Learn Hardcore Greek: Μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και δύο χρόνια και το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο τώρα. - I have been learning Greek for two years and my level is better now.

I learn Greek / I study Greek (generally)
I am learning Greek (now / these days)
I’ve been learning Greek (especially when combined with a time expression, like here).

In this sentence, the phrase εδώ και δύο χρόνια (= for two years now) clearly shows it’s an action that started in the past and continues up to now. English normally uses “I’ve been learning” for that idea, but Greek is fine with just the simple present Μαθαίνω.

What exactly does εδώ και δύο χρόνια mean, and why does it translate as “for two years”?

εδώ και δύο χρόνια literally looks like “here and two years”, but as an expression it means:

for two years now / for the last two years

Usage:

εδώ και + time period = “for (time) now”, an action that started in the past and is still going on now.

Examples:

Μένω στην Αθήνα εδώ και πέντε χρόνια.
→ I’ve been living in Athens for five years.
Τον ξέρω εδώ και πολύ καιρό.
→ I’ve known him for a long time.

It’s very close in meaning to English present perfect (continuous).
You cannot translate it word‑for‑word; you have to treat εδώ και as a fixed time expression.

Could I say για δύο χρόνια instead of εδώ και δύο χρόνια? What’s the difference?

They’re not always interchangeable.

εδώ και δύο χρόνια
→ for two years now (started in the past, continues up to now).
για δύο χρόνια
→ usually for two years as a finished or limited period, often in the past or future.

Compare:

Μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και δύο χρόνια.
→ I’ve been learning Greek for two years (and I still am).
Έμαθα ελληνικά για δύο χρόνια.
→ I learned Greek for two years (but I’m not learning it anymore).

So for ongoing actions up to the present, εδώ και is the natural choice in modern Greek.

Why do we use the present tense (Μαθαίνω) and not something like a perfect tense (έχω μάθει) to match “I’ve been learning”?

Greek doesn’t have a present perfect continuous like English (I have been learning). Instead:

It uses the present tense plus a time expression like εδώ και δύο χρόνια to show the action started in the past and continues now.

έχω μάθει ελληνικά literally means:

I have learned Greek / I have mastered Greek (the result: you know it now).

But Μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και δύο χρόνια focuses on:

the process of learning
its duration up to now.

So the Greek present + εδώ και corresponds best to English “I’ve been learning…”.

Why is ελληνικά in the plural? Does it mean “Greeks”?

ελληνικά here is neuter plural, but in this context it means “Greek (the language)”.

In Greek:

τα ελληνικά = the Greek language
Μαθαίνω ελληνικά. = I’m learning Greek.

It comes from the adjective ελληνικός, -ή, -ό (Greek). The neuter plural often refers to:

abstract nouns (e.g. τα ελληνικά, τα μαθηματικά = mathematics)
fields of study, disciplines, languages.

So in this sentence, ελληνικά is “Greek (language)”, not “Greek people”.

Why is there no article before ελληνικά? Why not τα ελληνικά?

You can say Μαθαίνω τα ελληνικά, but in this context the article is usually omitted.

With languages after verbs like:

μαθαίνω (learn)
μιλάω (speak)
ξέρω (know)

modern Greek often drops the article when we speak generally:

Μαθαίνω ελληνικά. = I’m learning Greek.
Μιλάω αγγλικά. = I speak English.
Ξέρω γαλλικά. = I know French.

You might see the article:

for emphasis,
in certain structures (e.g. τα ελληνικά μου είναι καλά = my Greek is good).

But in your sentence, the most natural form is Μαθαίνω ελληνικά (no article).

What case and number is χρόνια in δύο χρόνια, and why is that form used?

χρόνια here is:

accusative plural neuter of χρόνος (year).

After numbers indicating duration, Greek usually uses the accusative plural:

δύο χρόνια = (for) two years
τρεις μέρες = three days
πέντε ώρες = five hours

So εδώ και δύο χρόνια literally is “for two years (now)”, with χρόνια in the accusative plural, which is the standard form for time duration.

Why do we say το επίπεδό μου and not μου το επίπεδο or το μου επίπεδο?

Greek possessive pronouns like μου work differently from English “my”:

The typical structure is:
article + noun + possessive pronoun (unaccented)
→ το επίπεδό μου = my level
→ το βιβλίο μου = my book
You cannot put μου before the noun like English:
✗ μου το επίπεδο or ✗ το μου επίπεδο for “my level” (these are wrong in standard modern Greek).

So the correct pattern is exactly what you see:
το επίπεδό μου.

Why does επίπεδο get an extra accent in το επίπεδό μου?

επίπεδο alone is stressed on the third‑from‑last syllable (proparoxytone):

ε‑ΠΙ‑πε‑δο

Greek has a rule for proparoxytone words followed by enclitic pronouns (like μου, σου, του):

If a proparoxytone is followed by an enclitic, it gets a second accent on the final syllable to keep the word’s original stress audible.

So:

το επίπεδο → one accent on ΠΙ
το επίπεδό μου → two accents: main on ΠΙ, extra on δό.

Other examples:

το όνομα → το όνομά μου (my name)
το γράμμα → το γράμμα σου (no extra accent, because γράμμα is paroxytone, stress on the second‑to‑last syllable).

So the extra accent in επίπεδό is a normal spelling rule when adding μου.

Why is καλύτερο used instead of something like πιο καλό for “better”?

καλύτερος, -η, -ο is the regular comparative form of καλός (good):

καλός → καλύτερος = good → better

So:

το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο = my level is better.

You can also say πιο καλό in many cases, and people will understand you, but:

καλύτερος is the standard, idiomatic comparative.
πιο καλός often sounds less natural or more colloquial when there is an established comparative form like καλύτερος.

So καλύτερο is the best choice here.

Why is καλύτερο in the neuter form? How does it agree with επίπεδο?

Adjectives in Greek agree with the noun they describe in:

gender
number
case

επίπεδο is:

neuter
singular
nominative (subject of the sentence)

So the adjective must also be:

neuter singular nominative → καλύτερο

That’s why we say:

το επίπεδο είναι καλό / καλύτερο (neuter).
η γλώσσα είναι καλή / καλύτερη (feminine).
ο μαθητής είναι καλός / καλύτερος (masculine).

Can τώρα go somewhere else in the sentence, or must it be at the end?

τώρα (now) is fairly flexible in word order. All of these are grammatically correct:

Μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και δύο χρόνια και το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο τώρα.
Μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και δύο χρόνια και τώρα το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο.
Τώρα μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και δύο χρόνια και το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο. (less natural, a bit clumsy)

The most natural options are:

…και το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο τώρα. (as in your sentence)
…και τώρα το επίπεδό μου είναι καλύτερο.

Greek often places time adverbs like τώρα either:

right before the verb, or
at the end of the clause, as in your example.