Breakdown of Είτε κάνω μάθημα στην τάξη είτε μόνος μου στο σπίτι, προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά.
Questions & Answers about Είτε κάνω μάθημα στην τάξη είτε μόνος μου στο σπίτι, προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά.
Είτε … είτε … means “whether … or …” and is used for two alternative situations that are both being considered.
- Είτε κάνω μάθημα στην τάξη είτε μόνος μου στο σπίτι
= Whether I have a lesson in class or (I’m) alone at home…
Differences from ή:
- ή … ή … = “either … or …” (more like choosing one of two options)
- είτε … είτε … = “whether … or …” (stresses that in both cases something holds true)
In this sentence, the idea is: In both situations (in class or at home), I try to speak aloud. That’s why είτε … είτε … is natural here.
Greek is a “pro-drop” language: the verb ending already shows the subject, so you usually omit the pronoun unless you want to emphasize it.
- κάνω = I do / I make
- προσπαθώ = I try
The -ω ending shows first person singular, so εγώ is not needed.
You could say:
- Εγώ, είτε κάνω μάθημα…
to emphasize I, but it isn’t necessary and would slightly shift the focus to me.
Literally, κάνω μάθημα is “I do lesson”.
In natural English, this corresponds to:
- “I have a lesson”
- “I have class”
- sometimes “I teach a lesson” (depending on context)
Greek uses κάνω (to do, to make) very broadly in set phrases:
- κάνω μάθημα – have/teach a lesson
- κάνω δουλειά – do work
- κάνω μπάνιο – take a bath/shower
So κάνω μάθημα στην τάξη means “I’m having / doing a lesson in the classroom (as a student or teacher)”.
- μάθημα = lesson / class (the teaching session or subject)
- e.g. “a Greek lesson”, “a math class”
- τάξη = classroom or class (group of students), depending on context.
Here στην τάξη clearly means “in the classroom”.
So:
- κάνω μάθημα – I have a lesson
- στην τάξη – in the classroom
Together: “have a lesson in the classroom”.
στην and στο are contractions of the preposition σε (“in, at, to”) plus the definite article.
- σε + την τάξη → στην τάξη
(feminine, singular, accusative: the class / the classroom) - σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι
(neuter, singular, accusative: the house / the home)
This contraction is completely regular and extremely common in modern Greek:
- σε + τον → στον
- σε + την → στην
- σε + το → στο
μόνος μου means “by myself / on my own”.
Breakdown:
- μόνος = alone (masculine form of the adjective)
- μου = my / to me (here: a weak pronoun showing whose “aloneness” it is)
Literally: “alone of me” → “by myself”.
It agrees with the subject in gender and number:
- μόνος μου – I (a man) by myself
- μόνη μου – I (a woman) by myself
- μόνοι μας – we (mixed or all male) by ourselves
- μόνες σας – you (all female) by yourselves
Without μου, μόνος just means “alone” in a general sense, but to express “by myself / on my own” Greek normally uses μόνος + weak pronoun.
στο σπίτι can mean both “at home” and “in the house” depending on context:
- Very often, στο σπίτι = “at home” (general place where you live)
- In other contexts, it can literally be “in the house/building”
Native speakers don’t feel the article as strongly here; το σπίτι is the normal way to say “home/house”. You can also say σπίτι without the article (especially after verbs of motion), e.g.:
- Πάω σπίτι. – I’m going home.
- Είμαι στο σπίτι. – I am at home / in the house.
In your sentence, μόνος μου στο σπίτι naturally reads as “by myself at home”.
In Greek, many verbs are followed by να + verb, not by two finite verbs in a row. να introduces a subjunctive verb form.
- προσπαθώ να μιλάω = I try to speak (literally “I-try that I-speak”)
So you need:
- προσπαθώ να… (I try to…)
- θέλω να… (I want to…)
- πρέπει να… (I must / I have to…)
You cannot say προσπαθώ μιλάω; you must use να μιλάω (subjunctive) after προσπαθώ.
Both μιλάω and μιλώ are correct present tense forms of the same verb μιλάω / μιλώ (“to speak”).
- μιλάω – more colloquial, very common in everyday speech
- μιλώ – a bit more formal / literary, but also common
They’re interchangeable in this sentence:
- προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά
- προσπαθώ να μιλώ δυνατά
Most modern speakers spontaneously use μιλάω in casual conversation.
Greek has aspect: it distinguishes between ongoing/repeated actions and single, completed actions.
- να μιλάω – imperfective aspect: speaking as an ongoing or repeated activity
→ “to (be) speaking”, “to speak regularly / habitually” - να μιλήσω – aorist aspect: speaking as a single, whole event
→ “to speak (once), to say something (this time)”
In your sentence:
- προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά
= I try to (always / generally) speak out loud, as a habit or regular practice.
If you said:
- προσπαθώ να μιλήσω δυνατά
it would sound more like: “I’m trying (right now, in this specific situation) to speak out loud / to say it out loud (this once).”
Here δυνατά means “loudly / out loud”.
It is the adverb form of δυνατός (“strong, loud”):
- μιλάω δυνατά – I speak loudly / I speak out loud
- παίζω δυνατά μουσική – I play loud music
So in this sentence, προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά = “I try to speak out loud (so I can hear myself / practice)”.
Modern Greek has only one present tense form, and it covers both English:
- I do (habitual / general)
- I am doing (right now)
So:
- Είτε κάνω μάθημα…
can mean “Whether I have class…” or “Whether I am having class…”, depending on context. - προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά
can be “I try to speak out loud” or “I am trying to speak out loud”.
In this sentence, the natural reading is habitual: In general, whenever this happens, I try to speak out loud.
In Greek, a comma before the main clause (after an introductory subordinate/conditional structure) is common and considered good style.
- Είτε κάνω μάθημα στην τάξη είτε μόνος μου στο σπίτι, προσπαθώ να μιλάω δυνατά.
The comma marks the end of the είτε … είτε … part and the beginning of the main clause προσπαθώ….
You might occasionally see it written without the comma, but with a clause this long and complex, the comma is helpful and standard.