Στο κατάστημα με ρούχα δεν ήξερα τι να πάρω: ένα σακάκι για τη δουλειά ή αθλητικά για το Σαββατοκύριακο.

Στο is the contraction of σε + το.

• σε = in / at / to
• το = the (neuter singular)

So στο κατάστημα means in the shop or at the shop, depending on context.

Greek very often combines σε with the definite article:

• σε + το = στο
• σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν)
• σε + τα = στα

So writing στο as one word is completely normal.

Yes, literally it is shop with clothes, but in natural English we would usually say clothes shop, clothing store, or shop that sells clothes.

Greek often uses με + noun to describe what a place has, sells, or contains. So:

• κατάστημα με ρούχα = a shop selling clothes
• μαγαζί με παπούτσια = a shop selling shoes

It is a very natural Greek way to describe this kind of store.

Because ρούχα is being used in a general sense, not to refer to some specific clothes.

So με ρούχα means with clothes / selling clothes in general. If you said με τα ρούχα, that would sound more like with the clothes, meaning particular clothes already known from the context.

Compare:

• κατάστημα με ρούχα = clothing store
• κατάστημα με τα ρούχα = store with the clothes (specific clothes)

Ήξερα is the imperfect of ξέρω (to know).

So δεν ήξερα means I didn’t know or I wasn’t sure.

The imperfect is used here because it describes a state in the past, not a single completed action. The idea is:

• at that moment in the store,
• I was in a state of not knowing / being unsure.

That is why δεν ήξερα sounds natural here.

This is a very common Greek structure.

τι να πάρω literally means something like what I should get or what to get.

Greek uses να + verb where English often uses:

• an infinitive: what to buy
• or a full clause: what I should buy

So after verbs like ξέρω, δεν ξέρω, σκέφτομαι, αποφασίζω, Greek often uses this pattern:

• δεν ξέρω τι να κάνω = I don’t know what to do
• δεν ήξερα τι να πάρω = I didn’t know what to get

So να here is introducing a dependent clause, not simply meaning to in a one-word way.

Because after να, Greek often chooses between an aorist form and a present form depending on the kind of action.

Here, πάρω is the aorist subjunctive form of παίρνω.

Why aorist here?

Because the speaker is thinking about one complete action: choosing/buying/getting one thing. The focus is not on the process, but on the result.

• τι να πάρω = what to get / what should I get

If you used the present form να παίρνω, it would usually suggest something ongoing, repeated, or habitual, which does not fit this sentence well.

Important: although πάρω is an aorist form, it is not past tense here. After να, it expresses aspect, not past time.

The colon introduces the two options the speaker is considering.

So the structure is:

• I didn’t know what to get:
• a jacket for work or trainers for the weekend

In Greek, just like in English, a colon can introduce:

• an explanation,
• a list,
• or specific alternatives.

It works well here because what to get is immediately followed by the possible choices.

Because αθλητικά is being used as a noun by itself.

This is very common in Greek. The full phrase would usually be:

• αθλητικά παπούτσια = athletic shoes / trainers / sneakers

But since παπούτσια is obvious from context, Greek often drops it and simply says:

• αθλητικά

So the sentence is really contrasting:

• ένα σακάκι
• (ένα ζευγάρι) αθλητικά (παπούτσια)

This kind of omission is very natural.

Here αθλητικά means trainers, sneakers, or sports shoes, depending on the variety of English you use.

Literally, the adjective αθλητικός / αθλητική / αθλητικό means athletic / sporty. But in everyday Greek, the neuter plural αθλητικά often means sports shoes.

So even though the word itself looks like an adjective, in real usage it often functions like a noun.

Because Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.

So where English says:

• for work
• for the weekend

Greek naturally says:

• για τη δουλειά
• για το Σαββατοκύριακο

This does not necessarily make the phrase more specific. It is just normal Greek usage.

Also:

• δουλειά is feminine, so it takes τη(ν)
• Σαββατοκύριακο is neuter, so it takes το

Τη is the shortened form of την before a consonant, and it is extremely common in modern Greek.

So both of these are possible:

• τη δουλειά
• την δουλειά

In everyday language, τη δουλειά is very normal and very common.

Before a vowel sound, the full form την is usually kept more clearly, for example:

• την ώρα
• την οικογένεια

So in your sentence, για τη δουλειά is simply the natural reduced form.

Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence begins with Στο κατάστημα με ρούχα to set the scene first:

• In the clothes shop, I didn’t know what to get...

This is very natural in Greek. You could also rearrange parts of the sentence, but the chosen order sounds smooth and context-driven.

Putting the location first helps frame the situation before the speaker’s uncertainty is mentioned.