Learn Hardcore Greek: Το ότι μας συμφέρει να φύγουμε νωρίς είναι ξεκάθαρο, αφού το απόγευμα έχει πάντα κίνηση. - The fact that it is better for us to leave early is clear, since there is always traffic in the afternoon.

Word

Το ότι μας συμφέρει να φύγουμε νωρίς είναι ξεκάθαρο, αφού το απόγευμα έχει πάντα κίνηση.

Meaning

The fact that it is better for us to leave early is clear, since there is always traffic in the afternoon.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of Το ότι μας συμφέρει να φύγουμε νωρίς είναι ξεκάθαρο, αφού το απόγευμα έχει πάντα κίνηση.

Why does the sentence start with Το ότι? Why not just ότι?

Το ότι means the fact that.

So:

Ότι μας συμφέρει να φύγουμε νωρίς = that it is in our interest to leave early
Το ότι μας συμφέρει να φύγουμε νωρίς = the fact that it is in our interest to leave early

In this sentence, the whole clause is being treated like a noun phrase and used as the subject of είναι ξεκάθαρο:

Without το, ότι usually just introduces a content clause after another verb, like Ξέρω ότι... = I know that...

So here το is important because it turns the clause into a more noun-like expression.

Is ότι here the same as ό,τι?

No. They are different words.

In your sentence, it is ότι without the comma-like extra mark, because it introduces a clause:

Compare:

This is a very common distinction for learners.

What exactly does μας συμφέρει mean?