Learn Hardcore Greek: Προσπαθώ καθημερινά να χαμογελάω στους ανθρώπους, παρόλο που μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος. - I try daily to smile at people, even though on some days I am sad.

να χαμογελάω (imperfective) = focusing on an ongoing, repeated, or habitual action:
“I try to be smiling / to keep smiling / to smile in general (as a habit).”
να χαμογελάσω (aorist) = focusing on a single, complete action:
“I try to (manage to) smile (once / in a specific situation).”

In this sentence, the speaker is describing a habitual effort (every day, as a general attitude), so να χαμογελάω is the natural choice. If you used να χαμογελάσω, it would sound more like “I try to manage to smile (at least once)” rather than having a general positive attitude towards people.

What tense or mood is χαμογελάω here after να?

Formally, να χαμογελάω is the present subjunctive (imperfective aspect).

However, in Modern Greek:

The present indicative and present subjunctive often look the same (like χαμογελάω).
You know it’s subjunctive because it follows να.

So grammatically: να χαμογελάω = present subjunctive, imperfective aspect.
Functionally: “to smile (regularly / as an ongoing behavior).”

What is the difference between καθημερινά and κάθε μέρα?

Both mean “every day / daily”, and in this sentence they are essentially interchangeable:

Προσπαθώ καθημερινά να χαμογελάω...
Προσπαθώ κάθε μέρα να χαμογελάω...

Nuances:

καθημερινά is an adverb meaning “daily,” slightly more compact and maybe a touch more formal or “adverb-like.”
κάθε μέρα literally “each day,” very common and neutral.

You can use either in everyday speech without a real difference in meaning.

Why is καθημερινά placed after προσπαθώ? Could it go somewhere else?

Yes, adverbs like καθημερινά are quite flexible in Greek. Common options:

Προσπαθώ καθημερινά να χαμογελάω...
Καθημερινά προσπαθώ να χαμογελάω...
Προσπαθώ να χαμογελάω καθημερινά...

All are correct. The version in the sentence:

Προσπαθώ καθημερινά να χαμογελάω...

puts a slight emphasis on how often the trying happens (I try every single day), but the differences are subtle. It’s mostly a matter of style and rhythm.

What exactly is στους in στους ανθρώπους?

Στους is a contraction of:

σε (preposition “to / at / in / on”)
τους
(definite article, masculine plural accusative)

So:

στους ανθρώπους = σε + τους ανθρώπους = “to the people.”

Modern Greek no longer has a separate dative case, so σε + accusative is used instead for indirect objects (“to/for someone”). Here, it means “I try to smile to people / at people.”

Why is it στους ανθρώπους and not just σε ανθρώπους?

You could say σε ανθρώπους, but it sounds more indefinite, like “to some people.”

στους ανθρώπους (with the article) here sounds more like:
- “to people (in general),” “to other people,” “to the people around me.”
σε ανθρώπους could sound more like:
- “to people” in a vague, non-specific way, often in contrast to something else.

In everyday speech, when you mean “to people” in general, στους ανθρώπους is very normal and idiomatic.

What is the nuance of μερικές μέρες? Is it like “sometimes”?

Yes, μερικές μέρες literally means “some days.”

μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος = “on some days I am sad.”

It’s very close in meaning to English “some days” or “on certain days.”
It overlaps with “sometimes”, but:

μερικές μέρες emphasizes specific days (even if we don’t know which).
A more direct “sometimes” is μερικές φορές (“some times”).

So μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος = “There are days when I’m sad.”

Could I say κάποιες μέρες instead of μερικές μέρες?

Yes, both are correct and very common:

μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος
κάποιες μέρες είμαι λυπημένος

Both mean “some days I am sad.”
Nuances (often very small and context-dependent):

μερικές μέρες: neutral “some days.”
κάποιες μέρες: can sound slightly more vague or “certain days,” sometimes with a hint that the speaker doesn’t want to specify which.

In most contexts, they are interchangeable.

Why is it είμαι λυπημένος and not a verb like λυπάμαι?

είμαι λυπημένος = “I am sad.”
- λυπημένος is an adjective (“sad”), here masculine singular.
- Describes your emotional state as a condition.
λυπάμαι = “I am sorry / I feel sorry / I regret / I feel pity.”
- This verb is often used:
  - to apologize: Λυπάμαι = “I’m sorry.”
  - to feel sorry for someone: Λυπάμαι αυτό το παιδί = “I feel sorry for that child.”

So for “I’m sad (emotionally, as my state),” είμαι λυπημένος is the most natural.
λυπάμαι would sound more like “I’m sorry (for something)” or “I feel pity.”

Why is λυπημένος in the masculine form? What if a woman is speaking?

Λυπημένος is the masculine singular form of the adjective:

Masculine: λυπημένος
Feminine: λυπημένη
Neuter: λυπημένο

So:

A man would say: Είμαι λυπημένος. (“I am sad.”)
A woman would say: Είμαι λυπημένη.

In your sentence, λυπημένος implies that the speaker is male. To make it gender-neutral in writing, you could show both:
μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος/λυπημένη.

What does παρόλο που mean, and is it the same as αν και?

παρόλο που means “although / even though / despite the fact that.”

παρόλο που μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος
= “even though some days I am sad.”

It introduces a contrast (concession):
“I try to smile at people, even though sometimes I’m sad.”

Yes, it is very close to αν και, which also means “although / even though.”
For example:

Προσπαθώ... αν και μερικές μέρες είμαι λυπημένος.

Both are correct. παρόλο που is very common and maybe a bit more emphatic in everyday speech.

I’ve seen παρόλο and παρ’ όλο. Which one is correct?

Today, the usual spelling in continuous text is:

παρόλο που

Historically, it comes from παρ’ όλο (που) = “despite all (that).”
You may still see παρ’ όλο που in more careful or older writing, but in modern everyday Greek:

παρόλο που is completely standard and very widespread.

Both forms mean the same thing: “although / even though.”

What is the difference between χαμογελάω and χαμογελώ?

They are two forms of the same verb: “to smile.”

χαμογελάω (more colloquial/modern)
χαμογελώ (a bit more formal/literary, but still used)

Conjugation pattern:

1st person singular: χαμογελάω or χαμογελώ
2nd person singular: χαμογελάς or χαμογελάς (same)
3rd person singular: χαμογελάει or χαμογελά
etc.

In everyday speech, χαμογελάω is probably more common, so να χαμογελάω στους ανθρώπους sounds very natural.

Why is ανθρώπους plural? Could it be singular like “to the person”?

Here, στους ανθρώπους (plural) means “to people” in general:

Προσπαθώ ... να χαμογελάω στους ανθρώπους
= “I try to smile at people (in general / at others).”

If you wanted singular, you’d say:

στον άνθρωπο = “to the person” (one specific person)
- Προσπαθώ να χαμογελάω στον άνθρωπο. (less natural unless context is very specific)

The plural is used here to talk about people in general, not one particular person.