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Υπολογίζω να τελειώσω το κεφάλαιο μέχρι την Κυριακή, εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση.

Υπολογίζω να τελειώσω το κεφάλαιο μέχρι την Κυριακή, εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση.
I figure I’ll finish the chapter by Sunday, as long as we don’t have another meeting.

Breakdown of Υπολογίζω να τελειώσω το κεφάλαιο μέχρι την Κυριακή, εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση.

έχω
to have
δεν
not
να
to
τελειώνω
to finish
η συνάντηση
the meeting
άλλος
another
το κεφάλαιο
the chapter
εφόσον
as long as
υπολογίζω
to figure
μέχρι
by / until
η Κυριακή
Sunday
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Questions & Answers about Υπολογίζω να τελειώσω το κεφάλαιο μέχρι την Κυριακή, εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση.

What does Υπολογίζω literally mean here, and is it the same as “I calculate”?

Υπολογίζω literally means I calculate / I compute, but in everyday Greek it very often means I estimate / I expect / I’m planning (to).
In this sentence it’s closer to “I expect / I figure / I’m planning to finish the chapter by Sunday”—not doing math.

Why is να used after Υπολογίζω?

Greek commonly uses να + verb to introduce what you intend, expect, want, etc. It works a bit like “to” or “that” in English depending on context.
So Υπολογίζω να τελειώσω… = I expect/plan to finish…
The verb after να goes in a “subjunctive-type” form (even though Greek grammar usually just calls it “with να”).

What tense/person is τελειώσω?

τελειώσω is 1st person singular (“I …”). With να, it’s the perfective form (often taught as “subjunctive aorist”), which focuses on completing the action: to finish (completely).
So it implies reaching the endpoint: finishing the chapter.

Could it also be να τελειώνω? What’s the difference?

Yes, but it changes the meaning.

  • να τελειώσω (perfective) = to finish / to get it done (completion)
  • να τελειώνω (imperfective) = to be finishing / to work on finishing / to finish habitually (process or repetition)
    Here, because the speaker has a deadline (μέχρι την Κυριακή), να τελειώσω is the natural choice.
Is Υπολογίζω να… formal, informal, or neutral? What are alternatives?

It’s mostly neutral (usable in spoken and written Greek). Alternatives include:

  • Σκοπεύω να… = I intend to…
  • Υποθέτω ότι… = I suppose that… (more like an assumption)
  • Πιστεύω ότι… = I think that…
  • Ελπίζω να… = I hope to… (adds uncertainty/hope)
Why does Greek say μέχρι την Κυριακή with την? Isn’t it just “until Sunday”?

Greek typically uses the definite article with days of the week:

  • την Κυριακή = on Sunday (literally “the Sunday”)
    With μέχρι (“until/by”), it becomes μέχρι την Κυριακή = by/until Sunday.
Does μέχρι την Κυριακή mean “by Sunday” or “until Sunday”?

It can mean either depending on context, but here it strongly means “by Sunday” (deadline for completion).

  • by Sunday = finish no later than Sunday
  • until Sunday can sometimes emphasize a time span continuing up to Sunday, but with τελειώσω (finish) it reads as a deadline.
Why is το κεφάλαιο in the accusative? What case is it?

το κεφάλαιο is the direct object of τελειώσω (“finish what?”), so it’s in the accusative, which for neuter singular looks the same as nominative: το κεφάλαιο.
(“chapter” here usually means a chapter of a book/course.)

What does εφόσον mean, and how is it different from αν?

εφόσον means “provided (that) / as long as / given that”. It often implies a condition that the speaker treats as a realistic basis.
αν is the more general “if”.
So εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση = provided that we don’t have another meeting (the plan depends on that).

Why is it δεν έχουμε and not δεν θα έχουμε?

Greek often uses the present tense in conditional clauses to refer to the future, especially after words like αν or εφόσον.
So εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση can mean “if we don’t have another meeting (in the meantime / before then)”.
Using δεν θα έχουμε is also possible and makes the future meaning more explicit: provided we won’t have another meeting.

What exactly does άλλη mean here?

άλλη means “another / an additional”.
άλλη συνάντηση = another meeting (i.e., one more meeting added to what’s already scheduled/expected).

What’s the word order doing in εφόσον δεν έχουμε άλλη συνάντηση? Could it be different?

This order is very normal: connector + negation + verb + object. Greek word order is flexible, so you could also see:

  • εφόσον δεν έχουμε συνάντηση άλλη (less common)
  • εφόσον δεν έχουμε καμία άλλη συνάντηση = provided we don’t have any other meeting at all (stronger)
Does the comma before εφόσον matter?

Yes: the comma separates the main clause from the conditional clause, similar to English:
I expect to finish… by Sunday, provided that…
Greek punctuation often uses a comma in this structure.

How would I pronounce this sentence (roughly) as an English speaker?

A practical rough guide (not perfect IPA):
Ipolo-GÍ-zo na te-li-Ó-so to ke-FÁ-le-o MÉH-ri tin ki-ri-a-KÍ, e-FÓ-son then É-hu-me Á-li si-NÁD-di-si.
Notes:

  • Greek ch like in German Bach doesn’t appear here.
  • δεν sounds like then (with a “th” sound).
  • Stress matters: Υπολογίζω, τελειώσω, κεφάλαιο, μέχρι, Κυριακή, εφόσον, συνάντηση.
Could this sentence be rephrased with ότι instead of να?

Yes, but it shifts the structure:

  • Υπολογίζω να τελειώσω… (plan/expectation about your own action)
  • Υπολογίζω ότι θα τελειώσω… = I estimate that I will finish… (more like a prediction)
    Both are correct; the να version often feels a bit more like “I’m planning to,” while ότι θα leans toward “I estimate/predict I will.”