Πριν φύγω, κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.

Because πριν + verb often introduces a clause about something that has not happened yet, so Greek normally uses the subjunctive form there.

• φεύγω = I leave / I am leaving
• να φύγω = for me to leave / that I leave
• after πριν, the να is usually omitted, but the verb still stays in the subjunctive form:
  • πριν φύγω = before I leave

So in this sentence, πριν φύγω is the natural way to say before I leave.

In Modern Greek, πριν commonly takes the subjunctive without να.

So you get:

• πριν φύγω = before I leave
• πριν πάμε = before we go
• πριν έρθει = before he/she comes

This is completely normal Greek. A learner may expect να because subjunctive forms often appear with να, but πριν is one of the cases where it is usually left out.

Here κοιτάω means I check or I look to see.

Although κοιτάω literally comes from look, in everyday Greek it is very often used in the sense of:

• check
• make sure
• see whether

So:

• κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου
  = I check whether I have my driver’s license with me

This is a very natural everyday use.

Sometimes, but κοιτάω is more natural here.

• βλέπω usually means see
• κοιτάω usually means look, look at, or check

In this sentence, the speaker is actively making sure of something, so κοιτάω fits better.

Natural:

• Κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.

Less natural in this exact context:

• Βλέπω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.

Greek often uses κοιτάω αν... for I check whether...

αν here means if / whether.

In English, after check, we often say:

• I check if...
• I check whether...

Greek does the same with αν:

• κοιτάω αν έχω... = I check whether I have...

So αν introduces an indirect yes/no question: Do I have it with me or not?

μαζί μου literally means with me.

• μαζί = together / with
• μου = me / my, depending on context

Here it means with me, not my.

So:

• έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου
  = I have my license with me

This is a very common Greek structure:

• Έχεις μαζί σου τα κλειδιά; = Do you have the keys with you?
• Δεν έχω μαζί μου λεφτά. = I don’t have money with me.

They do two different jobs.

1. μαζί μου
   Here μου means with me. It is part of the phrase μαζί μου.

2. το δίπλωμά μου
   Here μου means my.

So:

• μαζί μου = with me
• το δίπλωμά μου = my license

This is very common in Greek, and native speakers do not find the repetition strange.

Greek usually keeps the definite article even where English does not.

So Greek says:

• το δίπλωμά μου = literally the license my, meaning my license

This is standard Greek structure:

• το σπίτι μου = my house
• η φίλη μου = my friend
• τα κλειδιά μου = my keys

In English, possessives usually replace the article. In Greek, the article normally stays.

In this sentence, δίπλωμα means driver’s license.

The word δίπλωμα can also mean:

• diploma
• certificate
• degree document

But in everyday speech, when someone says το δίπλωμά μου in a context like leaving the house or driving, it usually means my driver’s license.

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

That accent appears because of how Greek writes some neuter nouns when they are followed by an unstressed possessive pronoun like μου.

Base form:

• το δίπλωμα

With possessive:

• το δίπλωμά μου

The extra written accent helps show the correct stress pattern in pronunciation.

You see the same thing with many similar nouns:

• το όνομά μου = my name
• το πρόσωπό μου = my face
• το γράμμα μου = my letter

So this is a spelling rule, not a different word.

Because the sentence describes a habitual action or routine:

• Before I leave, I check whether I have my license with me.

Greek, like English, often uses the present tense for habits and repeated actions.

So:

• Πριν φύγω = before I leave
• κοιτάω = I check / I usually check
• αν έχω = whether I have

This does not have to refer to one specific occasion only. It can describe what the speaker normally does.

Yes. Both are correct.

• κοιτάω
• κοιτάζω

These are two common present-tense forms of the same verb. In everyday Modern Greek, both are used. The same applies to several verbs ending in -άω / -άζω-type forms.

So you may hear or see:

• Κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.
• Κοιτάζω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.

Both mean the same thing.

Yes, it is normal and correct here.

Πριν φύγω is an introductory subordinate clause, and Greek usually separates that from the main clause with a comma:

• Πριν φύγω, κοιτάω...

This works much like English:

• Before I leave, I check...

You may sometimes see punctuation used a little more loosely in informal writing, but the comma is standard.

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Πριν φύγω, κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.

You could also hear:

• Κοιτάω πριν φύγω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου.
• Πριν φύγω, κοιτάω μήπως έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου. (slightly different nuance)

But the original order is clear and idiomatic. Greek often places the time clause first, especially when setting the scene.

In this sentence, it is best understood as whether I have.

English often uses if and whether similarly after verbs like check, see, know, and ask, but logically this is an indirect question:

• Do I have it with me or not?

So:

• κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το δίπλωμά μου = I check whether I have my license with me

That is the most precise match.

Yes, absolutely. It sounds natural and idiomatic.

It is a normal everyday sentence for describing a routine before going out or before driving. The combination of:

• Πριν φύγω...
• κοιτάω αν...
• έχω μαζί μου...

is very typical spoken and written Greek.

A Greek speaker might also say similar things like:

• Πριν φύγω, κοιτάω αν έχω τα κλειδιά μου.
• Πριν βγω, κοιτάω αν έχω μαζί μου το κινητό μου.
• Πριν μπω στο αμάξι, κοιτάω αν έχω το δίπλωμά μου.

So this sentence is a very useful model.