Όταν πηγαίνουμε με το πλοίο στο νησί, η μαμά μου βάζει πάντα σωσίβιο στο μικρό παιδί.

Όταν means when. In this sentence, it introduces a situation that happens regularly or habitually, not just one specific event.

So Greek uses the present tense in both parts:

• Όταν πηγαίνουμε... = When we go...
• η μαμά μου βάζει... = my mom puts...

This is very natural in Greek for repeated actions. It works a lot like English in sentences such as When we go to the island, my mom always...

If the sentence were about a single future event, Greek would often be structured differently.

πηγαίνουμε is the 1st person plural present tense of πηγαίνω, meaning we go or we are going.

So:

• πηγαίνω = I go
• πηγαίνεις = you go
• πηγαίνει = he/she/it goes
• πηγαίνουμε = we go
• πηγαίνετε = you all go
• πηγαίνουν = they go

Here it matches the subject implied by the verb: we.

Greek often drops subject pronouns when they are obvious from the verb ending, so there is no need to say εμείς πηγαίνουμε unless you want emphasis.

Yes, very often in everyday Greek, πάμε can be used instead of πηγαίνουμε.

Both can mean we go, but:

• πηγαίνουμε is the full form from πηγαίνω
• πάμε is a very common shorter form from πάω

So you may hear:

• Όταν πηγαίνουμε με το πλοίο...
• Όταν πάμε με το πλοίο...

Both are natural. The version with πηγαίνουμε may sound a little more neutral or slightly more formal/full, while πάμε is extremely common in speech.

με το πλοίο literally means with the ship, but in natural English it means by ferry / by boat / by ship, depending on context.

Greek often uses the definite article in places where English does not. So με το πλοίο is perfectly normal.

Compare:

• πάω με το αυτοκίνητο = I go by car
• πάω με το λεωφορείο = I go by bus
• πάω με το πλοίο = I go by ship/ferry

Saying με πλοίο is possible in some contexts, but με το πλοίο is the more standard and natural phrasing in a sentence like this.

στο is a contraction of σε + το.

So:

• σε = to / at / in
• το = the
• στο = to the / at the / in the

Therefore:

• στο νησί = to the island

This contraction is extremely common in Greek:

• σε + τον = στον
• σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν)
• σε + το = στο
• σε + τους = στους
• σε + τις = στις
• σε + τα = στα

In standard Greek, possessive pronouns like μου usually come after the noun.

So:

• η μαμά μου = my mom
• ο αδερφός μου = my brother
• το σπίτι μου = my house

Greek also normally keeps the article:

• η μαμά μου, not just μαμά μου in this sentence

You can sometimes find different word orders for emphasis in poetry or special contexts, but η μαμά μου is the basic normal pattern.

That is just a normal difference between Greek and English.

Greek usually uses the definite article with family terms and possessed nouns:

• η μαμά μου = my mom
• ο μπαμπάς μου = my dad
• η αδερφή μου = my sister

So the Greek structure is literally closer to the mom of mine, but you should understand it simply as my mom.

This is one of the most common structural differences English speakers notice early on.

Yes. βάζει comes from βάζω, which basically means put.

But in Greek, βάζω is also commonly used for putting clothes or equipment on someone.

So:

• βάζει σωσίβιο στο μικρό παιδί literally = she puts a life jacket on the little child
• natural English = she puts a life jacket on the little child or she makes the little child wear a life jacket

This use is very normal in Greek:

• βάζω παλτό στο παιδί = I put a coat on the child
• βάζω καπέλο = I put on a hat / I put a hat on

Because here σωσίβιο is being used as an indefinite direct object: a life jacket.

Greek often leaves out the indefinite article because Modern Greek does not have a separate word for a/an in the same way English does. The noun can simply appear without the definite article:

• βάζει σωσίβιο = puts on a life jacket
• αγοράζω βιβλίο = I buy a book

If you said το σωσίβιο, that would mean the life jacket, referring to a specific one already known in the conversation.

So:

• σωσίβιο = a life jacket / life jacket
• το σωσίβιο = the life jacket

Yes, functionally it works a lot like that.

In this sentence:

• σωσίβιο is the thing being put on
• στο μικρό παιδί shows onto whom it is being put

So στο μικρό παιδί means on the little child / on the small child / for the little child, depending on how you think about it.

Grammatically, σε often covers meanings that English expresses with different prepositions like to, on, at, or in. Here, the idea is putting something onto someone.

Also note:

• παιδί is a neuter noun
• μικρό matches it in gender, number, and case

So:

• το μικρό παιδί = the little child
• στο μικρό παιδί = to/on the little child

Because παιδί is one of those neuter nouns whose nominative and accusative singular forms are the same.

The preposition σε normally takes the accusative, but with παιδί you do not see a change in the noun itself:

• το παιδί = the child
• βλέπω το παιδί = I see the child
• στο παιδί = to/on the child

So the case is there grammatically, but the form happens to look the same.

This is very common with many neuter nouns in Greek.

πάντα means always.

It is placed before σωσίβιο and after the verb:

• η μαμά μου βάζει πάντα σωσίβιο...

That is a very natural position in Greek. It modifies the whole action: my mom always puts a life jacket...

Greek adverbs are often flexible in position, but not completely free. For example, these are all possible depending on emphasis, though some are more natural than others:

• Η μαμά μου βάζει πάντα σωσίβιο...
• Η μαμά μου πάντα βάζει σωσίβιο...
• Πάντα η μαμά μου βάζει σωσίβιο... (more marked/emphatic)

The original placement is neutral and natural.

In context, μικρό παιδί usually means a small child or more naturally a young/little child.

Greek μικρός literally means small, but with people, especially children, it often overlaps with English little or young.

So here το μικρό παιδί is best understood as:

• the little child
• the young child

rather than focusing only on physical size.

The comma separates the Όταν clause from the main clause:

• Όταν πηγαίνουμε με το πλοίο στο νησί,
• η μαμά μου βάζει πάντα σωσίβιο στο μικρό παιδί.

This is similar to English punctuation in sentences like:

• When we go to the island by ferry, my mom always...

So the comma helps show where the introductory time clause ends and the main statement begins.

Yes. In many real-life contexts, especially travel to an island in Greece, το πλοίο is often naturally understood as the ferry.

The dictionary meaning is broadly ship/boat/vessel, but context matters. If you are talking about going to an island, English would often translate it as ferry because that is the most natural transport word in context.

So depending on the translation style, this could be understood as:

• When we go to the island by ferry...
• When we go to the island on the boat...
• When we go to the island by ship...

All reflect the same Greek wording, but by ferry may sound most natural in many contexts.