Απλώνω τα ρούχα στο μπαλκόνι όταν δεν βρέχει.

Απλώνω literally means to spread out. In the context of laundry, Greek uses it for hanging clothes out to dry.

So Απλώνω τα ρούχα means:

• I hang out the clothes
• I put the clothes out to dry

This is a very natural Greek expression. English uses hang out the clothes, while Greek uses spread out the clothes.

A related verb you may also hear is κρεμάω / κρεμώ (to hang), but απλώνω τα ρούχα is the standard everyday phrase for laundry.

Τα is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• τα ρούχα = the clothes
• ρούχα = clothes in a more general or indefinite sense

In Greek, the article is used more often than in English. With everyday objects like clothes, food, body parts, and so on, Greek often sounds more natural with the article.

So Απλώνω τα ρούχα is the normal way to say I hang out the clothes / I hang the clothes out.

Ρούχα is plural. It means clothes.

Its singular form is ρούχο, meaning piece of clothing or garment.

So:

• το ρούχο = the garment / the item of clothing
• τα ρούχα = the clothes

This is similar to English, where clothes is plural in meaning.

Στο is a contraction of σε + το.

So:

• σε = in, at, to, on
• το = the
• στο = in/on/at the

Because μπαλκόνι is a neuter noun:

• το μπαλκόνι = the balcony
• στο μπαλκόνι = on the balcony

This contraction is extremely common in Greek:

• σε + τον = στον
• σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν)
• σε + το = στο

Greek σε is very flexible. It can cover meanings that English separates into in, at, to, and sometimes on.

So στο μπαλκόνι is the normal Greek way to say:

• on the balcony
• sometimes effectively at the balcony, depending on context

You should not expect a one-to-one match with English prepositions. Greek often uses σε where English would choose different words.

Όταν means when.

So:

• όταν βρέχει = when it rains
• όταν δεν βρέχει = when it doesn’t rain

This clause expresses a general condition or repeated situation:

• I hang the clothes out on the balcony when it isn’t raining.

Greek commonly uses όταν with the present tense for habitual actions like this.

Greek has two main negative words:

• δεν: used with indicative verb forms
• μη(ν): used in other environments, such as commands, subjunctive structures, and certain non-indicative patterns

Here, βρέχει is an indicative present form, so the correct negation is:

• δεν βρέχει = it doesn’t rain / it isn’t raining

So:

• όταν δεν βρέχει = when it doesn’t rain

Using μη here would be incorrect.

There is no separate word for it here.

Greek, like English, uses an impersonal expression for weather verbs:

• βρέχει = it rains / it is raining

The it in English weather expressions does not refer to anything real, and Greek simply does not use it.

Other examples:

• Χιονίζει. = It is snowing.
• Φυσάει. = It is windy / The wind is blowing.

Βρέχει is present tense, and depending on context it can mean:

• it rains
• it is raining

Greek present tense often covers both the English simple present and present continuous.

In this sentence, because of όταν and the general meaning, it is best understood as:

• when it doesn’t rain or
• whenever it isn’t raining

So the sentence describes a habit, not just one moment.

Απλώνω is present tense and imperfective in form. In context, it can mean:

• I hang out
• I am hanging out
• I usually hang out

Here it most naturally expresses a habitual action:

• I hang the clothes out on the balcony when it doesn’t rain.

Greek present tense often needs context to tell you whether the meaning is habitual or happening right now.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English, although not completely free.

The given sentence:

• Απλώνω τα ρούχα στο μπαλκόνι όταν δεν βρέχει.

is perfectly natural.

You could also hear:

• Όταν δεν βρέχει, απλώνω τα ρούχα στο μπαλκόνι.

This puts more emphasis on the condition when it doesn’t rain.

Greek often changes word order for emphasis, topic, or style, while the verb endings and articles help show how the sentence fits together.

Βρέχει is pronounced roughly VRE-hi.

A few details:

• β in Modern Greek sounds like English v
• ρέ is stressed
• χ is a sound with no exact English equivalent; here it is like a soft throaty h, because it comes before ε
• ει sounds like ee

So:

• βρέχει ≈ VRE-hee, but with the Greek χ sound, not a plain English h

Stress matters a lot in Greek pronunciation, and it is shown in writing with an accent mark.

In this sentence:

• Απλώνω → stress on λώ
• ρούχα → stress on ρού
• μπαλκόνι → stress on κό
• βρέχει → stress on βρέ

If you place the stress incorrectly, people may still understand you, but it can sound unnatural or occasionally confusing. Greek learners should pay attention to the accent marks from the beginning.

No. It must be στο μπαλκόνι because μπαλκόνι is a neuter noun.

Its article is:

• το μπαλκόνι

So with σε:

• σε + το μπαλκόνι
• contracted: στο μπαλκόνι

You would use στον only with many masculine nouns:

• στον κήπο = in the garden
• στον δρόμο = on the road / in the street

Most naturally, it describes a habit or a general rule.

Because it uses:

• present tense (Απλώνω, βρέχει)
• όταν = when
• a general everyday situation

the meaning is something like:

• I hang the clothes out on the balcony when it doesn’t rain.
• Whenever it isn’t raining, I hang the clothes out on the balcony.

If you wanted to describe one specific occasion, Greek would usually give more context or use different wording.