Όταν είμαι βιαστικός, κάνω περισσότερα λάθη.

When I am in a hurry, I make more mistakes.

Breakdown of Όταν είμαι βιαστικός, κάνω περισσότερα λάθη.

• είμαι: to be
• όταν: when
• κάνω: to make
• το λάθος: the mistake
• περισσότερος: more
• βιαστικός: rushed / hasty

Questions & Answers about Όταν είμαι βιαστικός, κάνω περισσότερα λάθη.

What does όταν mean here, and why is it followed by είμαι (present) instead of a past tense?

Όταν means when. With the present tense (είμαι), it typically describes a general or repeated situation: Whenever I’m in a hurry, I make more mistakes.
If you wanted a single event in the past, you’d usually switch to a past tense: Όταν ήμουν βιαστικός, έκανα περισσότερα λάθη (When I was in a hurry, I made more mistakes).

Is this an if-type sentence? How is όταν different from αν?

It’s similar in meaning to an English when(ever) clause, not a pure if clause.

• όταν = when/whenever (time-based, often implying this happens whenever that condition occurs)
• αν = if (conditional, more hypothetical)
  So Όταν είμαι βιαστικός... implies a time pattern: whenever that situation occurs, the result follows.

Why is είμαι used instead of a verb meaning to hurry?

Greek often expresses states with είμαι + adjective. Here, είμαι βιαστικός literally means I am hurried / in a hurry.
There are other options, but they feel slightly different:

• βιάζομαι = I’m hurrying / I’m rushing (focuses more on the action of rushing)
• έχω βιασύνη = I have haste / I’m in a hurry (more noun-based)

What exactly does βιαστικός mean, and how is it formed?

βιαστικός is an adjective meaning hurried, rushed, in a hurry. It comes from the idea of βιάζω / βιάζομαι (to hurry / to rush).
As an adjective, it behaves like many Greek adjectives ending in -ός and changes form for gender and number.

Why is βιαστικός masculine? What if the speaker is a woman?

Adjectives agree with the subject in gender. The sentence uses the masculine form βιαστικός (as if the speaker is male, or as a default in some contexts).
If the speaker is female, you’d say:

• Όταν είμαι βιαστική, κάνω περισσότερα λάθη.
  Neuter is possible in some contexts (e.g., talking generally), but for a person speaking about themselves, masculine/feminine is the normal choice.

Why is there no word for I (εγώ) in the sentence?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person.

• είμαι = I am
• κάνω = I do / I make
  You can add εγώ for emphasis or contrast, but it’s not necessary: Όταν εγώ είμαι βιαστικός... (more emphatic).

Why does Greek use κάνω λάθη for make mistakes?

This is the normal Greek collocation: κάνω λάθος / κάνω λάθη = make a mistake / make mistakes.
It’s very common and natural—Greek uses κάνω (do/make) in many fixed phrases, similar to English make a mistake.

What is the difference between κάνω λάθος and κάνω λάθη?

• κάνω λάθος = I make a mistake / I’m wrong (often general or one instance, and can also mean I’m mistaken)
• κάνω λάθη = I make mistakes (plural, usually a repeated pattern)
  In your sentence, περισσότερα λάθη clearly points to multiple mistakes.

Why is it περισσότερα λάθη and not περισσότερες λάθη?

Because λάθη is neuter plural (from το λάθος). The adjective περισσότερος must agree in gender/number/case:

• masculine plural: περισσότεροι
• feminine plural: περισσότερες
• neuter plural: περισσότερα ✅
  So περισσότερα λάθη is correct.

What is the base form of λάθη? How do singular and plural work here?

The noun is:

• singular: το λάθος (the mistake)
• plural: τα λάθη (the mistakes)
  In your sentence it’s plural without the article: λάθη = mistakes (general).

Why isn’t there an article like τα before λάθη?

Greek often omits the article when speaking generally: κάνω λάθη = I make mistakes (in general).
Adding the article can make it more specific in context:

• κάνω τα λάθη could mean I make the (specific) mistakes (e.g., the same ones again), which is not the intended general meaning here.

What’s the purpose of the comma after βιαστικός?

It separates the subordinate time clause (Όταν είμαι βιαστικός) from the main clause (κάνω περισσότερα λάθη).
This comma is very typical in Greek writing, especially when the όταν-clause comes first.

How would the sentence change if we wanted to say When I am in a hurry, I make fewer mistakes (or less mistakes)?

You’d use λιγότερα (fewer/less):

• Όταν είμαι βιαστικός, κάνω λιγότερα λάθη.
  Greek uses λιγότερα with the same agreement rules as περισσότερα (neuter plural to match λάθη).