Breakdown of Τρομάζω όταν χτυπάει ξαφνικά το θυροτηλέφωνο τη νύχτα.
Questions & Answers about Τρομάζω όταν χτυπάει ξαφνικά το θυροτηλέφωνο τη νύχτα.
Because Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.
Here, τρομάζω means I get scared / I get startled, so εγώ is not necessary.
If you added εγώ, it would usually sound emphatic, like:
Εγώ τρομάζω... = I get scared...
So the version without εγώ is the most natural neutral wording.
The present tense here describes a habitual or general reaction, not something happening only once.
So the sentence means something like:
- I get startled when...
- I get scared whenever...
It is not mainly about one specific night. It is about what typically happens to the speaker.
If you wanted a one-time past event, you would use a past form, for example: Τρόμαξα όταν... = I got scared when...
It can mean both, depending on context. In this sentence, because both verbs are in the present and the idea is habitual, όταν is best understood as when/whenever.
So:
Τρομάζω όταν χτυπάει...
means
I get startled when / whenever it rings...
If the sentence were about one specific event, όταν would simply mean when.