Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

Even though in the past I made many mistakes, I continue to learn.

Breakdown of Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

• να: to
• πολύς: many
• μαθαίνω: to learn
• κάνω: to make
• συνεχίζω: to continue
• παρόλο που: even though
• στο παρελθόν: in the past
• το λάθος: the mistake

Questions & Answers about Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

What does παρόλο που mean, and is it the same as although / even though in English?

Παρόλο που is a conjunction that means “although / even though / even if”. It introduces a contrast with what follows.

In this sentence:

• Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη
  = Although / Even though I made many mistakes in the past

It is very close in meaning to English although or even though, and is used in the same way: it sets up something that might be expected to stop the main action, but actually doesn’t.

You can think of it as:
Παρόλο που = despite the fact that / even though.

Can I use something else instead of παρόλο που, like αν και or παρά το ότι? Are there differences?

Yes, there are common alternatives:

• Αν και στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.
• Παρά το ότι στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

They are all grammatical and natural.

Nuances (very small in everyday speech):

• Παρόλο που and παρά το ότι feel a bit more formal/explicitly concessive (despite the fact that).
• Αν και is often a bit shorter and may feel slightly more neutral (although).

In practice, for most everyday contexts, you can treat them as near‑synonyms here.

Why is there a που after παρόλο? Isn’t που usually “who/that/which”?

You’re right that που can be a relative pronoun (who/that/which), but in modern Greek it is also:

• a very common part of compound conjunctions, like
  
  • παρόλο που – although / even though
  • ενώ που (less common)
  • επειδή που (in dialects)

In παρόλο που, the combination παρόλο + που works together as one unit meaning although / even though. You don’t analyze που here as “who/that”; it is just part of the fixed expression.

You cannot drop it:
❌ Παρόλο έκανα πολλά λάθη… – ungrammatical
✅ Παρόλο που έκανα πολλά λάθη… – correct

What tense is έκανα and how would you translate it?

Έκανα is the simple past (aorist) form of the verb κάνω (to do / to make).

• κάνω – I do / I make
• έκανα – I did / I made

In this sentence:

• έκανα πολλά λάθη = I made many mistakes

Context suggests repeated or general mistakes in the past (not just one occasion), but Greek uses έκανα here very naturally for “made” in the general sense.

Could we say έχω κάνει πολλά λάθη instead of έκανα πολλά λάθη? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say it, but the nuance changes.

• Έκανα πολλά λάθη
  Focuses on the past time itself:
  I made many mistakes (back then).

• Έχω κάνει πολλά λάθη (present perfect)
  Focuses more on the result / experience up to now:
  I have made many mistakes (in my life / until now).

With στο παρελθόν (“in the past”), έκανα is slightly more natural, because you are clearly referring to a finished period in the past.

Where is the subject “I” in this sentence? Why is εγώ missing?

Greek usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person.

• έκανα ends in -α here and in this context is 1st person singular past: I did / I made.
• συνεχίζω with ending -ω is 1st person singular present: I continue.

So:

• (Εγώ) έκανα πολλά λάθη = I made many mistakes
• (Εγώ) συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω = I continue to learn

You can add εγώ for emphasis:

• Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν εγώ έκανα πολλά λάθη, εγώ συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

But in normal speech, it’s dropped.

What does στο παρελθόν literally mean? Is στο one word or two?

Στο παρελθόν literally means “in the past”.

• σε = in, at, to
• το = the (neuter singular article)
• σε + το → στο

So στο is a contraction of two words (σε + το), written as one.

• παρελθόν = past (as a noun, neuter)

So:

• στο παρελθόν = in the past

Can I change the word order, for example move στο παρελθόν or πολλά λάθη?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible.

All of these are grammatical and natural:

• Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.
• Παρόλο που έκανα πολλά λάθη στο παρελθόν, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.
• Στο παρελθόν, παρόλο που έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω. (less usual but possible with different emphasis)

Small nuance:

• Putting στο παρελθόν near έκανα makes it clear that the “making mistakes” happened in the past, not the “continuing to learn”.

Why is it πολλά λάθη without an article? Shouldn’t it be like “the many mistakes”?

In Greek, when you have a quantity word like:

• πολλά – many
• λίγα – few
• μερικά – some

you normally do not use the article for a general, indefinite meaning.

So:

• έκανα πολλά λάθη = I made many mistakes (general, not specific)
  (no article – just like English)

If you wanted to refer to specific, known mistakes, you could hear:

• έκανα τα πολλά λάθη – I made the many mistakes
  (very marked, unusual – would need a special context)

In normal speech, πολλά λάθη is just “many mistakes”, indefinite.

What is the singular of λάθη, and what gender is it?

• Singular: λάθος – mistake, error
• Plural: λάθη

It is neuter.

Declension (common forms):

• το λάθος – the mistake
• του λάθους – of the mistake
• τα λάθη – the mistakes
• των λαθών – of the mistakes

In the sentence, πολλά λάθη is neuter plural accusative (direct object of έκανα).

Why is it συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω and not just συνεχίζω μαθαίνω or συνεχίζω να μάθω?

Modern Greek does not use an infinitive like English “to learn”.
Instead, it uses να + verb.

1. συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω

   • συνεχίζω = I continue
   • να μαθαίνω = (to) be learning / to learn (in a continuous way)

   So together: I continue to learn / I keep learning.

2. ✖ συνεχίζω μαθαίνω – wrong. With συνεχίζω, you must have να before the verb.

3. ✖ συνεχίζω να μάθω – wrong.
   After συνεχίζω, Greek requires the imperfective form (μαθαίνω), not the aorist (μάθω).
   The idea is ongoing, repeated, or continuous learning, not a single completed act.

So the only natural option here is:

• ✅ συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω

Why is μαθαίνω in the present (imperfective) while έκανα is in the past? How do the aspects work together?

The contrast is intentional:

• έκανα – past action: I made mistakes (back then).
• συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω – present ongoing: I am still learning now / I keep learning.

Greek uses:

• past (aorist) for the completed background: έκανα πολλά λάθη.
• present + να + imperfective verb for an ongoing process or repeated action: συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

The sentence contrasts past mistakes with ongoing learning in the present.

Why is there a comma after λάθη? Is the punctuation like English?

Yes, the comma here works very similarly to English.

• Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη, συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω.

You have:

• a subordinate clause introduced by παρόλο που
  (Παρόλο που στο παρελθόν έκανα πολλά λάθη)
• followed by the main clause
  (συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω)

Greek usually puts a comma between a long initial subordinate clause and the main clause, just as English does in:

• “Although I made many mistakes in the past, I continue to learn.”