Breakdown of Δυσκολεύομαι να συγκεντρωθώ όταν έχει πολλή φασαρία στο σπίτι.
πολύς
much
το σπίτι
the home
έχω
to have
να
to
Questions & Answers about Δυσκολεύομαι να συγκεντρωθώ όταν έχει πολλή φασαρία στο σπίτι.
Why is Δυσκολεύομαι in the -ομαι form? Is it passive?
Not really in meaning. Δυσκολεύομαι is the 1st person singular present form of δυσκολεύομαι, and it means I have difficulty / I find it hard.
Even though the ending looks like a passive or middle form, many Greek verbs with -ομαι are used this way and are not translated as passives in English. So here:
- Δυσκολεύομαι = I have trouble
- not I am being difficulted or anything like that
A very similar Greek paraphrase would be Μου είναι δύσκολο... = It is difficult for me to...
Why does Greek use να συγκεντρωθώ instead of an infinitive like to concentrate?
Because Modern Greek normally does not use an infinitive the way English does. Instead, it usually uses:
- να + verb
So after a verb like δυσκολεύομαι, Greek says:
- Δυσκολεύομαι να... = I have trouble ...-ing / to ...
Here:
- να συγκεντρωθώ = to concentrate / to focus
This is one of the most basic patterns in Modern Greek grammar.
Why is it συγκεντρωθώ and not συγκεντρώσω?