Learn Hardcore Greek: Έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά με τους ξένους φοιτητές. - I have the tendency to speak English with the foreign students.

In practice, έχω την τάση να + verb is a common, fairly neutral way to say “I tend to … / I have the habit of …”. It behaves like a fixed expression in that it’s very natural and frequent, but grammatically it’s just:

έχω = I have
την τάση = the tendency (object in the accusative)
να μιλάω = to speak (subjunctive clause)

You can use it with many verbs:

Έχω την τάση να αργώ. – I tend to be late.
Έχει την τάση να υπερβάλλει. – He/She tends to exaggerate.

Why is it την τάση and not just τάση? Do I really need the article την?

Yes, in this expression the definite article is normal and idiomatic: έχω την τάση να….

Greek often uses the definite article where English would not use any article, especially with abstract nouns like τάση (tendency), συνήθεια (habit), ανάγκη (need):

Έχω την τάση να… – I tend to…
Έχω τη συνήθεια να… – I have the habit of…
Έχω την ανάγκη να… – I need to…

You can say έχω τάση να…, but it sounds less natural and more like “I have a tendency to…” in a slightly clinical or stylistic way. In everyday speech, έχω την τάση να… is what you’ll hear.

What is the role of να in να μιλάω? Is this a tense marker?

Να is not a tense marker; it’s a particle that introduces the subjunctive (what modern Greek school grammar calls the subjunctive).

Greek doesn’t have an infinitive like English “to speak”. Instead, it uses να + a finite verb:

να μιλάω ≈ “to speak / that I speak” (non-past subjunctive)
να φάω ≈ “to eat / that I eat” (aorist subjunctive)

So in Έχω την τάση να μιλάω, να μιλάω is a subordinate verb phrase functioning much like an English infinitive clause (“to speak”) after “tend” or “have the tendency”.

What form is μιλάω here? Is it present tense, subjunctive, or something else?

Formally, μιλάω is the present (non-past) form of the verb μιλάω / μιλώ (“to speak”).

When it comes after να, that same form is considered to be in the subjunctive mood. So:

Without να: Μιλάω αγγλικά. – I speak English. (present indicative)
With να: να μιλάω αγγλικά – (that I) speak English / to speak English (subjunctive, non-past)

So you don’t change the verb form to mark the mood; it’s the particle να that signals the subjunctive.

Why is it να μιλάω and not να μιλήσω?

The choice is about aspect (ongoing vs one-off), not about correctness:

να μιλάω (imperfective aspect) = a habitual or ongoing action → “to (generally) speak”
να μιλήσω (aorist aspect) = a single, complete action → “to speak (once / at some point)”

Here we’re talking about a tendency / habit, so the imperfective is natural:

Έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά…
I tend to speak (habitually) English…

Compare:

Θέλω να μιλήσω αγγλικά με τον καθηγητή.
I want to speak English with the professor (on a particular occasion).

What’s the difference between μιλάω and μιλώ? Can I say να μιλώ αγγλικά instead?

Μιλάω and μιλώ are two accepted variants of the same verb form.

μιλάω – more common in everyday speech
μιλώ – a bit more formal or “bookish”, but still very common and correct

You can absolutely say:

Έχω την τάση να μιλώ αγγλικά με τους ξένους φοιτητές.

It means exactly the same. In spoken Greek, μιλάω is probably slightly more frequent.

Why does αγγλικά have no article, but τους ξένους φοιτητές does?

Two different patterns are at work:

Names of languages are often used without an article when they’re direct objects or adverbial:
- Μιλάω αγγλικά. – I speak English.
- Μαθαίνει γαλλικά. – He/She is learning French.
An article is possible in some contexts (Τα αγγλικά είναι δύσκολα. – English is difficult), but bare is normal after verbs like μιλάω, μαθαίνω, ξέρω.
τους ξένους φοιτητές refers to a specific group (the foreign students you have in mind), so Greek uses the definite article:
- με τους ξένους φοιτητές – with the foreign students
- με ξένους φοιτητές – with (some) foreign students (non-specific, more indefinite)

So:

αγγλικά – language name, used bare here.
τους ξένους φοιτητές – specific people, so it naturally takes the article.

Why is αγγλικά plural? Isn’t “English” singular in Greek?

Greek often uses neuter plural forms for names of languages in everyday speech:

αγγλικά – English
ελληνικά – Greek
γαλλικά – French

The more “formal” singular expression is αγγλική (γλώσσα) – “the English (language)”, but in normal conversation people almost always say:

Μιλάω αγγλικά. – I speak English.
Ξέρω λίγα ελληνικά. – I know a little Greek.

Grammatically in your sentence, αγγλικά is neuter plural accusative, functioning as the object of μιλάω.

What does με τους ξένους φοιτητές literally mean, and why do we use με?

Literally, με τους ξένους φοιτητές means “with the foreign students”.

με = with
τους = the (masculine plural accusative article)
ξένους = foreign (masc. pl. accusative)
φοιτητές = students (masc. pl. accusative)

The preposition με always takes the accusative in Modern Greek. It normally corresponds to English “with” (and sometimes “by” in passive constructions).

Here, it expresses company / the people you interact with when you speak English.

What’s the difference between ξένοι φοιτητές and ξένους φοιτητές?

The difference is case:

ξένοι φοιτητές – nominative plural (subject of a verb)
- Οι ξένοι φοιτητές ήρθαν. – The foreign students came.
ξένους φοιτητές – accusative plural (object of a verb, or after a preposition)
- Βλέπω ξένους φοιτητές. – I see foreign students.
- με τους ξένους φοιτητές – with the foreign students

In your sentence, με requires the accusative, so we have με τους ξένους φοιτητές.

Could I say Εγώ έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά…? Why is εγώ omitted?

Yes, you can say Εγώ έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά με τους ξένους φοιτητές. It’s grammatically correct.

However, Greek is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός…) are usually omitted when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Έχω την τάση… – I have the tendency… (the -ω ending shows 1st person singular)

You would normally use Εγώ only for emphasis or contrast:

Εγώ έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά, αλλά οι άλλοι μιλάνε ελληνικά.
I tend to speak English, but the others speak Greek.

Can I say Συνηθίζω να μιλάω αγγλικά… instead of Έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά…? Is there any nuance difference?

Yes, both are correct, but there is a small nuance:

Συνηθίζω να μιλάω αγγλικά…
Literally “I am used to speaking English…” → emphasises habit / custom.
Έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά…
Literally “I have the tendency to speak English…” → can sound slightly more descriptive of character or inclination, sometimes with a hint that you might want to change it or that it’s a general trait.

In many everyday contexts they are almost interchangeable, and both would be understood as “I tend to speak English…”.

Could I change the word order, for example: Με τους ξένους φοιτητές έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is perfectly correct.

Greek word order is relatively flexible, and you can front different parts of the sentence for emphasis or focus:

Έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά με τους ξένους φοιτητές.
Neutral emphasis; information flows in the same order as English.
Με τους ξένους φοιτητές έχω την τάση να μιλάω αγγλικά.
Slight emphasis on “with the foreign students” (as opposed to with someone else).

The grammar (cases, prepositions, articles) doesn’t change; only the information structure / emphasis changes.

How do you pronounce αγγλικά, and why are there two γ (γγ)?

Αγγλικά is pronounced approximately [aŋgliˈka]:

α – like a in father
γγ – together they sound like “ng” + “g” → [ŋg]
λ – l
ι – like ee in see
κά (stressed syllable -κά) – ka with the stress

In Modern Greek, the combination γγ is typically pronounced [ŋg], similar to the sound in English “finger”. This spelling reflects the historical way of writing words like Αγγλία (England), αγγλικά (English), etc.