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

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.

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

μετά από καιρό means something like:

• after some time
• after a long time
• after not seeing each other for a while

It is a very natural Greek expression.

Literally:

• μετά από = after
• καιρό = time / a period of time

In this context, it implies that the two people have not met for quite a while.

A learner should notice that Greek often uses καιρός not only for weather, but also for time in the sense of a period.

These words organize the sequence of actions:

• πρώτα = first
• μετά = then / afterwards

So:

• πρώτα χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου = first I greet my friend
• και μετά την αγκαλιάζω = and then I hug her

This is a very common way in Greek to show order.

Both are correct.

• χαιρετάω
• χαιρετώ

These are two common forms of the same verb, meaning to greet.

In everyday spoken Greek, forms in -άω are very common and often sound more conversational. So χαιρετάω is perfectly natural here.

You will often see pairs like this in Greek:

• αγαπάω / αγαπώ
• ρωτάω / ρωτώ
• χαιρετάω / χαιρετώ

Usually, the -άω version feels a bit more colloquial, but both are standard.

Because τη φίλη μου is the direct object of χαιρετάω.

The speaker is greeting the friend, so friend receives the action.

That is why Greek uses the accusative:

• nominative: η φίλη = the friend
• accusative: τη φίλη = the friend as object

So:

• χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου = I greet my friend

Also:

• μου = my

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

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

την is the object pronoun meaning her.

So:

• την αγκαλιάζω = I hug her

Greek object pronouns usually come before the verb:

• τον βλέπω = I see him
• τη γνωρίζω = I know her
• την αγκαλιάζω = I hug her

This is different from English, where the object pronoun usually comes after the verb:

• I hug her

In Greek, the normal order is:

• her I-hug → την αγκαλιάζω

Greek uses a noun first and then a pronoun very naturally when the referent is already clear.

Here the first part says:

• χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου = I greet my friend

Then the second part avoids repetition:

• και μετά την αγκαλιάζω = and then I hug her

English does the same:

• I greet my friend and then hug her

So this is just natural referent tracking. Once my friend has been introduced, Greek can switch to the pronoun την.

Yes. They are forms of the same feminine accusative article/pronoun.

• τη φίλη = short form of την φίλη
• την αγκαλιάζω = full form

In modern Greek, την is often shortened to τη before a consonant in everyday speech and writing:

• τη φίλη
• τη μητέρα
• τη μέρα

But before a vowel or in more careful style, you may more often see την:

• την αγάπη
• την έχω δει

So here:

• τη φίλη μου = my friend as object
• την αγκαλιάζω = I hug her

Same underlying form, different usage and pronunciation habits.

Because Greek usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the subject.

Here:

• χαιρετάω = I greet
• αγκαλιάζω = I hug

The verb endings already tell you it is I.

Greek is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns such as εγώ (I) are often omitted unless needed for emphasis or contrast.

So:

• χαιρετάω is enough for I greet
• εγώ χαιρετάω would mean something more like I greet, perhaps with emphasis

Because the sentence changes perspective naturally.

• Όταν συναντιόμαστε = When we meet
  • we = the speaker and the friend
• πρώτα χαιρετάω... και μετά... αγκαλιάζω = first I greet... and then I hug...
  • now the speaker describes their own actions

So the grammar reflects the meaning:

• the meeting involves both people
• the greeting and hugging are actions done by the speaker

Verb endings show that clearly:

• -μαστε = we
• -άω / -ω = I

Usually, yes. αγκαλιάζω most commonly means:

• to hug
• to embrace

Depending on context, it can also have broader meanings like to hold in one’s arms or even metaphorical meanings such as to embrace an idea, but here it clearly means hug.

So:

• την αγκαλιάζω = I hug her

This is a very common everyday verb.

The comma separates the introductory when-clause from the main clause.

So the structure is:

• Όταν συναντιόμαστε μετά από καιρό, = introductory time clause
• πρώτα χαιρετάω τη φίλη μου και μετά την αγκαλιάζω. = main clause

This is similar to English:

• When we meet after a long time, I first greet my friend and then hug her.

The comma helps the sentence read more clearly.