Ο σύμβουλος μάς είπε ότι μπορούμε να τρώμε ό,τι θέλουμε στο διάλειμμα, αρκεί να αφήνουμε τον χώρο καθαρό και να πετάμε τα σκουπίδια στον κάδο.

μάς is the weak object pronoun meaning us.

So in Ο σύμβουλος μάς είπε, it means the counselor told us.

About the accent:

• You will often also see μας written without an accent.
• Writers sometimes add the accent in μάς for clarity or emphasis, especially to make it more obviously the pronoun us.
• The pronunciation is the same.

Greek does not backshift tenses as automatically as English often does in reported speech.

So είπε ότι μπορούμε is perfectly natural if the statement is still true, or if it expresses a general rule. In this sentence, the counselor gave a rule that still applies, so the present μπορούμε makes sense.

In English, learners often expect something like he said that we could, but Greek very often keeps the present in this kind of situation.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Here it clearly means we are allowed to, because the sentence is about permission and rules during the break. So μπορούμε να τρώμε is best understood as we may eat or we’re allowed to eat.

Yes.

After verbs like λέω or είπε, both ότι and πως can mean that:

• είπε ότι...
• είπε πως...

Both are correct. ότι can sound a bit more neutral or slightly more formal in writing, while πως is very common in speech.

But do not confuse this ότι with ό,τι later in the sentence. They are different words.

This is one of the most common questions.

• ότι = that
• ό,τι = whatever / anything that

So:

• είπε ότι μπορούμε... = he said that we can...
• ό,τι θέλουμε = whatever we want

The comma in ό,τι is there to distinguish it in writing from ότι.

This is about aspect, which is very important in Greek.

• να τρώμε = imperfective
• να φάμε = perfective

Here the sentence is about a general rule or repeated permission during break time, so the imperfective να τρώμε is the natural choice. It means something like to eat / be eating in general during the break.

If you used να φάμε, it would sound more like to eat once, to have something to eat, or to complete the act of eating in a more specific situation.

Because ό,τι θέλουμε is a relative clause meaning whatever we want.

Here θέλουμε is just the normal verb we want, with ό,τι as its object. It is not part of a να construction.

So the structure is:

• τρώμε ό,τι θέλουμε = we eat whatever we want

not

• ό,τι να θέλουμε, which would not work here.

Greek uses the definite article more often than English.

στο διάλειμμα is a contraction of:

• σε + το διάλειμμα

It means at the break or during the break.

Even where English might say during break without an article, Greek normally says στο διάλειμμα.

αρκεί να means:

• provided that
• as long as
• on condition that

It introduces a condition.

So here the idea is: we are allowed to eat whatever we want during the break, as long as we keep the area clean and throw the trash in the bin.

After να, Greek uses a subjunctive-type construction. In the present/imperfective, the verb form often looks the same as the present indicative.

So:

• να αφήνουμε
• να πετάμε

look like present tense forms, but after να they function as the forms required by that structure.

The imperfective is used again because this is a general rule or repeated expected behavior, not a one-time action.

Because καθαρό describes the state in which the space is left.

This is similar to English leave the space clean.

• τον χώρο = the direct object
• καθαρό = a predicate adjective agreeing with χώρο

Since χώρο is masculine singular accusative, καθαρό is also masculine singular accusative.

They are all in the accusative.

• τον χώρο = accusative, direct object of αφήνουμε
• τα σκουπίδια = accusative, direct object of πετάμε
• στον κάδο = accusative after σε

A useful detail:

• στον = σε + τον

Also, χώρος is a masculine noun, even though the accusative singular form χώρο ends in -ο.

In this sentence, it is understood as into the bin.

Greek σε can cover meanings that English expresses as in, at, to, or into, depending on the verb and context. Because the verb is πετάμε meaning throw, the directional meaning into is clear.

Greek very often uses the plural σκουπίδια for trash / rubbish / garbage in a general sense.

The singular σκουπίδι usually refers more naturally to one piece or one item of trash. So να πετάμε τα σκουπίδια is the normal everyday way to say to throw away the trash.