Όταν γυρίζω από την αγορά, περνάω από το φαρμακείο.

When I come back from the market, I stop by the pharmacy.

Breakdown of Όταν γυρίζω από την αγορά, περνάω από το φαρμακείο.

• από: from
• όταν: when
• το φαρμακείο: the pharmacy
• η αγορά: the market
• περνάω από: to stop by
• γυρίζω: to come back / to return

Questions & Answers about Όταν γυρίζω από την αγορά, περνάω από το φαρμακείο.

Why are both verbs in the present tense (γυρίζω, περνάω) if the English meaning might sound like When I come back..., I stop by...?

In Greek, the present tense is very commonly used for:

• Habitual actions (what you generally do)
• Repeated routines
• General truths

So Όταν γυρίζω από την αγορά, περνάω από το φαρμακείο. naturally means something like Whenever/When I come back from the market, I (usually) pass by/stop by the pharmacy.
If you wanted a single event in the past, you’d typically use past forms (e.g., Όταν γύρισα..., πέρασα...).

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What’s the role of όταν here, and does it always mean when?

Όταν introduces a time clause and most often corresponds to when. Depending on context, it can also feel like:

• whenever (especially with present tense, expressing habit)
• when(ever) + future meaning (with certain structures)

Here, with present tense (γυρίζω, περνάω), it strongly suggests a routine/whenever reading.

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Why is there a comma after την αγορά?

Greek commonly uses a comma to separate:

• the subordinate clause (introduced by Όταν)
  from
• the main clause

So Όταν γυρίζω από την αγορά, is the time clause, and περνάω από το φαρμακείο is the main clause.

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What does γυρίζω mean exactly? Is it literally to turn?

Γυρίζω can mean to turn in some contexts, but very often it means:

• to return
• to come back
• to go back

In this sentence, γυρίζω από την αγορά means I’m coming back from the market.

A more formal alternative for return is επιστρέφω, but γυρίζω is extremely common in everyday speech.

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Why does Greek use από twice (από την αγορά, από το φαρμακείο)?

Because από is used in two different (but related) ways:

1) από + place = from

• γυρίζω από την αγορά = I return from the market

2) With certain motion verbs, περνάω από + place means pass by / go via / stop by

• περνάω από το φαρμακείο = I pass by the pharmacy (often implying you go there briefly)

So the second από doesn’t mean you’re coming from the pharmacy; it’s part of the expression περνάω από....

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Does περνάω από το φαρμακείο mean I go inside the pharmacy, or just pass it?

It can mean either, depending on context:

• Just pass by (you go past it / go via that area)
• Stop by (often implies going in briefly, especially if the situation makes sense)

If you want to clearly say you enter, you might add something like:

• μπαίνω στο φαρμακείο = I go into the pharmacy
• σταματάω στο φαρμακείο = I stop at the pharmacy

But on its own, περνάω από το φαρμακείο very often works like I stop by the pharmacy.

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Why is it την αγορά and το φαρμακείο—what cases are these?

Both are in the accusative case because they follow the preposition από, which generally takes the accusative in Modern Greek.

• από + accusative: από την αγορά, από το φαρμακείο

The articles show gender too:

• η αγορά (feminine) → την αγορά (accusative)
• το φαρμακείο (neuter) → το φαρμακείο (accusative looks the same as nominative for many neuter nouns)

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Why does το stay το in από το φαρμακείο? Shouldn’t it change like την did?

Neuter articles often look the same in nominative and accusative:

• Nominative: το φαρμακείο
• Accusative: το φαρμακείο

Feminine singular changes:

• Nominative: η αγορά
• Accusative: την αγορά

So nothing special is happening—neuter just has fewer visible changes here.

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Could I drop the articles and say από αγορά or από φαρμακείο?

Usually, no. In Greek, you typically use the article with common, specific places:

• από την αγορά
• από το φαρμακείο

Dropping the article can sound unnatural or change the meaning, and it’s generally only done in special cases (fixed expressions, signs, headlines, certain styles).

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Is the word order flexible? Could I say Περνάω από το φαρμακείο όταν γυρίζω από την αγορά?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible, and that alternative is correct. The difference is mainly focus:

• Starting with Όταν... foregrounds the timing/condition.
• Starting with Περνάω... foregrounds the main action, then adds when it happens.

Both are natural; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

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How do I pronounce γυρίζω and περνάω (especially the stress and the sounds)?

• γυρίζω: stress on -ρί- → gyu-RÍ-zo
  γυ is like a g sound followed by the Greek υ, which is pronounced like ee in Modern Greek, so it’s roughly yee after the g (together: gy-).

• περνάω: stress on -νά- → per-NÁ-o
  The ω at the end is pronounced like o (not like English long oh with a glide; it’s a simple o sound).

The accent mark (τόνος) shows where the stress goes: γυρίζω, περνάω, αγορά, φαρμακείο.

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What’s the difference between αγορά as market and η αγορά as the market—could it also mean something else?

In this sentence η αγορά clearly means the market (the place where you shop, or the shopping area).

But αγορά can also refer to:

• the act of buying (a purchase), depending on context
• more abstractly, the marketplace/economy in formal contexts

Here, with γυρίζω από την αγορά and the everyday routine context, it’s the physical market.