Breakdown of Το υπνοδωμάτιο αερίζεται κάθε πρωί, αλλά το σαλόνι μόνο όταν έχει ζέστη.
έχω
to have
αλλά
but
όταν
when
μόνο
only
Questions & Answers about Το υπνοδωμάτιο αερίζεται κάθε πρωί, αλλά το σαλόνι μόνο όταν έχει ζέστη.
Why is αερίζεται used here instead of an active verb form?
Αερίζεται is the middle/passive form of the verb αερίζω.
In this sentence, it means is aired / gets aired / is ventilated. Greek often uses this kind of form when the focus is on what happens to something, not on who does it.
So:
- αερίζω = I air, I ventilate
- αερίζεται = it is aired / it gets aired
That is why Το υπνοδωμάτιο αερίζεται κάθε πρωί means The bedroom is aired every morning.
In everyday Greek, this can sound very natural even when no person is mentioned.
Why are το υπνοδωμάτιο and το σαλόνι both neuter?
Both nouns are neuter singular, so they take the article το.
- το υπνοδωμάτιο = the bedroom
- το σαλόνι = the living room / lounge
Their forms here are in the nominative singular, because they are the subjects of the sentence.
A learner may want to remember them as full vocabulary items with the article:
- το υπνοδωμάτιο
- το σαλόνι
That helps you remember both the meaning and the gender.
Why is the definite article used here? In English we might sometimes just say bedrooms or the bedroom more loosely.