Δύσκολα κοιμάμαι όταν έχω άγχος.

to have

Breakdown of Δύσκολα κοιμάμαι όταν έχω άγχος.

• κοιμάμαι: to sleep
• όταν: when
• το άγχος: the stress

Questions & Answers about Δύσκολα κοιμάμαι όταν έχω άγχος.

Why is there no word for “I” in Δύσκολα κοιμάμαι όταν έχω άγχος?

Greek usually leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• κοιμάμαι = I sleep (1st person singular)
• έχω = I have (1st person singular)

So εγώ (I) is understood from -μαι and -ω and normally omitted unless you want to emphasize I (as in Εγώ δύσκολα κοιμάμαι… = I, in particular, have trouble sleeping…).

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What exactly is Δύσκολα grammatically? Is it an adjective or an adverb?

In this sentence, δύσκολα is an adverb derived from the adjective δύσκολος (difficult).

• δύσκολος (adjective) = difficult
• δύσκολα (adverb) = with difficulty, with difficulty / not easily

So:

• Δύσκολα κοιμάμαι = I sleep with difficulty / I don’t sleep easily.

It describes how you sleep, so it functions as an adverb modifying the verb κοιμάμαι.

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Could you also say Είναι δύσκολο να κοιμηθώ όταν έχω άγχος? What is the difference?