Breakdown of Όταν κάνει ζέστη, ανοίγω τον ανεμιστήρα στο σαλόνι.
σε
in
όταν
when
ανοίγω
to turn on
το σαλόνι
the living room
Questions & Answers about Όταν κάνει ζέστη, ανοίγω τον ανεμιστήρα στο σαλόνι.
What does Όταν mean, and how is it used here?
Όταν means when.
In this sentence, it introduces a time clause:
Όταν κάνει ζέστη = When it’s hot
A very common Greek pattern is:
- Όταν + verb, main clause
So here:
- Όταν κάνει ζέστη, ανοίγω τον ανεμιστήρα στο σαλόνι.
This expresses a repeated or habitual situation: whenever it gets hot, I turn on the fan in the living room.
Why does Greek say κάνει ζέστη? Literally, that looks like it makes heat.
Yes, literally it looks unusual to an English speaker. But κάνει ζέστη is a very common Greek expression meaning:
- it’s hot
- the weather is hot
- there is heat
Greek often uses κάνει in weather and condition expressions:
- Κάνει κρύο = It’s cold
- Κάνει ζέστη = It’s hot
- Κάνει καλό καιρό = The weather is nice
So although the literal wording may seem odd in English, you should learn κάνει ζέστη as a fixed natural expression.
Why is the verb κάνει in the third person singular?