Breakdown of Όποτε σκέφτομαι το εξωτερικό, θυμάμαι ότι η οικογένειά μου είναι πολύ σημαντική.
είμαι
to be
πολύ
very
μου
my
ότι
that
Questions & Answers about Όποτε σκέφτομαι το εξωτερικό, θυμάμαι ότι η οικογένειά μου είναι πολύ σημαντική.
What is the difference between Όποτε and Όταν in this sentence?
Both can be translated as when, but they are not identical.
Όποτε = whenever / every time that (emphasizes repetition or general rule).
- Όποτε σκέφτομαι το εξωτερικό… = Whenever I think about going abroad… (any time this happens).
Όταν = when (more neutral; can be one time or repeated, context decides).
- Όταν σκέφτομαι το εξωτερικό… could mean the same here, but όποτε makes the habitual, repeated nature clearer.
In this sentence, Όποτε is natural because the speaker means every time I think of going abroad, I remember….
Why is it σκέφτομαι and not something like σκέφω?
Modern Greek has many verbs that are middle / “reflexive” in form but active in meaning. Σκέφτομαι is one of them.
- Full dictionary form: σκέφτομαι (I think)
- There is no common active form σκέφω in modern usage.
Conjugation (present tense):
- εγώ σκέφτομαι – I think
- εσύ σκέφτεσαι – you think
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό σκέφτεται – he/she/it thinks
- εμείς σκεφτόμαστε – we think
- εσείς σκέφτεστε – you (pl./formal) think
- αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά σκέφτονται – they think
So you must always use the -ομαι form: σκέφτομαι.
Why is it το εξωτερικό with the article ? Why not just ?