Η γιαγιά μου ανακουφίζεται όταν της τηλεφωνώ το βράδυ.

In Greek, the definite article is normally used with specific people, including family members. So η γιαγιά μου is the standard way to say my grandmother.

This is different from English, where we usually do not use the before possessives. Greek often does:

• η μητέρα μου = my mother
• ο αδερφός μου = my brother
• η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother

You would leave the article out in special situations, such as direct address:

• Γιαγιά! = Grandma!

Because Greek unstressed possessive pronouns usually come after the noun:

• η γιαγιά μου = my grandmother
• το σπίτι μου = my house
• ο φίλος μου = my friend

So μου here means my, but its position is different from English.

If you want to emphasize possession, Greek can use δικός / δική / δικό:

• η δική μου γιαγιά = my own grandmother / my grandmother in particular

But in a normal sentence, η γιαγιά μου is the natural choice.

A few things show that:

1. η is the feminine singular nominative article.
2. γιαγιά is in the nominative form here.
3. The verb ανακουφίζεται is 3rd person singular, matching η γιαγιά μου.

So η γιαγιά μου is the one doing or experiencing the action/state: my grandmother feels relieved.

Greek word order is more flexible than English, so learners often rely on articles, case, and verb endings to identify the subject.

Ανακουφίζεται is the 3rd person singular present mediopassive form of the verb ανακουφίζομαι.

Related forms:

• ανακουφίζω = I relieve
• ανακουφίζομαι = I feel relieved / I am relieved
• ανακουφίζεται = he/she feels relieved / is relieved

So in this sentence, it refers to she: the grandmother.

Because it is in the Greek mediopassive form, which often overlaps with what English expresses as either:

• a passive idea: is relieved
• or a more natural active/state idea: feels relieved

In this sentence, English usually sounds most natural as feels relieved.

So although the Greek form looks passive, it does not necessarily mean a literal passive in the same way English does. Greek mediopassive forms are often used when the subject experiences a state or is affected by something.

Because the present tense here gives a habitual or repeated meaning:

• όταν της τηλεφωνώ = when I call her / whenever I call her

So the sentence means that this happens regularly or generally, not just once.

This is an important Greek pattern: after όταν, the present can describe something that happens whenever that situation occurs.

If you wanted a more single future event meaning, Greek would often use a different form, such as:

• όταν της τηλεφωνήσω = when I call her (on one future occasion)

It can be understood as either, but in this sentence whenever is often the best explanation for learners, because the present tense suggests a repeated pattern.

So:

• όταν της τηλεφωνώ το βράδυ
  can mean
  when I call her at night
  or more explicitly
  whenever I call her at night

English often uses just when, but the Greek form strongly suggests a recurring situation.

Της here means her, but specifically as an indirect object.

With τηλεφωνώ, standard Greek treats the person you call as an indirect-object-type complement:

• της τηλεφωνώ = I call her / I phone her
• του τηλεφωνώ = I call him
• τους τηλεφωνώ = I call them

This is different from English, where call her uses a direct object.

So:

• την would be a direct object form
• της is the correct form with τηλεφωνώ in standard Greek

You can think of it as something like I telephone to her, even though that is not how we say it in normal English.

Because weak object pronouns in Greek usually come before a finite verb:

• της τηλεφωνώ = I call her
• του μιλάω = I speak to him
• μου γράφει = he writes to me

So της is in its normal position here.

Greek clitic pronouns have fairly fixed placement rules, and this pre-verbal position is one of the most common patterns learners need to get used to.

Το βράδυ is a time expression meaning at night or in the evening, depending on context.

Greek often uses the accusative with the article for time expressions:

• το πρωί = in the morning
• το μεσημέρι = at noon / in the afternoon
• το βράδυ = in the evening / at night

In this sentence, το βράδυ most likely means in the evening or at night, depending on how late the call is.

Because Greek commonly uses the accusative for expressions of time, especially with words like:

• το πρωί
• το βράδυ
• την Κυριακή
• τον χειμώνα

So here το βράδυ functions adverbially, telling you when the action happens.

This is a very common Greek structure, and it is best learned as a pattern rather than translated word-for-word.

It most naturally sounds like a general habit or repeated situation.

That is because both main verbs are in the present:

• ανακουφίζεται
• τηλεφωνώ

So the sense is:

• My grandmother feels relieved when/whenever I call her at night

If Greek wanted to describe one particular event in the past or one future event, it would normally use different tense/aspect choices.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

This version is natural and neutral:

• Η γιαγιά μου ανακουφίζεται όταν της τηλεφωνώ το βράδυ.

But Greek could move some parts for emphasis, for example:

• Η γιαγιά μου το βράδυ ανακουφίζεται όταν της τηλεφωνώ.
• Όταν της τηλεφωνώ το βράδυ, η γιαγιά μου ανακουφίζεται.

The exact emphasis changes a bit, but the basic meaning stays the same.

One thing that is less flexible is the placement of the weak pronoun της, which normally stays right before the finite verb.

It is pronounced approximately yah-YAH.

A few helpful points:

• the stress is on the last syllable: γιαγιά
• the first part για- sounds roughly like ya- to English speakers

So if you say something close to yah-YAH, you will be understood well.