Learn Hardcore Greek: Εγώ συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει τις νέες λέξεις σε ένα μικρό τετράδιο. - I advise my female friend to write the new words in a small notebook.

Συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου… = I advise my friend…
Εγώ συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου… = I advise my friend… (with a bit of emphasis on I, like “I’m the one who advises her.”)

So Εγώ is not grammatically necessary here; it just adds emphasis or contrast (e.g. Εγώ συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου, όχι η μαμά της. – I advise my friend, not her mother).

Why is it τη φίλη μου and not η φίλη μου?

Because τη φίλη μου is the direct object of the verb συμβουλεύω.

η φίλη = the friend (subject, nominative, feminine singular)
τη φίλη = the friend (object, accusative, feminine singular)

In the sentence:

Subject: (Εγώ) – I
Verb: συμβουλεύω – I advise
Direct object: τη φίλη μου – my (female) friend

So you need the accusative article τη, not the nominative η.

What exactly does φίλη mean, and how is it different from φίλος?

Both mean friend, but they differ in gender:

φίλος = (male) friend, or a friend of unknown / unspecified gender (often default)
φίλη = (female) friend

In your sentence, τη φίλη μου clearly refers to a female friend.

Basic forms:

φίλος (masc.)
- Nominative: ο φίλος
- Accusative: τον φίλο
φίλη (fem.)
- Nominative: η φίλη
- Accusative: τη φίλη

The μου after it means my, so:

η φίλη μου = my (female) friend (as subject)
τη φίλη μου = my (female) friend (as object)

How does the verb συμβουλεύω work? Is it “to give advice” or “to advise”?

συμβουλεύω means to advise or to give advice to someone.

The structure here is:

συμβουλεύω + [person in the accusative] + να + [verb]
Εγώ συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει…
- I advise my friend to write…

Some basic present tense forms:

εγώ συμβουλεύω – I advise
εσύ συμβουλεύεις – you advise
αυτός/αυτή/αυτό συμβουλεύει – he/she/it advises
εμείς συμβουλεύουμε
εσείς συμβουλεύετε
αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά συμβουλεύουν(ε)

You could also say δίνω συμβουλή στη φίλη μου (I give advice to my friend), but συμβουλεύω is more direct and natural here.

What is the function of να in να γράφει?

να is the particle that introduces a subjunctive clause in Modern Greek.

Common patterns:

θέλω να γράφω – I want to write
πρέπει να γράφει – he must write
συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει… – I advise my friend to write…

So να γράφει corresponds to “(that she) write / to write” in English. The να itself is not translated directly; it just marks the verb that follows as part of this kind of subordinate clause (wish, plan, advice, obligation, etc.).

Why is it να γράφει and not να γράψει? What’s the difference?

This is an aspect difference:

να γράφει = imperfective aspect
→ focuses on ongoing, repeated, or habitual action
→ here: that she regularly / habitually writes new words down
να γράψει = aorist aspect
→ focuses on a single, complete action
→ would mean: that she write them once / finish writing them

In your sentence:

Εγώ συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει τις νέες λέξεις…
= I advise my friend to (always / habitually) write the new words in a small notebook.

This describes a study habit, so the imperfective (να γράφει) is the natural choice.

Why do we say τις νέες λέξεις and not οι νέες λέξεις?

Again this is a case issue: τις is the accusative plural feminine form of the definite article, used for direct objects.

οι νέες λέξεις = the new words (as subject; nominative feminine plural)
τις νέες λέξεις = the new words (as object; accusative feminine plural)

In the sentence, τις νέες λέξεις is what she writes, so it is the object of γράφει:

(She) writes τις νέες λέξεις – (She) writes the new words.

The adjective νέες and the noun λέξεις both agree with τις:

feminine
plural
accusative

What does νέες mean exactly, and how is it different from καινούριες?

Both can translate as new, but there is a nuance:

νέες λέξεις – “new” in the sense of recent, not previously known/used (new words you are learning now)
καινούριες λέξεις – more like brand-new, freshly acquired, also perfectly ok in this context

In everyday speech, νέες λέξεις and καινούριες λέξεις here would both be understood as new vocabulary items. Many speakers use them almost interchangeably, though καινούριος often emphasizes “new compared to the old one” (like a new car, new shoes).

What does σε ένα μικρό τετράδιο literally mean, and can σε combine with the article?

σε ένα μικρό τετράδιο literally is:

σε = in / into / on / at (here, “in”)
ένα = a / one (neuter)
μικρό = small (neuter)
τετράδιο = notebook (neuter)

So: in a small notebook.

In Greek, σε often contracts with the definite article:

σε + το → στο (in the / at the, neuter)
σε + την → στη(ν) (in the / at the, feminine)
σε + τους → στους (in the / at the, masculine plural), etc.

Here we have the indefinite article ένα, so no contraction:

σε ένα τετράδιο – in a notebook
If it were the notebook, you’d get:
στο τετράδιο – in the notebook

What exactly is τετράδιο? What gender is it and how does it decline?

τετράδιο means notebook / exercise book and it is neuter.

Basic forms (singular):

Nominative: το τετράδιο – the notebook
Accusative: το τετράδιο – the notebook (same form)
Genitive: του τετραδίου – of the notebook

Plural:

Nominative: τα τετράδια – the notebooks
Accusative: τα τετράδια
Genitive: των τετραδίων

In your sentence, σε ένα μικρό τετράδιο uses the accusative singular after the preposition σε, but it looks the same as nominative.

Can the word order change? For example, could I say Συμβουλεύω εγώ τη φίλη μου… or Συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου εγώ…?

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible, and case endings (like τη, τις) show who is doing what.

Possible variants (all grammatically correct, but with different emphasis):

Εγώ συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει…
(Neutral: I advise my friend…)
Συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει…
(Subject εγώ understood from the verb; very natural.)
Συμβουλεύω εγώ τη φίλη μου να γράφει…
(Emphasis on εγώ: It’s me who advises my friend.)
Εγώ τη φίλη μου συμβουλεύω να γράφει…
(Stronger contrast/emphasis: It’s my friend whom I advise…)

In everyday speech, the most common and neutral would be:

Συμβουλεύω τη φίλη μου να γράφει τις νέες λέξεις σε ένα μικρό τετράδιο.

Can I drop μου after τη φίλη, or change it to something else? What’s the role of μου?

μου is the enclitic possessive pronoun meaning my.

η φίλη = the (female) friend
η φίλη μου = my (female) friend
τη φίλη μου = my (female) friend (as object)

If you drop μου, you just say τη φίλη = the friend, without specifying whose friend it is.

You can change it to other possessives:

τη φίλη σου – your friend
τη φίλη της – her friend
τη φίλη του – his friend
τη φίλη μας – our friend, etc.

So μου is not grammatically required, but it changes the meaning (adds possession).

How do you pronounce συμβουλεύω and τετράδιο? The consonant clusters look tricky.

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA):

συμβουλεύω → [simvuˈlevo]
- συ = [si]
- μβ here sounds like [v] (Modern Greek β is [v])
- ου = [u]
- εύ = [ev]
- Stress on -λεύ-
τετράδιο → [teˈtraðio]
- τε = [te]
- τρά = [tra] with stress
- δ = [ð] (like English th in this)
- ιο often merges to something like [jo]

So roughly:

συμβουλεύω ≈ “sim-vu-LEV-o”
τετράδιο ≈ “te-TRA-thio” (with a soft th sound for δ, not a hard d)

Why are there accent marks on Εγώ, συμβουλεύω, φίλη, etc.? Are they always written?

In Modern Greek, stress is written with an accent mark (´) on one vowel of words with more than one syllable.

Examples from the sentence:

Εγώ – stress on -γώ
συμβουλεύω – stress on -λεύ-
φίλη – stress on φί-
λέξεις – stress on λέ-
τετράδιο – stress on -τρά-

Rules (simplified):

All polysyllabic words (2+ syllables) normally carry a written accent.
Monosyllabic words usually do not, except for some cases like distinguishing ή (or) from η (the), or for clarity in some pronouns.

So yes, in correct Greek spelling, those accent marks are always written and very important for pronunciation and sometimes for meaning.