Όταν συναντιόμαστε μετά από καιρό, πρώτα χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου και μετά την αγκαλιάζω.

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Breakdown of Όταν συναντιόμαστε μετά από καιρό, πρώτα χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου και μετά την αγκαλιάζω.

• η φίλη: the female friend
• μου: my
• μετά: then

Questions & Answers about Όταν συναντιόμαστε μετά από καιρό, πρώτα χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου και μετά την αγκαλιάζω.

Why does the sentence start with Όταν and why are the verbs after it in the present tense?

Όταν means when.

In Greek, when you talk about something that happens whenever a situation occurs, Greek often uses the present tense, just like English can in sentences such as When we meet after a long time, I first greet my friend...

So:

• Όταν συναντιόμαστε... = When we meet... / Whenever we meet...

This is not necessarily about one specific meeting only. It describes a habit or a repeated situation.

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Why is συναντιόμαστε used here? Doesn’t it look like a passive form?

Yes, it does look like a passive/middle form, and that is very common in Greek.

συναντιόμαστε comes from συναντιέμαι / συναντιόμαι, which often means meet each other or meet up. In this sentence it has a reciprocal sense:

• συναντιόμαστε = we meet
• more literally: we meet each other

So although the form looks passive, the meaning here is not really passive in English. It is just the normal Greek way to express a mutual action.

Breakdown:

• συναντιό- = meet
• -μαστε = we

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What does μετά από καιρό mean exactly?