Όταν έχει ζέστη, κάθομαι στην αυλή και πίνω κρύα λεμονάδα.

Here Όταν means when, but in a sentence like this it often has the sense of whenever too.

• Όταν έχει ζέστη = When it’s hot / Whenever it’s hot
• The Greek present tense here describes a repeated, habitual situation, not just one single moment.

So the whole sentence is talking about what the speaker typically does in hot weather.

That is a very common Greek way to talk about the weather.

• έχει ζέστη = it’s hot
• literally, yes, it looks like it has heat

Greek often uses expressions with έχει for conditions like this. English and Greek simply package the idea differently.

You may also hear:

• κάνει ζέστη = it’s hot

Both are used, though κάνει ζέστη is often especially common in weather talk.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns, especially when they are unnecessary.

In English, you must say it’s hot, even though it does not really refer to anything specific. In Greek, that dummy subject is usually omitted.

So:

• έχει ζέστη = literally has heat
• natural English translation = it’s hot

Greek does not need an explicit it here.

κάθομαι can mean both, depending on context:

• I sit
• I am sitting
• I stay seated

In this sentence, because the whole statement is habitual, κάθομαι is best understood as I sit or I sit down / spend time sitting in the yard when it’s hot.

So the sentence is not necessarily describing one exact moment right now. It is describing a usual action.

That is a great question, because it can look strange to an English speaker.

κάθομαι is one of many Greek verbs that have middle/passive-style endings but an active meaning.

So even though -μαι often appears in passive-type forms, here:

• κάθομαι does not mean I am sat
• it simply means I sit / I am sitting

This is something learners mostly have to get used to verb by verb.

Because στην is the contracted form of σε την.

• σε = in, at, to
• την = the (feminine accusative singular)
• σε την → στην

This contraction is completely normal and very common in everyday Greek.

So:

• στην αυλή = in the yard / courtyard

αυλή here is in the accusative singular, because after σε Greek uses the accusative.

So:

• η αυλή = the yard / courtyard (nominative)
• στην αυλή = in the yard / courtyard (accusative after σε)

For many feminine nouns like this one, the nominative and accusative singular can look very similar, so learners may not notice the case change immediately.

αυλή usually means an outdoor area attached to a house or building. Depending on context, it can be translated as:

• yard
• courtyard
• sometimes patio

There is not always one perfect English equivalent. In this sentence, yard or courtyard would both work well.

Because the adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here:

• λεμονάδα is feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular
• therefore: κρύα λεμονάδα = cold lemonade

Compare:

• κρύος καφές = cold coffee (masculine)
• κρύο νερό = cold water (neuter)
• κρύα λεμονάδα = cold lemonade (feminine)

Greek can use nouns without an article in a general sense, just like English often does.

So:

• πίνω κρύα λεμονάδα = I drink cold lemonade

This sounds natural because the speaker means the drink in a general, indefinite way, not one specific glass already identified.

If you added the article, it would sound more specific:

• πίνω την κρύα λεμονάδα = I’m drinking the cold lemonade / the cold lemonade

Because Greek uses the present tense for habitual or general actions, just like English does.

This sentence means something like:

• When it’s hot, I sit in the yard and drink cold lemonade.

It describes what the speaker usually does, not a one-time event.

So:

• έχει
• κάθομαι
• πίνω

are all present because the sentence expresses a regular pattern.

Because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• κάθομαι = I sit / I am sitting
• πίνω = I drink / I am drinking

Since the I is already clear from the verb, Greek usually leaves out εγώ unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Εγώ πίνω λεμονάδα, όχι καφέ. = I drink lemonade, not coffee.

But in your sentence, no emphasis is needed, so the pronoun is omitted.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence begins with Όταν έχει ζέστη to set the scene first:

• Όταν έχει ζέστη, κάθομαι στην αυλή και πίνω κρύα λεμονάδα.

You could also say:

• Κάθομαι στην αυλή και πίνω κρύα λεμονάδα όταν έχει ζέστη.

That is still grammatical, but it sounds a little different in focus. The original version feels very natural because it starts with the condition/time frame: when it’s hot.

Because that opening part is a subordinate clause, and Greek commonly separates it with a comma when it comes first.

So the structure is:

• Όταν έχει ζέστη, = introductory clause
• κάθομαι στην αυλή και πίνω κρύα λεμονάδα. = main clause

This is very similar to English punctuation:

• When it’s hot, I sit in the yard and drink cold lemonade.

Yes, και simply means and here.

It links the two actions:

• κάθομαι στην αυλή = I sit in the yard
• και πίνω κρύα λεμονάδα = and drink cold lemonade

So the speaker is doing both things in the same situation.