Breakdown of Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω πιο συχνά, ακόμα κι αν κάνω λάθη.
Questions & Answers about Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω πιο συχνά, ακόμα κι αν κάνω λάθη.
με is the unstressed object pronoun meaning “me” (direct object).
- Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει = The teacher advises me.
- Η δασκάλα = the teacher (subject)
- με = me (object)
- συμβουλεύει = advises
In Greek, these unstressed pronouns usually go before the verb in simple sentences:
- με συμβουλεύει = she advises me
- τον βλέπω = I see him
- τη ρωτάμε = we ask her
They can go after the verb in some cases (imperatives, some questions, etc.), but in a normal declarative sentence like this, the correct position is before the verb.
Greek usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person:
- συμβουλεύει is 3rd person singular: he/she/it advises.
- The subject Η δασκάλα (“the teacher”) tells us who is doing the action, so αυτή (“she”) is not necessary.
You can say Αυτή η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει, but that emphasizes “this teacher” specifically, often in contrast to others. In most neutral sentences, Greek will not use a separate “she” when there is already a clear noun subject.
συμβουλεύει comes from the verb συμβουλεύω = to advise, to give advice to.
- Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει = The teacher advises me / gives me advice.
- Direct object: με, σε συμβουλεύω, τον συμβουλεύω.
- You can also add what the advice is about with να
- verb:
- με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω = she advises me to speak
- verb:
It corresponds closely to English “advise”, and it is transitive: you almost always advise someone to do something.
Greek distinguishes aspect in the subjunctive:
- να μιλάω → imperfective aspect (ongoing, repeated, habitual action)
- to be speaking / to speak regularly / to keep speaking
- να μιλήσω → perfective aspect (one whole event, single or complete action)
- to speak (once), to say something (this time)
In this sentence:
με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω πιο συχνά
= she advises me to speak more often (in general, as a habit)
Because the idea is repeated, ongoing behavior (“more often”), the imperfective μιλάω is correct and natural.
If you said να μιλήσω, it would sound more like she is advising you to speak (this particular time / in one instance), which does not match “more often”.
Both μιλάω and μιλώ are correct present forms of the same verb μιλώ / μιλάω = to speak, to talk.
- μιλάω is slightly more colloquial and very common in everyday speech.
- μιλώ sounds a bit more formal or neutral, more often seen in writing, but also used in speech.
Meaning-wise here, they are the same:
- να μιλάω πιο συχνά
- να μιλώ πιο συχνά
Both mean: to speak more often.
συχνά is an adverb = often, frequently.
συχνός is an adjective = frequent (describes a noun).
Here we are modifying the verb “to speak”, so we need an adverb:
- μιλάω συχνά = I speak often
- μιλάω πιο συχνά = I speak more often
If you were describing a noun, you’d use the adjective:
- συχνός πόνος = frequent pain
- πιο συχνές συναντήσεις = more frequent meetings
So because we’re saying speak more often, the comparative of the adverb is correct: πιο συχνά.
ακόμα κι αν ≈ “even if” in English.
- ακόμα = still / even
- και = and, but also used in “even” phrases
- αν = if
So:
ακόμα κι αν κάνω λάθη = even if I make mistakes
The κι is just a shortened form of και that is used before a vowel sound for smoother pronunciation:
- και αν → spoken quickly often becomes κ’ αν → written κι αν
Meaning-wise, ακόμα και αν and ακόμα κι αν are the same; the shorter form is simply more natural in speech and common writing.
In Greek, the natural collocation is:
- κάνω λάθος = I make a mistake / I am wrong (singular)
- κάνω λάθη = I make mistakes (plural)
Comparable to English “make mistakes”.
Other forms have different meanings:
- έχω λάθη = I have mistakes (e.g. “my text has mistakes”) – possible, but used about something that contains errors, not about the act of making them.
- είμαι λάθος = I am wrong (my opinion / judgment is incorrect), not “I make mistakes”.
In this context, about speaking and learning, Greek naturally uses κάνω λάθη.
You cannot say συμβουλεύει με here. The unstressed pronoun με must come before the verb in this kind of sentence:
- ✅ Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω...
- ❌ Η δασκάλα συμβουλεύει με να μιλάω...
Some changes are possible, but they affect emphasis:
- Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει, ακόμα κι αν κάνω λάθη, να μιλάω πιο συχνά.
- Με συμβουλεύει η δασκάλα να μιλάω πιο συχνά... (emphasis on me)
The basic rule to remember: in neutral statements, unstressed object pronouns like με, σε, τον, τη, μας, σας, τους go before the verb.
συμβουλεύει is present tense, 3rd person singular. Greek present can correspond to both:
- She advises me (general, habitual action)
- She is advising me (right now / these days)
The exact English translation depends on context, which Greek present does not distinguish. So:
- Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω πιο συχνά...
can mean: - The teacher advises me to speak more often… (in general)
or - The teacher is advising me to speak more often… (this period).
Both are possible, but they’re not identical:
- πιο συχνά = more often (higher frequency: more times)
- περισσότερο = more (larger amount, duration, intensity)
So:
- να μιλάω πιο συχνά → speak more often (e.g. instead of once a week, do it every day).
- να μιλάω περισσότερο → speak more (perhaps longer, or say more things, or overall talk more compared to being very quiet).
In the context of practicing a language, πιο συχνά fits very well: speak more often, even if you make mistakes.
The sentence is natural and neutral, exactly the kind of thing a teacher could say to a student.
- Vocabulary: δασκάλα, με συμβουλεύει, να μιλάω, ακόμα κι αν κάνω λάθη – all very standard, everyday words.
- Grammar: normal for spoken Greek, especially with μιλάω (colloquial form) and ακόμα κι αν.
A teacher might say, for example:
- Η δασκάλα με συμβουλεύει να μιλάω πιο συχνά στα ελληνικά, ακόμα κι αν κάνω λάθη.
My teacher advises me to speak Greek more often, even if I make mistakes.
So the register is perfectly appropriate for real-life classroom situations.