Η αναχώρηση είναι στις οκτώ, οπότε φτάνουμε νωρίς στο αεροδρόμιο.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

It is used because αναχώρηση is a feminine noun:

• η αναχώρηση = the departure

In Greek, nouns have grammatical gender, so the article must match the noun:

• masculine: ο
• feminine: η
• neuter: το

So:

• Η αναχώρηση = The departure

Αναχώρηση means departure.

It is a standard and common word, especially in travel contexts such as:

• airports
• bus stations
• train stations
• schedules

For example:

• Η αναχώρηση είναι στις έξι. = The departure is at six.
• Ώρα αναχώρησης = departure time

It is a feminine noun, so it takes η in the singular.

Στις is a contraction of σε + τις.

In time expressions with clock hours, Greek usually uses:

• στη μία = at one
• στις δύο = at two
• στις οκτώ = at eight

Why plural τις? Because the expression is understood as something like στις οκτώ ώρες historically/usually by convention, so Greek uses the plural article for most hours.

Examples:

• στις τρεις
• στις πέντε
• στις δέκα

But:

• στη μία = at one o’clock

So είναι στις οκτώ means it is at eight or it’s at eight o’clock.

Είναι is the 3rd person singular form of είμαι = to be.

Here it matches η αναχώρηση, which is singular:

• Η αναχώρηση είναι στις οκτώ.
• literally: The departure is at eight.

So είναι means is here.

A few forms of είμαι:

• είμαι = I am
• είσαι = you are
• είναι = he/she/it is

Because οκτώ is a numeral, and in this kind of expression it stays the same.

Greek numbers like οκτώ do not change here:

• στις οκτώ
• οκτώ μέρες
• οκτώ άτομα

So you can think of οκτώ simply as eight.

Here οπότε means so, therefore, or which means that.

It connects the first idea to the result:

• Η αναχώρηση είναι στις οκτώ = The departure is at eight
• οπότε φτάνουμε νωρίς στο αεροδρόμιο = so we arrive at the airport early

So it introduces a consequence.

A useful note: οπότε can sometimes also mean something like when, depending on context, but in this sentence it clearly means so / therefore.

Φτάνουμε is the present tense form of φτάνω = to arrive.

In Greek, the present tense is often used for:

• planned actions
• scheduled events
• near-future situations
• things understood from context

So here φτάνουμε νωρίς can mean:

• we arrive early
• we’re arriving early
• we’ll get there early

All of those are natural translations depending on context.

If you said θα φτάσουμε, that would be a more explicit future:

• οπότε θα φτάσουμε νωρίς στο αεροδρόμιο = so we will arrive at the airport early

Both are possible in the right context, but the present tense is very natural in Greek for plans and schedules.

Φτάνουμε is 1st person plural, so it means we arrive or we are arriving.

It comes from the verb φτάνω:

• φτάνω = I arrive
• φτάνεις = you arrive
• φτάνει = he/she/it arrives
• φτάνουμε = we arrive
• φτάνετε = you all arrive
• φτάνουν = they arrive

So the subject is understood as we, even though Greek does not need to state the pronoun εμείς.

Because Greek often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

In φτάνουμε, the ending -ουμε tells you it is we.

So:

• φτάνουμε = we arrive

Greek does this very often:

• Πηγαίνω = I go
• Μιλάς = you speak
• Βλέπουμε = we see

You can add the pronoun for emphasis:

• Εμείς φτάνουμε νωρίς. = We arrive early.

But it is not necessary in a normal sentence.

Νωρίς is an adverb, meaning early.

It describes the verb φτάνουμε:

• φτάνουμε νωρίς = we arrive early

Because it is an adverb, it does not change for gender, number, or case.

Compare:

• adjective: νωρίς is not used as an adjective here
• adverb: νωρίς = early

Examples:

• Ξυπνάω νωρίς. = I wake up early.
• Έφυγαν νωρίς. = They left early.

Στο is a contraction of σε + το.

So:

• σε = to / at / in
• το = the
• στο = to the / at the / in the

Αεροδρόμιο is a neuter noun, so it takes το:

• το αεροδρόμιο = the airport

After σε, the article often contracts:

• σε + το → στο
• σε + τη(ν) → στη(ν)
• σε + τον → στον

So:

• στο αεροδρόμιο = at the airport / to the airport

With φτάνω, English usually says arrive at, while Greek uses σε:

• φτάνω στο αεροδρόμιο = I arrive at the airport

Because αεροδρόμιο is a neuter singular noun.

Its basic form is:

• το αεροδρόμιο = the airport

Many Greek neuter nouns end in:

• -ο
• -ι
• -μα

For this sentence, after σε, Greek uses the accusative, but for many neuter nouns like αεροδρόμιο, the nominative and accusative look the same:

• nominative: το αεροδρόμιο
• accusative: το αεροδρόμιο

So you do not see a change in the noun itself here.

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

The given sentence is very natural:

• Η αναχώρηση είναι στις οκτώ, οπότε φτάνουμε νωρίς στο αεροδρόμιο.

But Greek can often move adverbs around for emphasis:

• Η αναχώρηση είναι στις οκτώ, οπότε νωρίς φτάνουμε στο αεροδρόμιο.
• Η αναχώρηση είναι στις οκτώ, οπότε στο αεροδρόμιο φτάνουμε νωρίς.

Those alternatives may sound more marked or emphatic, though. The original version is the most neutral and natural.

So the main idea is:

• Greek allows more flexibility
• but the original order is the standard one you would usually say

A rough pronunciation guide is:

I anachórisi íne stis októ, opóte ftánoume norís sto aerodrómio.

A few helpful points:

• η sounds like ee
• χ in αναχώρηση is like a throaty sound, not like English ch
• στις sounds like stees
• φτάνουμε begins with ft-, which Greek speakers say together naturally
• αεροδρόμιο has the stress on δρό

The written accents show the stressed syllable:

• αναχώρηση
• είναι
• οκτώ
• οπότε
• φτάνουμε
• νωρίς
• αεροδρόμιο

Yes. Very naturally.

Greek often uses the present tense for things that are:

• arranged
• expected
• scheduled
• part of a plan

So this sentence can sound like:

• The departure is at eight, so we’re getting to the airport early.

That is one reason φτάνουμε works well here. It does not have to be a general truth; it can describe a practical plan based on the departure time.