Πάτησα φρένο γιατί ένας πεζός ήταν στη διάβαση.

Πάτησα is the aorist form of πατάω / πατώ, which basically means I stepped on or I pressed.

In this sentence, Πάτησα φρένο means I braked or more literally I pressed the brake.

So:

• πατάω = to step on, to press
• πάτησα = I stepped on / I pressed

Greek often uses this verb with φρένο to express braking.

Because Greek commonly expresses this idea with the image of pressing the brake.

So:

• πατάω φρένο = to brake
• literally: to press the brake

This is very natural Greek. It focuses on the physical action of braking, not just the result.

In Greek, some verb + noun combinations work almost like fixed expressions, and the noun may appear without an article.

So Πάτησα φρένο is a very natural idiomatic way to say I braked.

You can also hear:

• πάτησα το φρένο

That sounds a bit more literal: I pressed the brake.

Both are possible, but πάτησα φρένο is a very common everyday expression.

Πάτησα is aorist, which usually describes a single completed action.

Here it means the speaker braked at a particular moment:

• Πάτησα = I braked / I hit the brakes

If Greek used the imperfect instead, it would suggest something ongoing, repeated, or descriptive rather than one completed action.

So the aorist fits well because the sentence is about one specific action.

Yes. γιατί can mean both:

• because
• why

In this sentence, it means because, since it introduces the reason:

• Πάτησα φρένο γιατί... = I braked because...

If it were a question, then γιατί could mean why?

For example:

• Γιατί πάτησες φρένο; = Why did you brake?

So you understand its meaning from the sentence structure and context.

ένας πεζός means a pedestrian.

Breakdown:

• ένας = a / one (masculine singular)
• πεζός = pedestrian (literally pedestrian, masculine singular)

It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of ήταν:

• ένας πεζός ήταν... = a pedestrian was...

Greek often uses the indefinite article when introducing someone or something not previously known in the conversation.

πεζός means pedestrian, that is, a person who is walking rather than driving.

It comes from the broader idea of being on foot.

So:

• πεζός = pedestrian
• πεζοί = pedestrians

In this sentence, it refers to the person in the crosswalk.

ήταν is the imperfect of είμαι (to be) and means was.

It is used here because the sentence describes the pedestrian’s state or position at that moment:

• ένας πεζός ήταν στη διάβαση = a pedestrian was in the crossing

This is background information explaining why the speaker braked.

So the sentence has:

• πάτησα = a completed action in the foreground
• ήταν = background description

That combination is very common in Greek storytelling and narration.

στη is the contracted form of:

• σε + τη(ν)

So:

• σε τη διάβαση → στη διάβαση

This is completely normal in modern Greek.

It means:

• in the crossing
• at the crossing
• in natural English here: in the crosswalk

You will often see similar contractions:

• στο = σε + το
• στην / στη = σε + την
• στους = σε + τους
• στις = σε + τις

Because διάβαση is a feminine noun.

So its article is feminine too:

• η διάβαση = the crossing
• στη διάβαση = in/at the crossing

Greek articles must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

διάβαση means crossing. In this context, it usually means a pedestrian crossing or crosswalk.

So:

• στη διάβαση = in the crosswalk / at the pedestrian crossing

Depending on context, διάβαση can also mean a passage or crossing more generally, but with πεζός nearby, the meaning is clearly crosswalk.

The structure is:

• Πάτησα φρένο = main action
• γιατί ένας πεζός ήταν στη διάβαση = reason

So the sentence naturally means:

• I braked because a pedestrian was in the crosswalk.

This order is very natural in Greek. The main event comes first, then the explanation.

Greek word order is flexible, but this version sounds straightforward and neutral.

Yes, but the meaning would change slightly.

• ένας πεζός = a pedestrian
  This introduces the person as new information.
• ο πεζός = the pedestrian
  This would sound like the pedestrian is already known or already identified.

So in this sentence, ένας πεζός is the natural choice if the speaker is simply explaining what happened.

Both can work depending on the situation.

Literally, στη διάβαση can cover meanings like:

• in the crosswalk
• at the crossing
• on the crossing

In natural English, in the crosswalk is often the best choice here, because it suggests the pedestrian was actually occupying the crossing, which explains why the driver braked.

A rough pronunciation is:

PA-tee-sa FRE-no yee-A-tee EH-nas pe-ZOS EE-tan stee thee-A-va-see

A few helpful notes:

• Πάτησα has the stress on Πά-
• φρένο has the stress on φρέ-
• πεζός has the stress on the last syllable: -ζός
• διάβαση has the stress on διά-

Also:

• γιατί is pronounced roughly ya-TEE
• στη sounds like stee

This is only an approximation, but it can help an English speaker get started.