Αν ο συνεργάτης μου αργήσει πάλι, η σύσκεψη θα αρχίσει χωρίς εκείνον.

If my coworker is late again, the briefing will start without him.

Breakdown of Αν ο συνεργάτης μου αργήσει πάλι, η σύσκεψη θα αρχίσει χωρίς εκείνον.

• μου: my
• θα: will
• πάλι: again
• αν: if

Questions & Answers about Αν ο συνεργάτης μου αργήσει πάλι, η σύσκεψη θα αρχίσει χωρίς εκείνον.

Why is it αν ο συνεργάτης μου αργήσει and not αν ο συνεργάτης μου αργεί?

Because this sentence is talking about a single possible future event: one specific case where the colleague may be late.

In Greek, that is usually expressed with:

• αν + aorist subjunctive

So:

• αν αργήσει = if he is late / if he ends up being late

By contrast:

• αν αργεί would more naturally suggest something ongoing, repeated, or habitual, depending on context.

So αργήσει is the normal choice here because the sentence is about this meeting, not a general pattern.

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Does αργήσει mean past, since it comes from the aorist?

No. In this sentence, αργήσει does not mean past.

Greek uses the aorist stem in several non-past constructions, especially after:

• αν
• να
• θα

Here, the aorist shows aspect rather than past time. It presents the action as one whole event.

So:

• αν αργήσει = if he is late / if he arrives late
• not if he was late

The same thing happens in:

• θα αρχίσει = it will begin
• not it began

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Why is there no να after αν?