Πιάνω το παιδί από το χέρι όταν περνάμε τον δρόμο.

In this sentence, πιάνω means something like I take/hold rather than literally I catch.

Greek πιάνω is a very common verb with a broad range of meanings, including:

• catch
• grab
• touch
• take hold of
• sometimes hold

Here, Πιάνω το παιδί από το χέρι means I take the child by the hand or I hold the child’s hand.

A learner might also expect κρατάω here. That would also be possible in many situations, but πιάνω often emphasizes the action of taking hold of someone or something.

Because Greek usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• πιάνω = I hold / I take
• πιάνεις = you hold
• πιάνει = he/she/it holds
• πιάνουμε / πιάνωμεν (depending on style/dialect, but standard is πιάνουμε) = we hold

So Πιάνω already tells you the subject is I.

Greek can include εγώ (I) for emphasis, but normally it is omitted:

• Εγώ πιάνω το παιδί... = I’m the one who holds the child...

Without emphasis, just Πιάνω is natural.

Because Greek often uses the definite article where English may or may not use one.

• το παιδί = the child
• It is also the direct object of πιάνω

So:

• Πιάνω το παιδί = I hold/take the child

In Greek, the article is very common with nouns in ordinary statements. Saying just πιάνω παιδί would sound unnatural here.

Also, παιδί is a neuter noun, so its article is το.

It is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb πιάνω.

For παιδί, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• nominative: το παιδί
• accusative: το παιδί

So the form does not change, but the function does:

• Το παιδί περνάει τον δρόμο. = The child crosses the street.
  (το παιδί = subject)
• Πιάνω το παιδί... = I hold the child...
  (το παιδί = object)

Here από means by, in the sense of by the hand.

So:

• Πιάνω το παιδί από το χέρι = I take/hold the child by the hand

This is a very common Greek pattern:

• τον έπιασα από το μπράτσο = I grabbed him by the arm
• την τράβηξε από τα μαλλιά = he pulled her by the hair

In Modern Greek, από normally takes the accusative:

• από το χέρι
• από τον δρόμο
• από την πόρτα

Because Greek often uses this structure to express body-part possession in a very natural way.

When it is clear whose hand is meant, Greek commonly says:

• από το χέρι = by the hand
• not necessarily από το χέρι του παιδιού = by the child’s hand

Since the sentence already mentions το παιδί, it is obvious that the hand belongs to the child.

This is similar to English:

• I took the child by the hand, not usually by the child’s hand

So Greek is being very natural here.

Because Greek, like English in this context, normally uses the singular when referring to taking someone by one hand.

• από το χέρι = by the hand

If you wanted to say by both hands, Greek could say:

• από τα χέρια

But in the normal situation of helping a child cross the street, από το χέρι is the expected expression.

περνάμε means we cross / we are crossing.

So the sentence has two different subjects:

• Πιάνω = I
• περνάμε = we

That is completely normal. The meaning is:

• I hold the child by the hand when we cross the street.

The we refers to the child and I.

Greek does not need to say εμείς (we) because the verb ending -άμε already shows the subject is we.

Because Greek uses the present tense here for a habitual or repeated action, just like English does in sentences such as:

• I hold the child’s hand when we cross the street.

This does not have to mean only right now. It can mean:

• whenever we cross the street
• as a general habit

So the sentence describes a regular action, not just one specific moment.

Both can mean when we cross the street, but περνάμε τον δρόμο is very common and natural in everyday speech.

• περνάω / περνώ τον δρόμο = cross the street
• διασχίζω τον δρόμο = cross/traverse the street

διασχίζω is a bit more formal or more explicitly descriptive.
For ordinary conversation, περνάμε τον δρόμο sounds very natural.

Because δρόμος is a masculine noun, and here it is in the accusative singular as the object of περνάμε.

The forms are:

• nominative: ο δρόμος = the street
• accusative: τον δρόμο = the street (as object)

So:

• Ο δρόμος είναι στενός. = The street is narrow.
• Περνάμε τον δρόμο. = We cross the street.

Notice how the article changes from ο to τον, and the noun often loses the final -ς in the accusative singular masculine.

In this sentence, the article is the normal choice.

Greek very often uses the definite article with nouns in these everyday expressions:

• περνάμε τον δρόμο
• ανοίγω την πόρτα
• κλείνω το παράθυρο

Omitting the article here would generally sound unnatural in standard Greek.

So τον δρόμο is exactly what you would expect.

Greek word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more neutral than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Πιάνω το παιδί από το χέρι όταν περνάμε τον δρόμο.

You could also hear:

• Όταν περνάμε τον δρόμο, πιάνω το παιδί από το χέρι.

This version puts more focus on the when part first: When we cross the street, I hold the child by the hand.

So the meaning stays basically the same, but the emphasis can shift slightly.

Yes, that would also be natural.

• πιάνω το παιδί από το χέρι = I take/hold the child by the hand
• κρατάω το παιδί από το χέρι = I hold the child by the hand

A simple way to think about the difference is:

• πιάνω often highlights the action of taking hold
• κρατάω often highlights the state of holding/keeping hold of

In many everyday contexts, though, the difference is small and both are acceptable.

Yes. παιδί can correspond to both child and kid, depending on tone and context.

It is a very common everyday word. In this sentence, it simply refers to the child in a neutral, natural way.

Greek also uses παιδί in other extended ways, for example:

• affectionately for a young person
• sometimes even for an adult in expressions like καλό παιδί = a good person / a nice guy

But here it just means child.

Because Greek περνάω / περνώ has a wide range of meanings, just like English pass or go through can.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• pass
• go by
• go through
• cross

When the object is something like τον δρόμο, the meaning is naturally cross:

• περνάμε τον δρόμο = we cross the street

So the context tells you which English translation fits best.