Όταν φυσάει το βράδυ, κλείνω την μπαλκονόπορτα.

Όταν means when or whenever. In this sentence, it has a habitual meaning: whenever it gets windy at night, I close the balcony door.

Greek often uses the present tense after όταν when talking about things that happen regularly or generally. So:

• Όταν φυσάει το βράδυ = When/Whenever it’s windy at night

If you were talking about a one-time future event, Greek would usually use a different pattern, often with όταν + subjunctive.

Φυσάει is the 3rd person singular present of the verb φυσάω / φυσώ, which means to blow.

In weather contexts, it means:

• the wind is blowing
• it’s windy

So Όταν φυσάει is very natural Greek for when it’s windy or when the wind blows.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So:

• κλείνω = I close
• φυσάει = it blows / the wind blows

You could add pronouns for emphasis, but normally you do not need them.

This is different from English, where you usually must say I or it.

Here το βράδυ means at night or in the evening, depending on context. Greek βράδυ can cover a range that overlaps with both evening and night in English.

In this sentence, the most natural idea is:

• when it’s windy at night
• or when it gets windy in the evening

It does not automatically mean tonight here. Because the whole sentence is in the present and describes a general habit, το βράδυ is understood more generally.

Greek very often uses the definite article in time expressions where English does not.

So:

• το πρωί = in the morning
• το μεσημέρι = at noon / in the afternoon
• το βράδυ = in the evening / at night

This is a normal Greek pattern. You should learn expressions like το βράδυ as fixed time phrases.

It is in the accusative singular.

Even though it is not the direct object here, Greek often uses the accusative in adverbial expressions of time. So το βράδυ functions like a time phrase meaning at night / in the evening.

Because μπαλκονόπορτα is the direct object of κλείνω.

• κλείνω = I close
• What do I close? την μπαλκονόπορτα

Since the noun is feminine singular and is a definite direct object, Greek uses:

• η μπαλκονόπορτα = the balcony door/patio door (nominative)
• την μπαλκονόπορτα = the balcony door/patio door (accusative)

So την shows the accusative feminine singular.

Μπαλκονόπορτα is a compound word:

• μπαλκόνι = balcony
• πόρτα = door

So μπαλκονόπορτα literally means balcony door. In real usage, it can refer to a patio door, balcony door, or sometimes a large glass door leading to a balcony.

At the beginning of a Greek word, μπ is usually pronounced like b.

So μπαλκονόπορτα starts roughly like:

• bal-

not m-pal-.

A rough pronunciation is:

• bal-ko-NO-por-ta

Also note that the stress falls on -νό-: μπαλκονόπορτα.

Because Όταν φυσάει το βράδυ is a subordinate time clause placed before the main clause.

So the structure is:

• Όταν φυσάει το βράδυ, = when it’s windy at night,
• κλείνω την μπαλκονόπορτα. = I close the balcony door.

This comma is very natural when the time clause comes first.

Yes. Greek word order is flexible.

You could also say:

• Κλείνω την μπαλκονόπορτα όταν φυσάει το βράδυ.

That means essentially the same thing.

The original version puts the time condition first, which feels natural if you want to emphasize when this happens.

It normally describes a habitual or repeated action.

Both verbs are in the present tense:

• φυσάει = it blows / it’s windy
• κλείνω = I close

Together with όταν, this usually means:

• Whenever it’s windy at night, I close the balcony door

So the sense is general, not just one specific occasion.

Yes. With verbs like φυσάω / φυσώ, the 3rd person singular present can appear as:

• φυσάει
• φυσά

Both are used in Modern Greek, and both are correct in everyday language. Φυσάει may feel a bit fuller or slightly more explicit in form, while φυσά is also very common.

So if you see:

• Όταν φυσά το βράδυ
• Όταν φυσάει το βράδυ

the meaning is the same.

Yes. In everyday speech, την is very often shortened to τη before a consonant.

So both are common:

• κλείνω την μπαλκονόπορτα
• κλείνω τη μπαλκονόπορτα

The full form την is more careful or formal in writing, while τη is extremely normal in everyday use.