Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.

When I go to the park in the evening, I calm down.

Breakdown of Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.

• πάω: to go
• το βράδυ: in the evening
• σε: to
• όταν: when
• το πάρκο: the park
• ησυχάζω: to quiet down

Questions & Answers about Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.

Why is there no word for “I” in the Greek sentence?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns (like εγώ = I) because the verb ending already shows the person:

• πάω ends in -ω → 1st person singular → I go
• ησυχάζω also ends in -ω → I calm down / relax

So Όταν πάω… ησυχάζω already means “When I go… I calm down”. Adding εγώ is only for emphasis:
Όταν πάω εγώ στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω. (“When I go to the park in the evening, I calm down.”)

What is the difference between πάω and πηγαίνω?

Both mean “to go”, and in this sentence you could use either:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.
• Όταν πηγαίνω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.

Roughly:

• πάω

  • Very common in everyday speech, slightly more colloquial.
  • Often feels a bit more like a single movement / occasion.

• πηγαίνω

  • Slightly more formal or neutral.
  • Often used for habitual or repeated actions, but there is big overlap.

In this specific sentence, there is no real difference in meaning; both sound natural.

The verb πάω is present tense. Why does the English translation feel like it’s talking about the future (“when I go later”)?

In Greek, after time words like όταν (“when”), αφού, μόλις, etc., you normally use the present tense, even when you’re talking about the future.

So:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.
  literally: “When I go to the park in the evening, I calm down.”

Depending on context, this can mean:

1. A general truth / habit: Whenever I go to the park in the evening, I calm down.
2. A future situation: When I go to the park this evening, I’ll calm down.

Greek keeps the verb in the present; English often uses “will” only in the main clause, not in the “when”-clause:

Why is it όταν πάω and not όταν θα πάω?

Modern Greek generally does not use θα (future marker) in clauses introduced by όταν when they refer to the future. Instead, it uses the present:

• Correct: Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.
• Unnatural/wrong in standard Greek: Όταν θα πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.

The future meaning is understood from the context and from όταν itself.
Θα appears in the main clause instead, if needed:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, θα ηρεμήσω.
  “When I go to the park in the evening, I’ll calm down.”

What exactly is στο in στο πάρκο?

στο is a contraction of:

• σε (preposition: in, at, to)
• το (neuter singular definite article: “the”)

So:

• σε + το = στο

στο πάρκο literally means “in/to the park”. You’ll see similar contractions:

• σε + τον = στον (masculine) → στον φίλο (to the friend)
• σε + την = στην (feminine) → στην πόλη (in the city)

Why does πάρκο use το and not ο or η?

Every Greek noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

• το πάρκο is neuter.
  Nominative/accusative singular: το πάρκο

So in στο πάρκο:

• στο = σε + το (neuter article)
• πάρκο = neuter noun

You would say:

• το πάρκο (the park)
• στο πάρκο (in/to the park)

Why do we say το βράδυ and not just βράδυ?

Greek very often uses the definite article with times of day when they function like time expressions:

• το πρωί – in the morning
• το μεσημέρι – at noon
• το απόγευμα – in the afternoon
• το βράδυ – in the evening

So το βράδυ is the most natural way to say “in the evening”.

You can sometimes see βράδυ without the article, but in neutral, standard speech το βράδυ is more typical for “in the evening” as a general time expression.

Could we change the word order and say Όταν πάω το βράδυ στο πάρκο, ησυχάζω? Is it still correct?

Yes, that word order is also correct:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.
• Όταν πάω το βράδυ στο πάρκο, ησυχάζω.

Both mean the same thing. Greek word order is relatively flexible; both το βράδυ (“in the evening”) and στο πάρκο (“to the park”) are adverbial phrases, and they can switch places without changing the meaning.

Small nuance: sometimes speakers place the most “important” or “new” information later in the sentence, but in this case both orders are perfectly neutral.

What does ησυχάζω literally mean, and how is it different from χαλαρώνω?

ησυχάζω comes from ήσυχος = “quiet, calm”.

• ησυχάζω can mean:
  • to become calm, to settle down
  • to rest / take a break
  • to be quiet / stop making noise

In this sentence it’s close to “I calm down” or “I relax and feel peaceful”.

χαλαρώνω also means “to relax”, but it focuses more on loosening tension (physical or mental), like unwinding:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, χαλαρώνω.
  → sounds a bit more like “I relax / unwind there.”

ησυχάζω adds a sense of quietness, peace, tranquility, not just relaxation.

Why is there a comma before ησυχάζω?

The sentence has two parts:

1. Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ – a subordinate clause (“when I go to the park in the evening”)
2. ησυχάζω – the main clause (“I calm down / I relax”)

In Greek, when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, you normally put a comma between them:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.

If you reverse the order, you usually omit the comma:

• Ησυχάζω όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ.
  (no comma needed)

Can I also say Ησυχάζω όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that is completely correct:

• Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.
• Ησυχάζω όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ.

Meaning is the same. The difference is just which part you present first:

• Starting with Όταν πάω… gives more weight to the condition/time.
• Starting with Ησυχάζω… first states the result, and then explains when it happens.

It’s similar to English:
“When I go to the park in the evening, I relax” vs “I relax when I go to the park in the evening.”

What tense is ησυχάζω, and is it describing a habit or a single event?

ησυχάζω is present tense, 1st person singular.

In Greek, the present tense can describe:

• a habit / general truth:
  Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω.
  → Whenever that happens, I (normally) calm down.

• or a future situation when combined with όταν:
  → When I go there this evening, I’ll calm down.

So it works much like English “I relax” in “When I go there, I relax”: it can be habitual or contextually future.

How do you pronounce Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω?

Approximate pronunciation (stress in bold):

• Όταν → O-tan [ˈotan]
• πάω → PA-o [ˈpa.o] (two syllables: pa-o)
• στο → sto [sto]
• πάρκο → PAR-ko [ˈparko]
• το → to [to]
• βράδυ → VRA-thi [ˈvraði] (the δ is like “th” in “this”)
• ησυχάζω → i-si-HA-zo [isiˈxazo]
  
  • η here is pronounced like “ee” in “see”
  • χ is a voiceless sound, like the German “Bach” or Scottish “loch”
  • ζ is like “z” in “zoo”

Spoken smoothly, it flows as:
Όταν πάω στο πάρκο το βράδυ, ησυχάζω. [ˈotan ˈpa.o sto ˈparko to ˈvraði, isiˈxazo]

Could το βράδυ mean “at night” instead of “in the evening”? What’s the difference from τη νύχτα?

το βράδυ usually refers to evening / early night – the time after sunset but before very late night.

η νύχτα / τη νύχτα refers more to nighttime, often later hours, when it’s fully night.

Roughly:

• το βράδυ → evening / early night (when people are out, having dinner, walking, etc.)
• τη νύχτα → at night (later, darker, quieter hours)

In everyday usage there’s some overlap, but το βράδυ in this sentence sounds like a peaceful evening time visit to the park.