Learn Hardcore Greek: Κρατάω δυνατά το χέρι της κόρης μου όταν περνάμε τον δρόμο. - I hold my daughter's hand tightly when we cross the road.

Breakdown of Κρατάω δυνατά το χέρι της κόρης μου όταν περνάμε τον δρόμο.

Why is κρατάω used here, and what form is it?

Κρατάω means I hold / I am holding here. It is the 1st person singular present tense of κρατάω (also commonly seen as κρατώ).

So:

In everyday Modern Greek, κρατάω is very common and natural.

Is there a difference between κρατάω and κρατώ?

Usually, not a big difference in meaning. They are two common forms of the same verb.

κρατάω is very common in everyday speech.
κρατώ can sound a bit shorter, sometimes slightly more formal or literary depending on context, but it is also perfectly normal Greek.

A learner should recognize both as meaning hold / keep.

Why does δυνατά mean tightly/firmly here? Doesn’t it also mean loudly?

Yes, δυνατά can mean both loudly and strongly/firmly, depending on context.

Here it goes with κρατάω, so it means:

So Κρατάω δυνατά = I hold tightly / I hold firmly

You might also hear:

The context tells you which meaning is intended.