Το σπίτι μυρίζει καλύτερα όταν αερίζουμε μετά το μαγείρεμα.

Σπίτι (house/home) is a neuter noun in Greek, so it takes the neuter singular article το.

• το σπίτι = the house / the home

A useful thing to notice is that many neuter nouns in Greek use το in the singular.

Μυρίζει comes from the verb μυρίζω, which can mean:

• to smell
• to give off a smell
• sometimes to smell of something

In this sentence, Το σπίτι μυρίζει καλύτερα means the house smells better, not that it is doing the action of smelling something else.

So Greek uses μυρίζω in a way that covers what English expresses with to smell in sentences like The room smells nice.

Because καλύτερα here is an adverb, not an adjective.

It modifies the verb μυρίζει:

• μυρίζει καλύτερα = smells better

Compare:

• καλός / καλή / καλό = good (adjective)
• καλύτερος / καλύτερη / καλύτερο = better (adjective)
• καλά = well
• καλύτερα = better (adverb)

Since the sentence is talking about how the house smells, Greek uses the adverb καλύτερα.

Όταν means when, and in Greek it is very common to use the present tense for actions that are:

• habitual
• repeated
• generally true

So:

• όταν αερίζουμε = when we air the place out / when we ventilate

This does not necessarily mean the action is happening right now. It can describe a general habit or usual situation, just like English in sentences such as When we open the windows, the room feels fresher.

Αερίζουμε is 1st person plural: we air out / we ventilate.

Greek often uses we in a general, everyday sense when talking about things people normally do in a home:

• όταν αερίζουμε = when we air out the house / when we ventilate

This sounds natural and personal, like when we open the windows after cooking.

If you used αερίζεται, that would mean it is aired out / it gets ventilated, which shifts the focus to a more passive or impersonal construction.

It comes from αερίζω, which means:

• to air out
• to ventilate
• to let fresh air in

In a home context, it usually means opening windows or otherwise letting air circulate.

So όταν αερίζουμε suggests something like:

• when we air the house out
• when we ventilate
• when we let in fresh air

Greek often leaves the object unstated when it is obvious from context.

Here, the topic is το σπίτι, so αερίζουμε naturally means something like:

• we air out the house
• we air the place out

Greek does this very naturally, just as English might say After cooking, we ventilate even though the full idea is we ventilate the house/kitchen/room.

Literally, it means:

• after the cooking

But in natural English, that usually becomes:

• after cooking
• after the cooking is done

Here:

• μετά = after
• το μαγείρεμα = the cooking

So Greek uses a noun phrase where English often prefers a gerund-like expression.

Because μαγείρεμα is a noun, not a verb form.

• μαγείρεμα = cooking as an activity/process

Greek very often uses the definite article with abstract nouns or activities:

• το φαγητό = the food / eating depending on context
• το διάβασμα = studying
• το μαγείρεμα = cooking

So μετά το μαγείρεμα is a normal Greek way to say after cooking.

No. Modern Greek does not really use the infinitive the way English does.

Instead, Greek often uses:

• finite verb forms
• subordinate clauses
• nouns derived from verbs, like μαγείρεμα

So το μαγείρεμα is a noun meaning cooking, not an infinitive.

That is why Greek says:

• μετά το μαγείρεμα

rather than using a structure exactly like English after cooking.

Because the sentence expresses a general truth or usual sequence of events, not one specific occasion.

Greek uses the present tense for this kind of statement:

• Το σπίτι μυρίζει καλύτερα όταν αερίζουμε μετά το μαγείρεμα.
• The house smells better when we air it out after cooking.

This is similar to English present tense in habitual statements:

• I feel better when I sleep early.
• The room looks nicer when we clean it.

Yes. Σπίτι can mean both house and home, depending on context.

In this sentence, English might translate it as either:

• The house smells better...
• The home smells better...

Usually house sounds more natural in English here, but Greek σπίτι comfortably covers both ideas.

You would replace το σπίτι with το δωμάτιο if you mean the room:

• Το δωμάτιο μυρίζει καλύτερα όταν αερίζουμε μετά το μαγείρεμα.

But if you specifically mean the kitchen, you could say:

• Η κουζίνα μυρίζει καλύτερα όταν αερίζουμε μετά το μαγείρεμα.

Notice that κουζίνα is feminine, so the article becomes η.

Yes, you may hear μετά από in Greek, and it can be correct in many contexts. But with a noun phrase like this, μετά το μαγείρεμα is very natural and concise.

So:

• μετά το μαγείρεμα = very natural
• μετά από το μαγείρεμα = possible, but usually less direct here

Learners should be aware that μετά sometimes appears with από, but not always.

No, Greek word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more natural than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Το σπίτι μυρίζει καλύτερα όταν αερίζουμε μετά το μαγείρεμα.

You could also hear variations for emphasis, such as:

• Όταν αερίζουμε μετά το μαγείρεμα, το σπίτι μυρίζει καλύτερα.

This version puts more focus on the when-clause first. The meaning stays essentially the same.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• To SPÍ-ti mi-RÍ-zi ka-LÝ-te-ra Ó-tan a-e-RÍ-zou-me me-TÁ to ma-YÍ-re-ma

A few helpful notes:

• σπίτι → stress on σπί-
• μυρίζει → stress on ρί
• καλύτερα → stress on λύ
• αερίζουμε → stress on ρί
• μαγείρεμα → stress on γεί

Also, γ before front vowels can sound softer than English g. In μαγείρεμα, it is not a hard g like in go.