Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη.

I feel confidence when the teacher supports me in class.

Breakdown of Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη.

• με: me
• σε: in
• όταν: when
• η δασκάλα: the female teacher
• νιώθω: to feel
• η τάξη: the class
• στηρίζω: to support
• η αυτοπεποίθηση: the confidence

Questions & Answers about Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη.

What is the nuance of νιώθω here? How is it different from αισθάνομαι?

Both νιώθω and αισθάνομαι can mean to feel.

• νιώθω is very common and slightly more colloquial/neutral. It covers physical and emotional feelings:

  • Νιώθω κρύο. – I feel cold.
  • Νιώθω χαρά. – I feel joy.

• αισθάνομαι is a bit more formal or “bookish”, though also common:

  • Αισθάνομαι άσχημα. – I feel bad / I feel awful.
  • Αισθάνομαι αυτοπεποίθηση. – I feel confident.

In your sentence, you could say Αισθάνομαι αυτοπεποίθηση όταν... and it would still be correct. The meaning is basically the same; νιώθω just sounds a bit more everyday and natural.

Why is there no article before αυτοπεποίθηση? Could we say νιώθω την αυτοπεποίθηση?

Greek often omits the article with:

• abstract nouns (love, fear, confidence, etc.)
• especially after verbs of feeling or having, like νιώθω, έχω, αισθάνομαι.

So Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση means I feel (some) confidence / I feel confident, and it sounds completely natural.

You can say νιώθω την αυτοπεποίθηση, but then you’re treating αυτοπεποίθηση as something more specific or concrete, like:

• Νιώθω την αυτοπεποίθηση να επιστρέφει. – I feel the confidence returning.

In your sentence, the generic, article-less αυτοπεποίθηση is the most natural choice.

Does αυτοπεποίθηση literally mean “self-confidence”? Are there other ways to say this idea?

Yes. αυτοπεποίθηση literally is auto- (self) + πεποίθηση (belief/conviction) → self-confidence.

You might also see:

• εμπιστοσύνη στον εαυτό μου – trust in myself
  • Νιώθω εμπιστοσύνη στον εαυτό μου. – I feel trust in myself / I trust myself.

αυτοπεποίθηση is the standard, compact word for self-confidence and is what most people would use in this sentence.

Why is it η δασκάλα and not something like μια δασκάλα? What does the article change?

• η δασκάλα = the teacher (female), a specific teacher that both speaker and listener know.
• μια δασκάλα = a teacher, some teacher, not specifically identified.

In your sentence, η δασκάλα implies a particular teacher (for example, “my teacher” in this class). If you said:

• Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν μια δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη.

it would sound like you are talking more generally about “any teacher” or about an unspecified one, not a specific known person.

How does gender work with η δασκάλα? What would it look like for a male teacher?

Greek marks grammatical gender on both the noun and the article.

• η δασκάλα – the (female) teacher
  
  • article: η (feminine singular, nominative)
  • noun: δασκάλα (feminine)

For a male teacher, you use the masculine form:

• ο δάσκαλος – the (male) teacher
  
  • article: ο (masculine singular, nominative)
  • noun: δάσκαλος (masculine)

So you would say:

• Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν ο δάσκαλος με στηρίζει στην τάξη.

What exactly is με here? Why is it before the verb στηρίζει?

με here is the unstressed object pronoun for “me” (accusative, first person singular).

Clitic pronouns like με, σε, τον, την, etc. usually go right before the verb in normal statements:

• Η δασκάλα με στηρίζει. – The teacher supports me.
• Με βλέπει. – She sees me.

So in your sentence:

• η δασκάλα με στηρίζει = the teacher supports me.

You can’t normally say η δασκάλα στηρίζει με with the clitic form. If you want to stress “me”, you use the strong form εμένα:

• Η δασκάλα στηρίζει εμένα. – It’s me that the teacher supports.

What is the difference between στηρίζει, βοηθάει, and υποστηρίζει?

All three can be translated as some kind of help / support, but they have different nuances:

• στηρίζει (from στηρίζω)

  • basic meaning: supports, gives support, often emotional or moral support.
  • Με στηρίζει στην τάξη. – She supports me in class (encourages, stands by me).

• βοηθάει or βοηθά (from βοηθάω)

  • basic meaning: helps, usually more practical help.
  • Με βοηθάει με τις ασκήσεις. – She helps me with the exercises.

• υποστηρίζει (from υποστηρίζω)

  • basic meaning: supports, often in the sense of backing someone up, defending them, standing up for them.
  • Με υποστηρίζει μπροστά στους άλλους. – She supports/defends me in front of others.

In your sentence, στηρίζει suggests general, ongoing emotional or personal support in class.

Why is it στηρίζει and not some future or past tense? Does the Greek present here mean a general/habitual action?

Yes. The Greek present tense often expresses general, repeated, or habitual actions, just like English simple present.

• Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη.
  = I feel confident when(ever) the teacher supports me in class.

It doesn’t refer to a single, one‑time event. It describes something that is generally true or happens repeatedly.

For a specific past event, you might say:

• Ένιωσα αυτοπεποίθηση όταν η δασκάλα με στήριξε στην τάξη.
  – I felt confident when the teacher supported me (that time) in class.

What does στην come from? Why is it written as one word and not σε την?

στην is the contraction of:

• σε (in, at, to) + την (the, feminine accusative singular) → στην

In modern Greek, these combinations are almost always written as one word:

• σε + την τάξη → στην τάξη (in the class)
• σε + τον φίλο → στον φίλο (to the friend)
• σε + το σπίτι → στο σπίτι (to the house)

So στην τάξη literally means in the class / in class.

What does τάξη mean here? Could it also mean “order” rather than “class”?

Yes, τάξη has two main meanings:

1. class / classroom / school grade

   • Είμαι στην πρώτη τάξη. – I’m in first grade.
   • Μιλάω στην τάξη. – I speak in class.

2. order / tidiness

   • Μου αρέσει η τάξη στο σπίτι. – I like order/tidiness at home.

In your sentence, στην τάξη clearly means in class / in the classroom from the school context. The “order” meaning would not fit here.

Why is it όταν and not αν? Does όταν need a special mood like the subjunctive?

• όταν = when (whenever, every time)
• αν = if

In your sentence:

• όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει = when(ever) the teacher supports me

It describes a real, repeated situation, so you use όταν with the indicative (here, present στηρίζει).

Greek sometimes uses όταν with a subjunctive for future events:

• Όταν πάω στην τάξη, θα σε δω. – When I go to class, I’ll see you.

But in your sentence, you’re talking about something that already happens regularly, so όταν + present indicative is exactly right.

Can I change the word order and put όταν at the beginning, like in English?

Yes. Both orders are natural:

1. Νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη.
2. Όταν η δασκάλα με στηρίζει στην τάξη, νιώθω αυτοπεποίθηση.

When the όταν‑clause comes first, you normally add a comma before the main clause. The meaning stays the same; it’s just a stylistic choice.