Ρουφάω λίγο τσάι όταν βήχω πολύ.

Greek often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person.

Here, ρουφάω means I sip / I slurp / I take in, and βήχω means I cough.
So Greek does not need εγώ for I unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

• Ρουφάω λίγο τσάι όταν βήχω πολύ. = I sip a little tea when I cough a lot.
• Εγώ ρουφάω λίγο τσάι... would sound more like I’m the one who sips a little tea...

Ρουφάω literally means something like suck in, slurp, or draw in. With a drink, it often suggests taking little sips or slurping rather than just the neutral drink.

So in this sentence, it gives a slightly more physical image than πίνω.

• πίνω τσάι = I drink tea
• ρουφάω τσάι = I sip/slurp tea

In context, it can sound natural if the idea is taking small soothing sips of tea because of coughing.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• πίνω is the normal, neutral verb for drink
• ρουφάω is more vivid and specific

A learner should know that πίνω λίγο τσάι όταν βήχω πολύ may sound more neutral in many situations.
Ρουφάω adds the idea of small sips or slurping in the tea.

So the original sentence is understandable and possible, but it has a stronger nuance than plain drink.

Both verbs are in the present tense.

In this sentence, the present does not have to mean right now. It often expresses a habit, something that happens generally, or something the speaker usually does.

So the sentence means something like:

• I sip a little tea when I cough a lot
• Whenever I cough a lot, I sip a little tea

This is a very common use of the Greek present tense.

Όταν means when or whenever, while αν means if.

Here the sentence describes what the speaker does whenever this situation happens, so όταν is the correct choice.

• όταν βήχω πολύ = when/whenever I cough a lot
• αν βήχω πολύ = if I cough a lot

The second version would sound more hypothetical.

Because this sentence describes a repeated habit, Greek uses the present:

• όταν βήχω πολύ = when/whenever I cough a lot

A form like βήξω would point more toward a single future event or a more specific occasion.

So:

• Όταν βήχω πολύ, ρουφάω λίγο τσάι.
  = Whenever I cough a lot, I sip a little tea.

Compare that with a future-type idea:

• Όταν βήξω πολύ, θα πιω λίγο τσάι.
  = When I cough badly, I’ll drink a little tea.

Because λίγο τσάι means a little tea / some tea, and with an indefinite amount of a mass noun, Greek often does not use the article.

• λίγο τσάι = a little tea
• το τσάι = the tea

So the sentence is talking about some tea, not a specific already-identified tea.

This is similar to English, where we say I drink a little tea, not usually I drink the little tea.

Here τσάι is the direct object of ρουφάω, so it is in the accusative case.

But for many neuter nouns in Greek, the nominative and accusative singular look the same. That is why you do not see a different form here.

So:

• το τσάι = nominative or accusative singular
• the role is understood from the sentence structure

This is very normal in Greek.

Λίγο means a little or a bit here. It limits the amount of tea.

So:

• λίγο τσάι = a little tea / some tea

It is very common with mass nouns like:

• λίγο νερό = a little water
• λίγο ψωμί = a little bread

In this sentence, λίγο goes with τσάι, not with the verb.

Here πολύ means a lot.

That is because it is modifying the verb βήχω:

• βήχω πολύ = I cough a lot

Greek πολύ can mean different things depending on how it is used:

• πολύ τσάι = a lot of tea
• βήχω πολύ = I cough a lot
• είναι πολύ καλός = he is very good

So in this sentence, it is adverbial: a lot.

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible.

The original sentence is fine:

• Ρουφάω λίγο τσάι όταν βήχω πολύ.

But you could also say:

• Όταν βήχω πολύ, ρουφάω λίγο τσάι.

The meaning stays basically the same. The second version puts the when-clause first, which may sound a bit more natural in some contexts.

Greek often changes word order for focus, emphasis, or style.

No. You may also come across ρουφώ.

Many Greek verbs in -άω have two common present forms:

• ρουφάω
• ρουφώ

Both are used. The difference is mainly stylistic or related to speech patterns, not a big change in meaning.

So a learner might see either:

• Ρουφάω λίγο τσάι
• Ρουφώ λίγο τσάι

Both mean the same thing.

Most naturally, it describes a general habit.

The combination of the present tense with όταν usually gives the idea:

• Whenever I cough a lot, I sip a little tea

If you wanted to make it clearly about right now, Greek would usually need more context, such as something showing the immediate situation.

So without extra context, a learner should read this as a habitual statement.