# Να ειδοποιείται η αστυνομία μαζί με όλους εμάς τους συγγενείς για να τον ψάξουμε



## dukaine

In English, this feels like a fragment, so I'm not sure how a Greek reader would understand it. Clearly some words must be implied or the use of να with the verb at the beginning is being used in a way I'm not familiar with. It's very awkward in English if translated directly. Η ασυνομία is in the nominative, so i'm looking for for a past tense verb here, but there's only να ειδοποιείται. (Source: Rogmes - Αντιμετωπίστε Έγκαιρα Το Αλτσχάιμερ Πίνοντας Τσάι Του Βουνού)


Μέχρι που τα τελευταία συμπτώματα ήταν να φεύγει ο θείος μου από το σπίτι χωρίς να ξέρει πως να γυρίσει. Να ειδοποιείται η αστυνομία μαζί με όλους εμάς τους συγγενείς για να τον ψάξουμε.


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## Tr05

It's true that not having infinitive and gerund forms may lead to wording that's not very pleasing to the eye, all the more if you're someone learning the language.

I'm changing the word order on purpose:

"... _ο θείος μου να φεύγει από το σπίτι..." 
(=... my uncle leaving the house...)_

(And, for that reason,)

_"...η αστυνομία να ειδοποιείται..."
(Lit.=... the police being notified...) _

The word_ "police"_ is, indeed, in the nominative case because the verb is in the passive voice:

_Ειδοποιώ = To notify
Ειδοποιούμαι = To be notified_


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## dukaine

Tr05 said:


> It's true that not having infinitive and gerund forms may lead to wording that's not very pleasing to the eye, all the more if you're someone learning the language.
> 
> I'm changing the word order on purpose:
> 
> "... _ο θείος μου να φεύγει από το σπίτι..."
> (=... my uncle leaving the house...)_
> 
> (And, for that reason,)
> 
> _"...η αστυνομία να ειδοποιείται..."
> (Lit.=... the police being notified...) _
> 
> The word_ "police"_ is, indeed, in the nominative case because the verb is in the passive voice:
> 
> _Ειδοποιώ = To notify
> Ειδοποιούμαι = To be notified_


Thanks so much, this is very helpful. English tends to put all the words in, conjunctions, a lot of punctuation, and I find Greek leaves those things out a lot. I love grammar, so having to just "feel" the meaning is tough! Thanks again!


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## διαφορετικός

I don't understand the sense of "Να" in "Να ειδοποιείται" in this context. Does it mean ...


Tr05 said:


> And, for that reason,


?

If so, it would be a bit of a surprise to me.


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## Tr05

διαφορετικός said:


> I don't understand the sense of "Να" in "Να ειδοποιείται" in this context. Does it mean ...
> 
> ?
> 
> If so, it would be a bit of a surprise to me.



No, I just wrote that because that was, more or less, the phrase implied.

The uncle left the house, which resulted in the police being notified by his family.

Nothing to do with "να", I just thought I'd mention the omitted phrase linking the two gerunds. It could very well be a similar one, it's not necessarily the exact one I chose.


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## διαφορετικός

Tr05 said:


> Nothing to do with "να", I just thought I'd mention the omitted phrase linking the two gerunds. It could very well be a similar one, it's not necessarily the exact one I chose.


Thank you for the clarification. But I still don't understand the function or meaning of "Να" here.
I think I understand the first "να": The last symptoms are my uncle leaving ...: "να" links "symptoms are" with "uncle leaving".
But I don't know what is linked with "police being informed", if anything. (I think "να" should link two verbs / clauses here, shouldn't it?)


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## Tr05

διαφορετικός said:


> But I don't know what is linked with "police being informed", if anything. (I think "να" should link two verbs / clauses here, shouldn't it?)



If I understand your question correctly, in that case "the police being notified" would be considered as the second of the uncles symptoms, which wouldn't make sense. So that's why I assumed there is an implied phrase linking the two sentences to one another.

The only function of "Να" is to help make up the gerund (because there's no other way in Modern Greek whatsoever). But, per se, it explains neither the aetiology nor the outcome of the aforementioned events.

The latest/last symptoms included my uncle leaving the house -> (And, because of that) -> The police is notified


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## Perseas

I'd like also to add that "να" is often used in narrations implying a dramatic tone. Maybe this is the case here.
In the OP sentence, "Να ειδοποιείται" could be replaced without problems with "Ειδοποιούνταν": _[...] η αστυνομία μαζί με όλους εμάς τους συγγενείς για να τον ψάξουμε._

Another example I found with the "διηγηματικό (narrative ?) να_"_: _Άμα τ' άκουσε αυτά η Μαρία, *να κλαίει, να φωνάζει, να τραβάει* τα μαλλιά της! (= έκλαιγε, φώναζε, τράβαγε τα μαλλιά της). _

Also:
*2)*Συνοδεύει υποτ. σε διηγήσεις ή περιγραφές περασμένων γεγονότων αντί οριστ. παρατ. (υποτ. διηγηματική):

να βγαίνουν από δυο μερές … να πιάνουν τους Αγαρηνούς (Τζάνε, Κρ. πόλ. 5321).
Or

|| σε διηγήσεις: _Tαλαιπωρηθήκαμε πολύ· και_ ~_ είναι και ο καιρός χάλια! Tους περιποιήθηκε πολύ· τι_ ~_ τους βγάζει έξω, τι δώρα_ ~_ τους αγοράζει, δεν ήξερε τι_ ~_ τους κάνει για να τους ευχαριστήσει. Aπό κει που ήταν φτωχός και κακόμοιρος, τώρα_ ~_ δείτε τι έγινε!_
Παράλληλη αναζήτηση (greek-language.gr)


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## Αγγελος

The construction is, admittedly, somewhat loose, but the meaning is "it got to the point where my uncle would leave home without knowing how to get back and the police would be called, along with the whole family, to look for him." Of course, having to call the police was not a _symptom_ of Uncle's condition, but his getting lost and the family's having to call the police were both part of the unpleasant situation caused by it.
A slightly more careful wording would have been Tα τελευταία συμπτώματα ήταν _ότι έφευγε_ ο θείος μου από το σπίτι χωρίς να ξέρει πως να γυρίσει _και έπρεπε ν_α ειδοποιείται η αστυνομία μαζί με όλους εμάς τους συγγενείς για να τον ψάξουμε.


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