Learn Hardcore Greek: Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά παρά να μένω σιωπηλός. - For me it is preferable to speak Greek with foreigners rather than remain silent.

Για μένα – for me / as far as I’m concerned (introducing a personal point of view)
είναι προτιμότερο – it is preferable (impersonal construction)
να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά – to speak with foreigners in Greek
παρά – rather than
να μένω σιωπηλός – to remain silent

So literally:
Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο = For me, it is preferable
να μιλάω … παρά να μένω σιωπηλός = to speak … rather than to stay silent.

Greek often uses this impersonal είναι + adjective + να + verb to say “it is X to do Y”, similar to English it is better/easier/important to do something.

Why is it για μένα and not σε μένα here? What does για do?

Για with a person in the accusative (για μένα, για σένα, για αυτόν etc.) commonly means:

“as far as I am concerned”
“in my opinion”
“for me / from my point of view”

So Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο… means “For me, it is preferable…” or “In my view, it is better…”.

Σε μένα would normally mean “to me” in a literal sense of movement or giving (give it to me, come to me), not “in my opinion”.
So:

Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο… = From my perspective, it is preferable…
Σε μένα έδωσε το βιβλίο. = He gave the book to me.

What is the difference between είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω and προτιμώ να μιλάω?

Both express a preference, but the structure and nuance differ:

Είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω…
- Literally: It is preferable that I speak…
- Impersonal structure: είναι + adjective + να + verb
- Sounds slightly more general/impersonal or “objective”: as if stating what is preferable in general, at least from your point of view.
Προτιμώ να μιλάω…
- Literally: I prefer to speak…
- Personal verb: προτιμώ (I prefer)
- Directly states your personal preference.

Both are correct. In your sentence, using είναι προτιμότερο fits well because it sets up a contrast:
Είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω… παρά να μένω σιωπηλός.
= It is preferable to speak… rather than stay silent.

Why do we use να μιλάω and να μένω, and not an infinitive like in English (to speak, to stay)?

Modern Greek does not use an infinitive the way English does. Instead, it uses:

να + verb (subjunctive)

So where English says to speak, Greek typically says να μιλήσω / να μιλάω (depending on aspect). In your sentence:

να μιλάω = to be speaking (habitually / in general)
να μένω = to remain / to be staying

The pattern είναι προτιμότερο να + verb corresponds to English it is preferable to + verb:

Είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω…
= It is preferable to speak…

What is the difference between μιλάω and μιλήσω, or μένω and μείνω? Could we say να μιλήσω or να μείνω here?

These are pairs of imperfective vs perfective aspect:

μιλάω (imperfective) vs μιλήσω (perfective)
μένω (imperfective) vs μείνω (perfective)

Roughly:

Imperfective (μιλάω, μένω) = ongoing, repeated, habitual action
Perfective (μιλήσω, μείνω) = single, complete event or result

In your sentence:

να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά – focusing on the ongoing habit or general situation of speaking with foreigners in Greek.
να μένω σιωπηλός – focusing on the state of remaining silent.

If you changed it to:

να μιλήσω με ξένους – to (once) speak with foreigners (a single act)
να μείνω σιωπηλός – to (once) stay/remain silent in some specific situation

So your original sentence describes a general preference about what you typically do, or what is generally better for you, not a one‑off event. That’s why the imperfective μιλάω / μένω fits best.

What’s the difference between μιλάω and μιλώ? Which one should I use?

Μιλάω and μιλώ are simply two present forms of the same verb μιλάω / μιλώ (to speak).

μιλάω is slightly more colloquial / everyday.
μιλώ can sound a bit more formal or careful speech, but is also very common.

Both are correct in modern Greek, and Greeks freely alternate between them. In your sentence:

να μιλάω με ξένους…
να μιλώ με ξένους…

Both are fine. As a learner, you can safely use μιλάω, which you’ll hear a lot in speech.

Does με ξένους mean “with foreigners” or “with strangers”?

Ξένος can mean both:

foreigner (someone from another country)
stranger (someone you don’t know)

In many everyday contexts those meanings overlap, and you understand which one is meant from context.

με ξένους = “with foreigners / with strangers”
με τους ξένους = “with the foreigners / with those foreigners (we have in mind)”

In your sentence, because of στα ελληνικά (“in Greek”), most readers will interpret ξένους as foreigners:
“to speak with foreigners in Greek rather than stay silent.”

Why is it στα ελληνικά and not just ελληνικά? What is the role of στα here?

Στα is the contracted form of σε τα (“in the”).
When talking about languages, Greek often uses:

στα + neuter plural adjective
e.g. στα ελληνικά, στα αγγλικά, στα γαλλικά

So:

να μιλάω στα ελληνικά
literally: to speak in the Greek (language)
idiomatically: to speak in Greek

You can sometimes hear just ελληνικά μιλάω (“I speak Greek”), but στα ελληνικά is the standard, natural way to say in Greek (as a language).

Compare:

Μιλάω ελληνικά. – I speak Greek. (I know the language.)
Μιλάω στα ελληνικά. – I’m speaking in Greek (choice of language in this situation).

How does παρά work here? Why παρά and not από?

Παρά is used here in a comparative structure meaning “rather than / instead of”:

είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω… παρά να μένω σιωπηλός
= it is preferable to speak… rather than remain silent.

Patterns with παρά:

καλύτερα να… παρά να… – better to… rather than…
προτιμώ να… παρά να… – I prefer to… rather than…

Από is the more general “from / than” in comparisons like:

είμαι πιο ψηλός από σένα – I am taller than you.

But when you’re directly contrasting actions or choices (two να + verb clauses), παρά is the usual choice:

Προτιμώ να μιλάω παρά να μένω σιωπηλός.
Καλύτερα να φύγουμε παρά να περιμένουμε.

Why is it σιωπηλός and not some other word? And what about gender?

Σιωπηλός is an adjective meaning “silent, not speaking”. Greek adjectives must agree in:

gender
number
case

with the noun or implied subject they describe.

In να μένω σιωπηλός:

the implied subject is εγώ (I)
if the speaker is male → σιωπηλός (masculine singular, nominative)
if the speaker is female → σιωπηλή (feminine singular, nominative)

So a woman would normally say:

Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά παρά να μένω σιωπηλή.

There are other ways to say “silent”:

ήσυχος / ήσυχη – quiet
δεν μιλάω – I don’t speak

But σιωπηλός nicely captures remaining in silence as a state.

Can I change the word order, e.g. say Είναι προτιμότερο για μένα… instead of Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο…?

Yes. Greek word order is quite flexible. Both are natural:

Για μένα είναι προτιμότερο να μιλάω…
Είναι προτιμότερο για μένα να μιλάω…

Placing Για μένα at the beginning slightly emphasizes “as for me / in my opinion”.

Other acceptable variants:

Για μένα, να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά είναι προτιμότερο παρά να μένω σιωπηλός.
Να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά είναι, για μένα, προτιμότερο παρά να μένω σιωπηλός. (more marked/emphatic)

The main thing is to keep the groups together logically:

(Για μένα) (είναι προτιμότερο) (να μιλάω…) (παρά να μένω σιωπηλός).

Could I use a different verb instead of μένω or say να σιωπώ instead of να μένω σιωπηλός?

Yes, there are several natural alternatives:

Replace μένω σιωπηλός with a simple silent‑verb:
- να σιωπώ – to be silent / to keep silent (imperfective)
- να σιωπήσω – to fall/become silent (once) (perfective)
Example:
…να μιλάω με ξένους στα ελληνικά παρά να σιωπώ.
Replace μένω σιωπηλός with μένω σιωπηρός (also “silent”, a bit more bookish).

Your original να μένω σιωπηλός sounds very natural and clear, with a focus on the continuing state of being silent.

Is this sentence talking about a general habit or about one specific situation?

The choice of aspect and structure makes it sound general / habitual:

να μιλάω (imperfective) – to be (generally) speaking
να μένω (imperfective) – to be (generally) staying

So it means something like:

In general / As a rule, it’s better for me to talk to foreigners in Greek rather than stay silent.

If you wanted to refer to one specific occasion (e.g. a particular meeting), you’d more likely use perfective forms:

Για μένα, σε αυτή την περίπτωση, είναι προτιμότερο να μιλήσω με τους ξένους στα ελληνικά παρά να μείνω σιωπηλός.
= For me, in this case, it is preferable to speak with the foreigners in Greek rather than stay silent.