Breakdown of Θέλουμε ένα ξενοδοχείο που να είναι κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο, ώστε να μην αγχωθούμε την ημέρα της αναχώρησης.
Questions & Answers about Θέλουμε ένα ξενοδοχείο που να είναι κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο, ώστε να μην αγχωθούμε την ημέρα της αναχώρησης.
Why is it που να είναι instead of just που είναι?
Because Greek often uses που + να + verb after an indefinite noun when you mean a desired characteristic, not an already identified fact.
So ένα ξενοδοχείο που να είναι κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο means something like:
- a hotel that would be near the airport
- a hotel that is to be near the airport
- more naturally in English, just a hotel that is near the airport
If you said που είναι, it would sound more like you are referring to a hotel whose location is already a factual property, not just a requirement.
Is είναι really subjunctive here? It looks exactly like the normal form.
Yes. In Modern Greek, the subjunctive is usually marked by the particle να, not by a completely different verb form.
So:
- είναι = is
- να είναι = to be / be in a subjunctive-type clause
With many verbs, especially in the present, the form after να looks the same as the present indicative. The important signal is να.
What exactly does να do in this sentence?
Να introduces a subjunctive clause. In this sentence, it appears twice:
- που να είναι → describes the kind of hotel wanted
- ώστε να μην αγχωθούμε → expresses purpose or intended result
So να often appears after words or structures meaning things like:
- desire
- possibility
- purpose
- intention
- requirement
It is one of the most common and important particles in Greek.
Why is it κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο? What does στο mean?
Στο is the contraction of σε + το.
- σε = in, at, to, near depending on context
- το = the (neuter singular)
So:
- στο αεροδρόμιο = at/to the airport
After κοντά, Greek normally uses σε:
- κοντά σε κάποιον/κάτι = near someone/something
That is why you get:
- κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο = near the airport
Why is there an article in στο αεροδρόμιο? English sometimes just says near airport in certain contexts.
Greek uses the definite article much more regularly than English.
So το αεροδρόμιο is simply the normal way to say the airport, and in this sentence it means the relevant airport for the trip. Greek would sound incomplete or unnatural here without the article.
What does ώστε να mean here?
Ώστε να means so that, in order that, or with the result/intention that.
In this sentence:
- ώστε να μην αγχωθούμε = so that we won’t get stressed
It introduces the purpose or intended result of choosing the hotel.
How is ώστε να different from για να?
They are often very close in meaning, and in many sentences both are possible.
Very roughly:
- για να = more everyday, straightforward in order to
- ώστε να = often a bit more formal or a bit more result-oriented
So this sentence could also be said with για να:
- ...κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο, για να μην αγχωθούμε...
That would still be perfectly natural.
Why is it μην and not δεν?
Because Greek uses μη(ν), not δεν, to negate subjunctive clauses and other non-indicative structures.
So:
- δεν αγχωνόμαστε = we are not getting stressed / we don’t get stressed
- factual statement
- να μην αγχωθούμε = so that we do not get stressed
- subjunctive/purpose clause
A good rule is: after να, use μη(ν).
What is αγχωθούμε exactly?
Αγχωθούμε is:
- 1st person plural = we
- aorist subjunctive
- from αγχώνομαι = I get stressed / I feel stressed
So να μην αγχωθούμε means:
- so that we won’t get stressed
- so that we don’t end up stressed
The form looks passive/middle in shape, which is very common in Greek. Even though it may look passive, the meaning here is not be stressed by someone in a literal passive sense, but simply become stressed.
Why use αγχωθούμε and not a present form like να μην αγχωνόμαστε?
This is a question of aspect.
- να μην αγχωθούμε uses the aorist, which presents the stress as a single whole event: not to get stressed
- να μην αγχωνόμαστε would use the present, which sounds more like an ongoing or repeated state: not to be stressing / not to keep worrying
Because the sentence refers to a specific moment, την ημέρα της αναχώρησης, the aorist is very natural.
What case is την ημέρα της αναχώρησης, and why?
- την ημέρα is accusative singular
- της αναχώρησης is genitive singular
Here is the structure:
- η ημέρα = the day (nominative)
- την ημέρα = the day (accusative)
Greek often uses the accusative in expressions of time:
- την ημέρα της αναχώρησης = on the day of departure
Then:
- της αναχώρησης = of the departure
So the whole phrase literally means the day of the departure.
Why is it της αναχώρησης?
Because αναχώρηση is a feminine noun, and here it is in the genitive singular after ημέρα.
Base form:
- η αναχώρηση = the departure
Genitive singular:
- της αναχώρησης = of the departure
This is a very common Greek pattern:
- η μέρα της άφιξης = the day of arrival
- η ώρα της συνάντησης = the time of the meeting
- το τέλος της ταινίας = the end of the film
Why is there no separate word for we?
Because Greek verb endings usually already show the subject.
- Θέλουμε = we want
- αγχωθούμε = we get stressed / we become stressed
So Greek often leaves out the subject pronoun εμείς unless it is needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.
For example:
- Θέλουμε... = neutral We want...
- Εμείς θέλουμε... = We want..., possibly contrasting with someone else
Could you simply say Θέλουμε ένα ξενοδοχείο κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο?
Yes, absolutely. That would be shorter and very natural.
- Θέλουμε ένα ξενοδοχείο κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο.
The version with που να είναι is a bit more explicit because it spells out the desired characteristic in a relative clause:
- a hotel that would be near the airport
Both are correct; the longer version just gives a slightly fuller structure.
Why is there a comma before ώστε να?
Because ώστε να μην αγχωθούμε την ημέρα της αναχώρησης is a separate subordinate clause expressing purpose/result.
The comma helps separate:
- the main idea
Θέλουμε ένα ξενοδοχείο που να είναι κοντά στο αεροδρόμιο - the purpose/result
ώστε να μην αγχωθούμε την ημέρα της αναχώρησης
In written Greek, this punctuation is standard and helps readability.
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