Learn Hardcore Greek: Εμείς λέμε να πάμε λίγο νωρίτερα, για να προλάβουμε την ήσυχη ώρα πριν χτυπήσει το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου. - We’re thinking of going a bit earlier, so that we catch the quiet time before the bell of the neighboring school rings.

Emphasis: Εμείς λέμε… = We, for our part, think/say… (as opposed to others).
Contrast: It can imply “we (and not someone else)” or “as for us…”.

Without Εμείς, Λέμε να πάμε… would be a neutral “We’re thinking of going…”.
With Εμείς, it can sound like “We suggest going…” or “Our plan is to go…”, possibly contrasting with someone else’s idea or plan.

What exactly does λέμε να πάμε mean? Is it literally “we say to go”?

Literally yes, but in modern Greek λέω να + subjunctive is a fixed pattern meaning:

I/we am/are thinking of …
I/we suggest …
I/we plan to …

So:

Εμείς λέμε να πάμε λίγο νωρίτερα…
≈ We’re thinking of going a bit earlier… / We suggest going a bit earlier…

It’s softer and more tentative than a plain future like Θα πάμε (We will go).
It sounds like a proposal or idea rather than a firm decision.

Why is it να πάμε and not just πάμε or πηγαίνουμε?

Να πάμε is the subjunctive form, triggered by να. In this structure:

λέω + να + subjunctive → suggestion/plan/intention
πάμε on its own would be an imperative-like “Let’s go” or indicative “we go”.
πηγαίνουμε is present indicative “we go / we are going (regularly)”.

So:

Εμείς λέμε να πάμε = We’re thinking (that we should) go.
Πάμε; = Shall we go? / Are we going?
Πηγαίνουμε νωρίτερα κάθε μέρα. = We go earlier every day.

The να + πάμε here is required because of the λέμε να… pattern.

What is the role of λίγο in να πάμε λίγο νωρίτερα?

Λίγο literally means a little, a bit. Here it:

Modifies νωρίτερα (earlier): λίγο νωρίτερα = a bit earlier / slightly earlier.
Softens the suggestion: sounds less strict and more polite.

So:

να πάμε νωρίτερα = to go earlier (neutral).
να πάμε λίγο νωρίτερα = to go a bit earlier (milder, less demanding).

What does για να do in για να προλάβουμε? Could it just be να προλάβουμε?

Για να introduces a purpose clause: in order to, so that.

…να πάμε λίγο νωρίτερα, για να προλάβουμε…
= …to go a bit earlier, in order to catch…

In many cases, especially in informal speech, Greeks might drop για and say just να προλάβουμε, and the meaning is still “so that we can manage to / so that we (will) catch”.

However:

για να makes the purpose more explicit and is stylistically a bit clearer.
να προλάβουμε alone can be slightly more neutral and can also be used after other verbs, not only for purpose.

So here για να is natural and clear: it explicitly marks purpose.

Why is προλάβουμε in this form? What tense/mood is it and why is it used?

Προλάβουμε is:

Aorist subjunctive, 1st person plural, from προλαβαίνω.

With για να, the subjunctive is required. The aorist aspect here focuses on the result/completion of the action (to succeed in catching that quiet period at least once), not on its duration.

Compare:

για να προλάβουμε την ήσυχη ώρα
= so that we (can) catch / manage to get the quiet hour (before it ends).
A hypothetical για να προλαβαίνουμε would sound like something repeated/habitual, which doesn’t fit as well here.

So the aorist subjunctive προλάβουμε expresses a single, successful attempt to catch that quiet time.

What exactly does προλαβαίνω mean here?

Προλαβαίνω has a few related meanings:

to catch something before it ends or changes:
Πρόλαβα το λεωφορείο. = I caught the bus (before it left).
to have enough time for something:
Δεν προλαβαίνω να διαβάσω. = I don’t have time to study.
to manage to do something before it’s too late.

In this sentence:

για να προλάβουμε την ήσυχη ώρα
≈ so that we can catch / still enjoy the quiet time (before it’s disturbed by the bell and noise).

Why is it την ήσυχη ώρα and not another case? What is its function?

Την ήσυχη ώρα is:

Accusative singular feminine, with article την.
It is the direct object of προλάβουμε.

So:

προλάβουμε (τι;) την ήσυχη ώρα
= manage to catch what? the quiet time.

Grammar notes:

ήσυχη agrees with ώρα (feminine, singular, accusative).
ώρα here means hour or more loosely period/time.

You could also say:

για να προλάβουμε την ησυχία = so that we catch the quiet
That’s also correct, but την ήσυχη ώρα emphasizes that specific time window that is quiet.

Why is it πριν χτυπήσει and not πριν χτυπάει or πριν χτυπά?

Πριν (before) is usually followed by:

Subjunctive when talking about a future or not-yet-realized event:
πριν χτυπήσει (aorist subjunctive) = before it rings.

Forms like πριν χτυπάει / πριν χτυπά are ungrammatical in this context in standard modern Greek.

You might also hear:

πριν να χτυπήσει – adding να is possible in speech, but often dropped.
πριν χτυπήσει το κουδούνι – the most standard version, as in your sentence.

So the pattern is:

πριν + subjunctive → before something happens (in the future relative to the main event).

Why is the verb χτυπήσει in the aorist subjunctive and not something like χτυπάει?

Again, this is about subjunctive and aspect:

χτυπήσει = aorist subjunctive (a single, complete event in the future: ring once).
χτυπάει = present indicative (is ringing, rings (habitually)).

After πριν, with a future-oriented meaning, Greek uses subjunctive, not indicative:

πριν χτυπήσει το κουδούνι = before the bell rings (that time).
Using πριν χτυπάει would be wrong; it mixes the wrong mood (indicative) and aspect for this construction.

So χτυπήσει matches the standard pattern and correctly shows a single future event.

Could we say πριν το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου χτυπήσει instead? Is that also correct?

Yes, that word order is possible:

πριν το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου χτυπήσει

Greek word order is relatively flexible. However:

The original πριν χτυπήσει το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου is more common and more natural.
Placing the verb χτυπήσει right after πριν is the typical pattern: πριν + verb + subject.

Your alternative emphasizes το κουδούνι a bit more (by putting it earlier), but both are grammatically acceptable.

How does το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου work grammatically?

Breakdown:

το κουδούνι = the bell (neuter, singular, nominative).
του διπλανού σχολείου = of the neighboring school (genitive).

Inside the genitive phrase:

του σχολείου = of the school (neuter genitive singular).
διπλανού = adjective meaning neighboring / next-door, agreeing with σχολείου (neuter, genitive, singular).

So του διπλανού σχολείου is a genitive modifier of το κουδούνι:

το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου = the bell of the neighboring school.

Could we say το κουδούνι από το διπλανό σχολείο instead of του διπλανού σχολείου?

Yes, that is also correct:

το κουδούνι του διπλανού σχολείου
το κουδούνι από το διπλανό σχολείο

Both mean the bell of the neighboring school.

Nuance:

του διπλανού σχολείου (genitive) is a bit more compact and slightly more formal/standard.
από το διπλανό σχολείο is very common in spoken Greek, a bit more colloquial, and can emphasize origin/source (the bell from the school next door).

In this sentence, the genitive is perfectly natural and maybe a bit more “written-sounding”.

Is there any difference between το διπλανό σχολείο and το σχολείο το διπλανό?

Yes, slight difference in emphasis:

το διπλανό σχολείο = the normal, neutral way: the neighboring school.
το σχολείο το διπλανό = the school, the one that’s next door.

The second pattern (noun + article + adjective) often:

Emphasizes the adjective.
Sounds a bit more colloquial or expressive.

In your sentence, του διπλανού σχολείου is the standard, straightforward phrasing.

Why is there a comma before για να προλάβουμε? Is it required?

The comma marks the boundary between:

The main clause: Εμείς λέμε να πάμε λίγο νωρίτερα,
The purpose clause: για να προλάβουμε την ήσυχη ώρα…

In Greek, it’s normal and recommended to use a comma before για να when it introduces a new clause (especially a longer one).

Without the comma, it’s still understandable, but the sentence is harder to parse.
With the comma, the structure and rhythm are clearer, similar to English:
We’re thinking of going a bit earlier, so that we catch the quiet time…