularly contracts σε with the article:

σε + τον → στον
σε + τον δρόμο → στον δρόμο
σε + το πάρκο → στο πάρκο
σε + την πόλη → στην πόλη
σε + τις ειδήσεις → στις ειδήσεις

Here, πεζόδρομο (pedestrian street) is:

masculine
singular
accusative (object of the preposition σε)

Therefore you get στον πεζόδρομο = on / along the pedestrian street.

Could you say σε πεζόδρομο instead of στον πεζόδρομο? What would be the difference?

Yes, both are possible, but they differ in specificity:

στον πεζόδρομο
= on the pedestrian street
Refers to a specific, known pedestrian street (the one we usually mean in that context).
σε πεζόδρομο
= on a pedestrian street
More indefinite: any pedestrian street, not a particular one already known.

In everyday speech, if you have a typical local pedestrian street you often walk on, you would naturally say στον πεζόδρομο. If you really mean some random pedestrian street somewhere, then σε πεζόδρομο could be more appropriate.