Με κοίταζε λες και έβλεπε κάτι πολύ περίεργο, ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ.

Με is the weak object pronoun meaning me.

So με κοίταζε literally means he/she was looking at me.

A few useful points:

• με is the object of the verb.
• Greek often uses these short object pronouns before the verb:
  • με = me
  • σε = you
  • τον / τη(ν) / το = him / her / it

You could also say κοίταζε εμένα, but that sounds more emphatic, like he/she was looking at me, specifically. In this sentence, the neutral choice is με κοίταζε.

Κοίταζε is the imperfect, which usually describes an ongoing, repeated, or background action in the past.

So:

• με κοίταζε = he/she was looking at me
• με κοίταξε = he/she looked at me / gave me a look

In this sentence, the imperfect fits because the speaker is describing a scene in progress: someone kept looking at them in a certain way, while at the same time the speaker was simply holding a cup of coffee.

The same idea applies to έβλεπε and κρατούσα:

• έβλεπε = was seeing
• κρατούσα = was holding

This creates a continuous, descriptive past scene.

Λες και is an idiomatic expression meaning as if or like.

So:

• Με κοίταζε λες και έβλεπε κάτι πολύ περίεργο = He/She was looking at me as if he/she were seeing something very strange

Literally, λες comes from λες = you say, but in this expression you should treat λες και as a fixed phrase, not translate it word for word.

It is very common in spoken Greek.

Examples:

• Με αγκάλιασε λες και είχα χρόνια να τον δω. = He hugged me as if I hadn’t seen him for years.
• Μιλάει λες και τα ξέρει όλα. = He talks as if he knows everything.

After λες και, Greek often uses a normal finite verb, very often in the indicative, especially in everyday language.

So λες και έβλεπε κάτι πολύ περίεργο is a very natural way to say:

• as if he/she was seeing something very strange

English learners sometimes expect a special structure after as if, but in Greek this kind of construction is straightforward and common.

So the important thing is:

• λες και + past/imperfect can describe how something seemed
• it does not need to match English grammar exactly

They are related, but not the same.

• κοιτάζω = look at
• βλέπω = see

So:

• με κοίταζε = he/she was looking at me
• λες και έβλεπε κάτι πολύ περίεργο = as if he/she was seeing something very strange

This is actually a nice combination:

• first, the person is physically looking at the speaker
• then the sentence explains the look: it was as though they were seeing something bizarre

English often uses the same distinction:

• look at
• see

Greek does the same here.

Because κάτι here means something, and the adjective must match that idea in form.

• κάτι = something
• περίεργο = strange / weird

So κάτι πολύ περίεργο means something very strange.

Why περίεργο?

• It is the neuter singular form of the adjective.
• After κάτι, Greek very often uses the neuter singular adjective:
  • κάτι καλό = something good
  • κάτι ωραίο = something nice
  • κάτι περίεργο = something strange

Πολύ here is just the adverb very, modifying περίεργο.

Here ενώ means while, and it introduces a contrast.

So:

• ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ = while I was simply holding a cup of coffee

In many contexts, ενώ can mean:

• while
• whereas
• but, depending on the contrast

In this sentence it does two things at once:

1. it shows the two actions were happening at the same time
2. it highlights the contrast between the other person’s reaction and the speaker’s very ordinary action

Yes, the subject is already clear from the verb ending.

• κρατούσα already means I was holding

So εγώ is not necessary for basic grammar. It is included for emphasis or contrast.

That makes sense here because the sentence contrasts:

• that person’s dramatic look with
• me, who was just holding a coffee cup

So ενώ εγώ... feels like:

• while I, on the other hand, ...
• while I was just...

Greek often includes subject pronouns when the speaker wants emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Απλώς means simply, just, or merely.

So:

• εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ = I was simply/just holding a cup of coffee

Its job is to show that the speaker was doing nothing unusual. That makes the contrast stronger: the other person reacted as though something bizarre was happening, but in reality the speaker was only holding coffee.

Its placement before the verb is very natural in Greek:

• απλώς κρατούσα = was simply holding

Greek adverbs are fairly flexible, but this position is common and natural.

Yes. Both κρατούσα and κράταγα can mean I was holding.

• κρατούσα is the form used in your sentence
• κράταγα is also very common in everyday speech

They are alternative imperfect forms of κρατάω / κρατώ.

So:

• κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ
• κράταγα μια κούπα καφέ

Both are understandable and natural, though style and regional preference may vary a little.

In your sentence, κρατούσα sounds perfectly standard.

Because after κούπα the noun καφές appears in the genitive to show what kind of cup it is.

• κούπα = cup / mug
• καφές = coffee
• καφέ = of coffee

So:

• μια κούπα καφέ = a cup of coffee / a coffee mug

This is very common in Greek with containers or quantities:

• ένα ποτήρι νερό = a glass of water
• ένα φλιτζάνι τσάι = a cup of tea
• ένα μπουκάλι κρασί = a bottle of wine

So καφέ here is not a different word meaning something else; it is the case form needed after κούπα.

Yes, Greek word order is flexible, but the chosen order sounds natural and helps the flow.

The sentence is:

• Με κοίταζε λες και έβλεπε κάτι πολύ περίεργο, ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ.

This order works well because it presents:

1. the other person’s reaction first
2. then the contrast with the speaker’s harmless action

Greek could rearrange parts for emphasis, for example:

• Ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ, με κοίταζε λες και έβλεπε κάτι πολύ περίεργο.

That would also be correct, but it would foreground the speaker’s action first.

So the original version is not just grammatical; it is also good storytelling.

In this sentence, it most naturally means a cup/mug of coffee.

Context matters:

• κούπα καφέ can sometimes mean a mug containing coffee
• in some contexts it could also refer to a coffee mug as an object

But because the sentence says κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ, the most natural interpretation is:

• I was holding a mug/cup of coffee

That fits the scene much better than simply holding an empty coffee mug.

It is mostly neutral to conversational Greek.

A few features that make it feel natural and spoken:

• λες και is very common in everyday speech
• the overall structure sounds like natural narration
• απλώς also fits casual, natural speech well

At the same time, nothing in it is slangy or incorrect, so it would also be perfectly fine in informal writing, storytelling, or dialogue.

Greek could add emphasis in several ways. For example:

• Με κοίταζε λες και έβλεπε κάτι πάρα πολύ περίεργο, ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ. = using πάρα πολύ for stronger emphasis

Or:

• Με κοίταζε λες και έβλεπε κάτι τρομερά περίεργο, ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα μια κούπα καφέ.

Or the speaker could stress εγώ more strongly in speech:

• ενώ εγώ απλώς κρατούσα...

But the original already has a clear contrast and sounds very natural.