Learn Hardcore Greek: Σου δίνω ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ, αλλά πρέπει κι εσύ να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου. - I give you whatever help I can, but you also have to get used to studying by yourself.

So σου is in its normal clitic position in front of δίνω. Saying δίνω σου is generally wrong in modern standard Greek (except in some special emphatic or dialectal structures).

Is the σου in σου δίνω the same as the σου in μόνος σου?

They look the same but function differently.

σου in σου δίνω = indirect object pronoun
- Means “to you”
- Unstressed/clitic, placed before the verb:
  - Σου δίνω ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ. = I give you whatever help I can.
σου in μόνος σου = possessive pronoun (your) used adverbially
- Literally: “alone of-you” → “by yourself / on your own”
- Here it agrees with the subject and forms a fixed expression:
  - μόνος σου (masc. sg.)
  - μόνη σου (fem. sg.)
  - μόνοι σας (masc. pl. formal/you all) etc.

So same word form, two roles:

σου = “to you” (object pronoun) in σου δίνω
σου = “your” (possessive, but functioning adverbially) in μόνος σου

What exactly does ό,τι mean here, and why is there a comma?

ό,τι (with comma) is an indefinite/relative pronoun meaning “whatever / anything that / all that”.

In ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ, it means:

“whatever help (I can)”
→ “as much help as I can”

The comma is part of the spelling that distinguishes:

ό,τι = “whatever, anything that”
ότι = “that” as a conjunction introducing a clause (similar to English “that” in “I think that…”).

Examples:

Κάνω ό,τι μπορώ. = I do whatever I can.
Ξέρω ότι έχεις δίκιο. = I know that you are right.

So here ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ = “whatever help I can (give)”.

Why is there no article before βοήθεια? Could we say ό,τι τη βοήθεια μπορώ?

In this sentence βοήθεια is used like “help” in English, in a general/indefinite sense: “some help / any help”.

ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ = whatever (amount of) help I can

When Greek uses a noun in a very general, non-specific, mass-like way, it often omits the article:

Θέλω βοήθεια. = I need help.
Ζητάει δουλειά. = He is looking for work.

ό,τι τη βοήθεια μπορώ is not natural. The article τη would wrongly make it sound specific (“that particular help”), which doesn’t fit the sense of ό,τι (“whatever / any”).

You can make it more explicit in a different way:

Σου δίνω όση βοήθεια μπορώ. = I give you as much help as I can.

But ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ without an article is the natural phrasing here.

Why is μπορώ (“I can”) at the end of ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ? What is understood but not said?

The full, “complete” idea would be something like:

Σου δίνω ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ να δώσω.
= I give you whatever help I can give.

Greek often omits a repeated verb when it is clear from context. Here δίνω (give) is understood again in the relative clause:

ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ (να δώσω)
“whatever help I can (give)”

So μπορώ at the end is completing the idea “I am able to (give)”, with να δώσω left out as obvious and therefore not needed in natural speech.

What does πρέπει mean here, and why do we use να συνηθίσεις after it instead of just συνηθίζεις?

πρέπει is an impersonal modal verb meaning “must / have to / it is necessary (that)”.

Typical pattern:

πρέπει να + subjunctive
= must / have to + verb

So:

πρέπει να συνηθίσεις = you must get used (to)

We do not say πρέπει συνηθίζεις. After πρέπει, modern Greek normally requires να + subjunctive:

Πρέπει να φύγω. = I must leave.
Πρέπει να διαβάσουμε. = We have to study.

Using συνηθίζεις without να would change the structure: συνηθίζεις is a normal finite verb “you get used / you are used to”, not something governed by πρέπει.

What is the form συνηθίσεις (tense/aspect/mood), and how is it different from συνηθίζεις?

συνηθίσεις is:

2nd person singular
aorist subjunctive
of the verb συνηθίζω (“to get used (to)”)

Comparisons:

συνηθίζεις = present indicative (“you get used / you are used to”)
να συνηθίζεις = present subjunctive, ongoing process (“you keep being used to / you are usually used to”)
να συνηθίσεις = aorist subjunctive, a single change of state (“that you get used (once, become used)”)

In this sentence:

να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου
= “to get used to reading by yourself”

The idea is not “you must be in the habit of being used…” but rather “you must reach the point where you are used to studying alone”. That transition / change is expressed by the aorist subjunctive.

Is it normal in Greek to have two να clauses in a row like να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις?

Yes, this is very common and natural.

Structure:

πρέπει [να συνηθίσεις] [να διαβάζεις μόνος σου].

The verb συνηθίζω typically takes another να + verb to indicate what you get used to doing:

Συνηθίζω να ξυπνάω νωρίς. = I am used to waking up early.
Θέλω να συνηθίσω να μιλάω ελληνικά. = I want to get used to speaking Greek.

So here:

να συνηθίσεις (first να-clause, governed by πρέπει)
να διαβάζεις μόνος σου (second να-clause, governed by συνηθίσεις)

It may feel like “double να” in English terms, but Greek handles nested να-clauses very freely.

Why is it κι εσύ and not just και εσύ? What’s the difference?

κι is simply a shortened form of και (“and / also”), used:

Before vowels, to make pronunciation smoother:
- και εγώ → κι εγώ
- και εσύ → κι εσύ
Often also for a slightly stronger, more emotional emphasis in speech, though this is subtle and context-dependent.

In your sentence:

…αλλά πρέπει κι εσύ να συνηθίσεις…
= “…but you too must get used to…”

You could say και εσύ instead; κι εσύ is just the natural, flowing form before a vowel and carries the nuance “you as well / you too”.

Why is εσύ explicitly mentioned? Could we just say πρέπει να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου?

You could say it without εσύ, and it would still be grammatically correct:

…αλλά πρέπει να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου.

However, εσύ adds emphasis on the subject: you in contrast to someone else, or in addition to someone else.

Given the first part:

Σου δίνω ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ, αλλά πρέπει κι εσύ…
= I’m giving you whatever help I can, but you too must get used to studying on your own.

Here κι εσύ emphasizes:

“I’m doing my part; you also have to do yours.”

So εσύ is not necessary grammatically, but very natural stylistically to show that contrast.

Why is it να διαβάζεις (present) and not να διαβάσεις (aorist)? What nuance does that give?

διαβάζεις here (after να) is present subjunctive (same form as present indicative). The choice of present vs aorist in the subjunctive gives an aspectual nuance:

να διαβάσεις (aorist subj.) = one action, a single instance: “to read/study (once, at some point)”
να διαβάζεις (present subj.) = ongoing, repeated, habitual: “to be studying, to study regularly”

Since the idea is getting used to the habit of studying alone, the continuous/habitual aspect is appropriate:

να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου
= “to get used to studying regularly on your own.”

If you said να συνηθίσεις να διαβάσεις μόνος σου, it would sound more like “get used to studying by yourself (once)”, which does not match the intended idea of an ongoing habit.

How does μόνος σου work grammatically, and how would it change for a female or for plural?

μόνος σου literally is:

μόνος = alone (adjective: masc. sg.)
σου = your (possessive pronoun)

Together they form an adverbial expression meaning “by yourself / on your own”, agreeing in gender and number with the subject.

Forms:

Singular:

(masc.) Εσύ πρέπει να διαβάζεις μόνος σου. = You (male) must study by yourself.
(fem.) Εσύ πρέπει να διαβάζεις μόνη σου. = You (female) must study by yourself.

Plural:

(masc. or mixed) plural: Πρέπει να διαβάζετε μόνοι σας. = You (pl.) must study on your own.
(all-female) plural: Πρέπει να διαβάζετε μὀνες σας. = You (pl. females) must study on your own.

So the adjective (μόνος/μόνη/μόνοι/μόνες) changes to match the person and gender of “you”, while σου/σας changes for singular vs plural “you”.

Could the sentence be phrased differently, for example with όση βοήθεια or changing the word order, without changing the meaning much?

Yes, there are several natural variants with very similar meaning. For example:

Σου δίνω όση βοήθεια μπορώ, αλλά πρέπει κι εσύ να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου.
- όση βοήθεια = “as much help as (I can)”
- More explicit quantification, but same basic meaning.
Σου δίνω ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ, αλλά κι εσύ πρέπει να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου.
- Moves κι εσύ before πρέπει.
- Slight change in rhythm; emphasis is still on “you also”.
Δίνω ό,τι βοήθεια μπορώ, αλλά πρέπει κι εσύ να συνηθίσεις να διαβάζεις μόνος σου.
- Drops the first σου. This becomes more general: “I give whatever help I can”, not explicitly “to you”, though “you” is still understood from context.

All of these are grammatically correct; the original phrasing is a very natural and typical way to express this idea in modern Greek.