Όταν το κύμα είναι δυνατό, δεν βουτάω αμέσως· πρώτα κοιτάω τον ναυαγοσώστη.

Όταν means when. In this sentence, it introduces a general or habitual situation: whenever the wave is strong, this is what I do.

That is why Greek uses the present tense here:

• είναι
• δεν βουτάω
• κοιτάω

They describe something that happens regularly, not one single future event.

If you were talking about one future occasion, Greek would usually change the verb form, for example with a subjunctive form after όταν:

• Όταν το κύμα γίνει δυνατό, δεν θα βουτήξω αμέσως.

So the present here gives the idea of a usual rule or habit.

Greek often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here:

• βουτάω = I dive
• κοιτάω = I look

The ending -ω tells you it is first person singular, so εγώ is unnecessary.

You could add εγώ for emphasis:

• Εγώ δεν βουτάω αμέσως...

But in a neutral sentence, Greek normally leaves it out.

Greek often uses the singular with the definite article to speak about something in a general or typical way.

So το κύμα here does not have to mean one specific wave only. It can mean:

• the wave at that moment
• wave conditions in general
• the surf / the sea state, depending on context

This is very natural in Greek. English sometimes prefers a different wording, but Greek singular is completely normal here.

Because the adjective must agree with the noun it describes.

The noun is:

• το κύμα = neuter singular

So the adjective also has to be:

• δυνατό = neuter singular

Compare:

• ο άντρας είναι δυνατός = the man is strong
• η γυναίκα είναι δυνατή = the woman is strong
• το κύμα είναι δυνατό = the wave is strong

So this is just normal gender and number agreement.

δεν is the normal negation word used before verbs in many statements. It means not.

So:

• βουτάω = I dive
• δεν βουτάω = I do not dive

In standard Greek, δεν comes directly before the verb it negates, or before a small group containing the verb. That is why δεν βουτάω αμέσως is the natural order.

Yes. βουτάω is the present tense, so it fits the habitual meaning: I don’t dive immediately as a general practice.

A learner may also notice that some Greek verbs have two present forms in everyday language. For this verb, you may encounter:

• βουτάω
• βουτώ

Both are used.

If Greek wanted a single completed future action, it would use a different stem, such as:

• βουτήξω

So:

• βουτάω = present / ongoing / habitual
• βουτήξω = one completed future action

That aspect distinction is very important in Greek.

αμέσως is an adverb meaning immediately, and Greek adverb placement is fairly flexible.

Here, δεν βουτάω αμέσως is the most natural, neutral order:

• verb first
• adverb after it

You could move the adverb in some contexts for emphasis, but this version sounds straightforward and idiomatic.

πρώτα is an adverb meaning first or first of all.

It sets up the sequence:

• I do not dive immediately
• first, I look at the lifeguard

So it helps organize the actions in time.

Greek very often uses πρώτα exactly this way in everyday speech.

τον ναυαγοσώστη is the direct object of κοιτάω, so it appears in the accusative case.

The noun is:

• nominative: ο ναυαγοσώστης = the lifeguard
• accusative: τον ναυαγοσώστη = the lifeguard, as the object

So:

• κοιτάω τον ναυαγοσώστη = I look at the lifeguard

The article τον shows that this masculine noun is in the accusative singular.

This is a very common learner question.

• κοιτάω means look at
• βλέπω means see

In this sentence, the idea is an intentional action: I look at the lifeguard for guidance or information.

So κοιτάω is the correct choice because it suggests directing your eyes toward someone/something on purpose.

That mark is the Greek άνω τελεία, often written as ·.

It works roughly like a semicolon or a strong pause in English. Here it separates two closely related parts:

• δεν βουτάω αμέσως
• πρώτα κοιτάω τον ναυαγοσώστη

So it signals a pause stronger than a comma, but not as final as a period.

In informal writing, many people may use a comma or a full stop instead, but · is perfectly correct Greek punctuation here.