Learn Hardcore Greek: Σκέφτομαι το μέλλον μου, αλλά και το παρελθόν, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι. - I think about my future, but also my past, even though sometimes I am afraid.

Σκέφτομαι already means “I think / I am thinking”.
The ending -μαι here clearly shows 1st person singular, so adding εγώ is not needed.

You can say Εγώ σκέφτομαι το μέλλον μου… for emphasis (like “I think about my future…”), but in neutral sentences Greek normally leaves out εγώ.

Why is it σκέφτομαι το μέλλον and not something like σκέφτομαι για το μέλλον for “I think about the future”?

In Greek, σκέφτομαι usually takes a direct object without a preposition:

σκέφτομαι κάτι = I think (about) something
- σκέφτομαι το μέλλον = I think about the future
- σκέφτομαι το παρελθόν = I think about the past

You can see σκέφτομαι για in colloquial speech, but:

σκέφτομαι το μέλλον is more standard and direct.
σκέφτομαι για το μέλλον can sometimes sound more like “I’m considering / I’m pondering the matter of the future”, slightly more vague or conversational.

For a learner, it’s safest to remember: > “think about X” = σκέφτομαι + [direct object in the accusative]

Why do we say το μέλλον μου for “my future” and not μου μέλλον?

In modern Greek, the possessive pronoun (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) normally comes after the noun, and the noun usually has the definite article before it:

το μέλλον μου = my future
το σπίτι σου = your house
η δουλειά του = his job

The pattern is: > [article] + [noun] + [possessive pronoun]

You do not say μου μέλλον in normal Greek. There are rare poetic or emphatic exceptions where the possessive can go before, but for everyday language, keep it after the noun with the article in front.

Why is the article το used with μέλλον and παρελθόν, when in English we just say “future” and “past” without “the”?

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English, especially:

With possessives: το μέλλον μου (literally “the future my”) = “my future”.
With abstract nouns used in a specific, concrete sense: το μέλλον, το παρελθόν.

In English, we often drop “the”, but in Greek it sounds more natural to keep the article:

Σκέφτομαι το μέλλον μου = I think about my future
(literally: I-think the future my)

So here the articles το are grammatical and expected, not optional decoration.

What exactly does αλλά και mean? Is it just “but” + “and”?

αλλά και is a very common combination that means roughly:

“but also”
sometimes “but even” (in an emphasizing sense)

In the sentence:

σκέφτομαι το μέλλον μου, αλλά και το παρελθόν
= “I think about my future, but also about the past.”

It does two things:

αλλά introduces a contrast with what came before.
και adds another item to the list.

So αλλά και together emphasises that we are not only talking about the first thing, but also about the second.

Could I say … αλλά το παρελθόν without και? Would it change the meaning?

You can say:

… σκέφτομαι το μέλλον μου, αλλά το παρελθόν …

but the nuance changes:

αλλά το παρελθόν = “but the past” (more of a contrast or opposition)
αλλά και το παρελθόν = “but also the past” (still connected/additional)

With αλλά το παρελθόν, it could sound like:

“I think about my future, but the past (I [do something else / treat differently]).”

With αλλά και το παρελθόν, it clearly means:

“I think about my future, and in addition I also think about the past.”

So for the meaning “future and also past”, αλλά και is the more accurate choice.

What does παρόλο που literally mean, and how is it different from αν και or παρ’ όλο που?

παρόλο που is a very common conjunction meaning:

“even though” / “although”

Literally it comes from παρ’ όλο που (“despite all that”) and is now very often written as one word: παρόλο που.

Comparisons:

παρόλο που φοβάμαι = even though I am afraid
αν και φοβάμαι = although I am afraid

In everyday speech:

παρόλο που and αν και are usually interchangeable in meaning.
παρόλο που is very common in spoken language.
αν και might feel slightly more “bookish” or neutral/formal, but is also frequent.

παρ’ όλο που is just a more “spelled out” version of παρόλο που. You can treat παρόλο που and παρ’ όλο που as equivalent for normal usage.

What is the role of που in παρόλο που? Is it the same που as in “the man who…”?

Historically, yes, it’s related to the same που that works like “that / who / which” in relative clauses. In modern Greek, though, in phrases like παρόλο που, που has become a fixed part of the conjunction:

παρόλο που = even though
πριν (από) που doesn’t exist; you need πριν (να), etc.

So in παρόλο που you don’t really analyze που separately; you just memorize the whole chunk παρόλο που as a unit meaning “even though”.

Why is μερικές φορές feminine plural nominative? What is its grammatical function?

μερικές φορές literally means:

μερικές = some, several, a few (feminine, plural, nominative/accusative)
φορές = times (feminine, plural, nominative/accusative)

Together: “a few times”, used idiomatically as “sometimes”.

Grammatically:

It started as a noun phrase (“a few times”).
In modern Greek it functions adverbially, modifying the verb, just like English “sometimes” or “occasionally”.

So in μερικές φορές φοβάμαι:

μερικές φορές works as an adverbial expression of frequency = “sometimes I am afraid.”

Can μερικές φορές go in a different place in the sentence, like μερικές φορές φοβάμαι or φοβάμαι μερικές φορές? Is there any nuance?

Yes, it is flexible. All of these are grammatically correct:

Μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
Φοβάμαι μερικές φορές.
Παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι… (as in your sentence)
Παρόλο που φοβάμαι μερικές φορές…

In practice:

Μερικές φορές φοβάμαι is probably the most neutral/common order in isolation.
Παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι slightly emphasizes “sometimes”.
Παρόλο που φοβάμαι μερικές φορές feels a bit less natural but still acceptable; the focus is more on φοβάμαι (“I am afraid”) and “μερικές φορές” is added almost as an afterthought.

Word order in Greek is quite flexible; changes usually affect emphasis, not grammar.

Both σκέφτομαι and φοβάμαι end in -μαι. What kind of verbs are these, and how are they conjugated?

These are mediopassive / deponent verbs in the present tense:

σκέφτομαι (I think)
φοβάμαι (I am afraid)

Features:

They use the middle‑passive endings (-μαι, -σαι, -ται, -όμαστε, -άστε / -είστε, -ονται).
They have active meaning (they’re not passive in English):
- σκέφτομαι = I think
- φοβάμαι = I fear / I am afraid

Present tense of σκέφτομαι:

(εγώ) σκέφτομαι
(εσύ) σκέφτεσαι
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) σκέφτεται
(εμείς) σκεφτόμαστε
(εσείς) σκέφτεστε
(αυτοί/ές/ά) σκέφτονται

Present tense of φοβάμαι:

(εγώ) φοβάμαι
(εσύ) φοβάσαι
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) φοβάται
(εμείς) φοβόμαστε
(εσείς) φοβάστε
(αυτοί/ές/ά) φοβούνται

There is no commonly used active form like σκέφω or φοβώ in the same sense, so you simply learn them in their -μαι form as the standard dictionary entry.

Can φοβάμαι take an object? How would I say “I’m afraid of the future”?

Yes, φοβάμαι can take a direct object in the accusative, or be followed by για or μη(ν) depending on meaning.

To say “I’m afraid of the future”:

Φοβάμαι το μέλλον.
(literally: “I fear the future”)

Other patterns:

Φοβάμαι για το μέλλον μου. = I am worried/afraid for my future.
Φοβάμαι μήπως αποτύχω. = I’m afraid (that) I might fail.

In your sentence it appears without an object:

μερικές φορές φοβάμαι = sometimes I am afraid (in general).

Why are both verbs in the simple present (σκέφτομαι, φοβάμαι)? Does Greek distinguish between “I think” and “I’m thinking” like English does?

Greek has one present tense that covers both:

“I think” (habitual/general)
“I am thinking” (right now / ongoing)

So σκέφτομαι can mean:

“I think (in general)”
“I am thinking (right now)”

Context decides which is meant.

In this sentence:

Σκέφτομαι το μέλλον μου, αλλά και το παρελθόν, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.

it most naturally expresses a general / habitual idea:

“I think about my future, but also about the past, although sometimes I am afraid.”

Greek does not need a separate continuous form to show this.

Is the comma before παρόλο που required in Greek? How does punctuation work with this conjunction?

In Greek, it is normal and recommended to put a comma before conjunctions that introduce a subordinate clause like παρόλο που, αν και, επειδή, etc.

So:

…, παρόλο που μερικές φορές φοβάμαι.
is good, clear punctuation.

You might see variation in informal writing, but in standard written Greek:

Use a comma before παρόλο που when it introduces a clause:
- Δεν σταματάω, παρόλο που είμαι κουρασμένος.
  = I don’t stop, even though I am tired.

How do you pronounce σκέφτομαι and παρόλο? Where is the stress?

Stress in Greek is marked by the accent (΄) on a vowel.

σκέφτομαι → stress on σκιΕ- (σκέ-):
- Rough phonetic: SKEF-to-meh
παρόλο → stress on -ρό-:
- Rough phonetic: pa-RO-lo

Syllable breakdown:

σκέφτομαι: σκέφ‑το‑μαι
παρόλο: πα‑ρό‑λο

In both cases, the syllable with the written accent is the one you pronounce more strongly.