Όταν φυσάει πολύ, κλείνω το φερμουάρ στο μπουφάν μου μέχρι πάνω.

Όταν means when or whenever.

In this sentence, it introduces a habitual / repeated situation:

• Όταν φυσάει πολύ, κλείνω...
• When(ever) it’s very windy, I zip up...

Greek often uses the present tense in both parts of a sentence like this when talking about something that happens regularly.

So this is not just about one specific moment; it means this is what the speaker عادة does in that situation.

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

Here it refers to the wind, so:

• φυσάει = it’s blowing
• more naturally in English: it’s windy

So Όταν φυσάει πολύ literally means When it blows a lot, but idiomatically it means When it’s very windy.

Greek usually does not need to state subject pronouns like I, you, he, it unless there is special emphasis.

The verb ending already tells you the person and number.

With weather expressions, Greek commonly just uses the verb by itself:

• βρέχει = it’s raining
• χιονίζει = it’s snowing
• φυσάει = it’s windy / it’s blowing

So leaving out it is completely normal.

Here πολύ means a lot / very much, and with φυσάει it gives the idea the wind is strong or it’s very windy.

So:

• φυσάει πολύ = literally it blows a lot
• natural English: it’s very windy

This πολύ is an adverb, so it does not change form here.

Yes, κλείνω basically means I close, but in Greek it is very natural to use it for a zipper:

• κλείνω το φερμουάρ = I close / zip up the zipper

English often prefers zip up, while Greek commonly uses close.

So the Greek expression is perfectly normal, even if the most natural English translation uses a different verb.

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.

So where English might simply say my jacket zipper or the zipper, Greek often says:

• το φερμουάρ = the zipper

Here it refers to a specific zipper, namely the one on the speaker’s jacket.

Also, φερμουάρ is a neuter noun, so its singular article is το.

A useful extra point: φερμουάρ is a loanword and is generally treated as indeclinable, so the form stays the same.

στο is the contraction of:

• σε + το = στο

So:

• στο μπουφάν μου = on my jacket / in my jacket depending on context

In this sentence, it identifies which zipper the speaker means: the zipper on their jacket.

So:

• κλείνω το φερμουάρ στο μπουφάν μου
• literally: I close the zipper on my jacket

A learner might expect something like του μπουφάν μου (of my jacket), and that structure can also exist in Greek. But στο μπουφάν μου is a natural everyday way to say it here.

In Modern Greek, possessive words like μου, σου, του, της usually come after the noun:

• το μπουφάν μου = my jacket
• το σπίτι μου = my house
• η φίλη μου = my friend

So Greek normally says:

• article + noun + possessive

not the English-style order my + noun.

That is why you get το μπουφάν μου, literally the jacket my, meaning my jacket.

μέχρι πάνω means up to the top or all the way up.

With a zipper, it means you pull it to the highest point:

• κλείνω το φερμουάρ μέχρι πάνω = I zip it all the way up

This is a very natural expression in Greek for jackets, coats, and similar clothing.

Not completely. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The given sentence:

• Όταν φυσάει πολύ, κλείνω το φερμουάρ στο μπουφάν μου μέχρι πάνω.

is a neutral, natural order: first the condition, then the main action.

You could also move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Κλείνω το φερμουάρ στο μπουφάν μου μέχρι πάνω όταν φυσάει πολύ.

That still makes sense, but the original version sounds more straightforward and natural in everyday speech.

Yes, μπουφάν is a very common everyday word. It usually means jacket.

Like φερμουάρ, it is also a loanword and is commonly treated as neuter:

• το μπουφάν

So:

• το μπουφάν μου = my jacket

In this sentence, it clearly refers to a jacket with a zipper.

Yes. Depending on the speaker and context, you may also hear expressions such as:

• ανεβάζω το φερμουάρ = I pull the zipper up
• κλείνω το μπουφάν = I close/zip up the jacket

But κλείνω το φερμουάρ is perfectly natural and clear.

So this sentence is a good, idiomatic way to say that the speaker zips their jacket up fully when it is very windy.