Learn Hardcore Greek: Την προηγούμενη χρονιά ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος, αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός. - The previous year I was very disappointed, but now I feel strong.

Την προηγούμενη χρονιά ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος, αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.

The previous year I was very disappointed, but now I feel strong.

Breakdown of Την προηγούμενη χρονιά ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος, αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Greek grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Greek now

Questions & Answers about Την προηγούμενη χρονιά ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος, αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.

Why does the sentence start with Την προηγούμενη χρονιά in the accusative case?

In Greek, expressions of time are often put in the accusative without a preposition.

Την προηγούμενη χρονιά literally is “the previous year” in the accusative.
It answers the question πότε; (when?) → When was I very disappointed?

So instead of saying something like “σε την προηγούμενη χρονιά”, Greek just uses the accusative:

Την προηγούμενη χρονιά ήμουν… = Last year I was…

What’s the difference between χρονιά and χρόνος?

Both can mean “year”, but they’re used a bit differently:

η χρονιά
- More informal / everyday.
- Often used about a specific year as a period in your life:
  - Πέρασα δύσκολη χρονιά. – I had a difficult year.
  - Την προηγούμενη χρονιά – Last year (the previous year).
ο χρόνος
- Can mean time in general or a year.
- More neutral, sometimes more formal.
- Examples:
  - Ο χρόνος περνάει γρήγορα. – Time passes quickly.
  - Κάθε χρόνο – Every year.

In this sentence, χρονιά feels more natural because we’re talking about a personal period (“last year in my life, as an experience”).

Why do we need the article Την in Την προηγούμενη χρονιά?

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

Before specific time periods:
- Τον περασμένο μήνα – last month
- Την προηγούμενη εβδομάδα – the previous week

Here Την προηγούμενη χρονιά literally is “the previous year”, but it translates naturally as “last year” in English, which usually drops the article.

So the article Την is normal and required in Greek, even though English doesn’t show it.

Why is it ήμουν and not just something like είμαι στο παρελθόν?

Ήμουν is the imperfect past tense of the verb είμαι (to be):

είμαι – I am
ήμουν – I was

Greek doesn’t use a helper like “did be” or “was being”; it has a separate past form:

Φέτος είμαι χαρούμενος. – This year I am happy.
Πέρσι ήμουν απογοητευμένος. – Last year I was disappointed.

So ήμουν is simply the correct past form of είμαι.

Can I also say ήμουνα instead of ήμουν?

Yes. Ήμουνα is a colloquial / informal variant of ήμουν:

ήμουν – more neutral, standard
ήμουνα – more conversational, very common in speech

Both mean “I was” and are understood everywhere. In writing, ήμουν is usually preferred, but ήμουνα is not wrong in informal contexts.

Why is απογοητευμένος masculine? Would a woman say the same?

Απογοητευμένος is a past participle used as an adjective, and in Greek adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun or the (understood) subject.

In this sentence, the subject is (εγώ) – which is masculine in the speaker’s mind:

A man would say:
- Ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος.
A woman would say:
- Ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένη.

Forms:

Masculine: απογοητευμένος
Feminine: απογοητευμένη
Neuter: απογοητευμένο

The same applies to δυνατός later in the sentence.

Why is πολύ before απογοητευμένος? Can it go after?

Πολύ means “very” here and works as an adverb modifying the adjective:

πολύ απογοητευμένος – very disappointed

The natural word order in Greek is:

πολύ + adjective
- πολύ χαρούμενος – very happy
- πολύ κουρασμένος – very tired

You would not normally say απογοητευμένος πολύ for “very disappointed” in this context. That would sound marked or odd. Put πολύ before the adjective when it means “very”.

What’s the difference between νιώθω and αισθάνομαι?

Both can mean “I feel”, and in many cases they’re interchangeable:

Τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.
Τώρα αισθάνομαι δυνατός.

Both mean: Now I feel strong.

General tendencies (but not strict rules):

νιώθω
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Slightly shorter, more informal.
αισθάνομαι
- Can sound a bit more formal or emotional in some contexts.

In this sentence, νιώθω is completely natural and very common.

Why is it νιώθω δυνατός and not something like είμαι δυνατός?

Both are correct but have slightly different meanings:

είμαι δυνατός – I am strong (a state, a fact about you)
νιώθω δυνατός – I feel strong (your internal perception right now)

The sentence contrasts:

ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος – I was very disappointed
νιώθω δυνατός – I feel strong (now)

So using νιώθω emphasizes the change in how you experience yourself, not just a neutral description.

Why do we use αλλά and not και between the two parts of the sentence?

αλλά = but (contrast)
και = and (addition)

The sentence expresses a contrast between past and present:

Past: ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος – I was very disappointed
Present: τώρα νιώθω δυνατός – now I feel strong

Because these two ideas oppose each other, Greek uses αλλά:

…ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος, αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.
– …I was very disappointed, but now I feel strong.

Why is τώρα in the middle: αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός, and not at the end?

In Greek, adverbs of time like τώρα (now) often appear:

before the verb:
- Τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.
or at the beginning of the whole sentence:
- Τώρα, νιώθω δυνατός.

Putting τώρα in the middle (αλλά τώρα νιώθω…) is the most natural word order here.

You could technically say …νιώθω δυνατός τώρα, but it’s less common in this particular contrast; the emphasized rhythm is usually:

αλλά τώρα νιώθω… (but now I feel…)

Is there a shorter or more common way to say Την προηγούμενη χρονιά?

Yes, very commonly Greek speakers say:

Πέρσι – last year

So you could also say:

Πέρσι ήμουν πολύ απογοητευμένος, αλλά τώρα νιώθω δυνατός.

Both are correct:

Την προηγούμενη χρονιά… – a bit more descriptive / explicit
Πέρσι… – short and very common in everyday speech.