Αν σηκώσεις το βαρύ δοχείο μόνη σου, μπορεί να πονέσει η πλάτη σου.

to be able

Breakdown of Αν σηκώσεις το βαρύ δοχείο μόνη σου, μπορεί να πονέσει η πλάτη σου.

• να: to
• σου: your
• σου: to you (informal singular)

Questions & Answers about Αν σηκώσεις το βαρύ δοχείο μόνη σου, μπορεί να πονέσει η πλάτη σου.

Why does the sentence start with Αν?

Αν means if and introduces a condition.

So:

Αν σηκώσεις το βαρύ δοχείο μόνη σου...
= If you lift the heavy container by yourself...

This is the normal way to form an if-clause in Greek.

Why is it σηκώσεις and not σηκώνεις?

After αν, Greek very often uses the subjunctive form, especially when talking about a possible or future action.

So:

• σηκώνεις = you lift / you are lifting (indicative)
• να σηκώσεις = to lift / that you lift in the subjunctive system
• after αν, the να is not written, but the verb still appears in that subjunctive-type form: αν σηκώσεις

Here σηκώσεις is the aorist subjunctive, which usually presents the action as a single whole event:

If you lift it (once / in that situation)...

This is very natural Greek for a condition like this.

What person is σηκώσεις?

σηκώσεις is second person singular:

• I lift
• you lift → σηκώσεις here

Greek often leaves the subject pronoun out, because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. So there is an understood you.

What does mean grammatically?