Πριν αρχίσω, η αδερφή μου μού είπε να ζεστάνω το τηγάνι καλά.

Before I started, my sister told me to heat the pan well.

Breakdown of Πριν αρχίσω, η αδερφή μου μού είπε να ζεστάνω το τηγάνι καλά.

• καλά: well
• να: to
• μου: my
• πριν: before
• μου: me
• αρχίζω: to start
• η αδερφή: the sister
• λέω: to tell
• το τηγάνι: the pan
• ζεσταίνω: to heat

Questions & Answers about Πριν αρχίσω, η αδερφή μου μού είπε να ζεστάνω το τηγάνι καλά.

Why is Πριν followed by αρχίσω (a verb) instead of something like πριν από + noun?

Πριν can work as a conjunction meaning before (I) …, so it naturally introduces a clause with a verb: Πριν αρχίσω = Before I start.
Πριν από is used with nouns/pronouns (or noun phrases): πριν από το μάθημα = before the lesson.

Why is it Πριν αρχίσω and not Πριν αρχίζω?

After πριν (and also after να), Greek commonly uses the subjunctive. Here αρχίσω is aorist subjunctive (perfective aspect), which fits the idea of starting as a single event: before I start (at all).
Πριν αρχίζω would sound unusual in Standard Modern Greek for this meaning.

Where is the word να? I often see πριν να…

Greek allows both Πριν αρχίσω and Πριν να αρχίσω. The να is often optional in this structure, and dropping it is very common in everyday usage.

What does the comma after Πριν αρχίσω do?

It marks an introductory time clause. In English you’d also typically write: Before I start, … The comma helps readability; it doesn’t change the grammar.

Why is it η αδερφή μου and not η αδελφή μου?

Both exist. αδελφή is the more formal/standard spelling; αδερφή is extremely common in speech and informal writing. They mean the same: sister.

How does μου work in η αδερφή μου?

Here μου is a possessive clitic meaning my, placed after the noun:
η αδερφή μου = my sister.
Greek typically places these possessives post-nominal: ο φίλος μου (my friend), το σπίτι μου (my house).

Why is μού written with an accent here (μού είπε)?

Normally μου is unaccented. It can take an accent (μού) to avoid ambiguity or to add clarity/emphasis—especially when two clitics might appear nearby or when the writer wants to make the pronoun stand out.
Meaning-wise, μου είπε and μού είπε are the same here: she told me.

Why are there two μου’s in the sentence (η αδερφή μου μού είπε)?

They are doing two different jobs:

• η αδερφή μου: μου = my (possessor of sister)
• μού είπε: μού = to me (indirect object of told)
  So it’s “my sister told me,” not repetition of the same function.

What grammar pattern is μού είπε να ζεστάνω…?

It’s a very common Modern Greek pattern: [verb of saying/asking/telling] + να + subjunctive
So είπε να ζεστάνω… literally is “she said (that) I should heat…,” i.e. “she told me to heat…”.

Why is it να ζεστάνω and not να ζεστάσω?

Both are used depending on the verb form speakers choose, but ζεσταίνω commonly forms aorist/subjunctive as ζεστάνω in everyday Greek. It’s the aorist subjunctive, expressing a single completed action: to heat up (once / fully).

What case is το τηγάνι, and why the article το?

το τηγάνι is neuter singular accusative, used as the direct object of ζεστάνω (I heat).
The article agrees with the noun: το (neuter) + τηγάνι (pan).

What does καλά modify, and where does it usually go?

καλά is an adverb meaning well / thoroughly. It modifies the verb ζεστάνω: heat the pan well.
Adverbs in Greek are flexible, but placing καλά after the object is very natural: ζεστάνω το τηγάνι καλά.