Learn Hardcore Greek: Η δασκάλα μας μιλάει κυρίως ελληνικά, αλλά προσωπικά δεν έχω πρόβλημα. - Our teacher female speaks mainly Greek to us, but personally I don’t have a problem.

Η is the definite article for feminine singular nouns in the nominative case.
- η δασκάλα = the (female) teacher
It’s capitalized simply because it’s the first word of the sentence, not for any grammatical reason.
Other forms of the article for comparison:
- ο δάσκαλος = the (male) teacher
- το βιβλίο = the book

Why is it δασκάλα and not δάσκαλος here?

δασκάλα is the feminine form of teacher; δάσκαλος is the masculine form.
Greek marks grammatical gender in many nouns referring to people:
- ο δάσκαλος = (male) teacher
- η δασκάλα = (female) teacher
The sentence is talking about a female teacher, so it uses η δασκάλα.

Why does μας come after δασκάλα instead of before, like in English (our teacher)?

μας here is an unstressed object pronoun used as a possessive clitic.
In this use, it typically comes after the noun:
- η δασκάλα μας = our teacher
- το βιβλίο μας = our book
Greek doesn’t say μας η δασκάλα in this context. The normal word order for “our X” with these pronouns is:
- (article) + noun + pronoun
There is also a “regular” possessive form with genitive:
- η δασκάλα των παιδιών = the teacher of the children / the children’s teacher

What is the verb μιλάει, and how is it formed?

μιλάει is 3rd person singular, present tense of the verb μιλάω (to speak).
Basic present tense forms of μιλάω:
- εγώ μιλάω / μιλώ = I speak
- εσύ μιλάς = you speak
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό μιλάει / μιλά = he/she/it speaks
So η δασκάλα μας μιλάει = our teacher speaks / is speaking.

What is the difference between μιλάει and μιλά? Are both correct?

Both μιλάει and μιλά are correct 3rd person singular present forms.
They mean the same: “he/she/it speaks”.
Very roughly:
- μιλάει is slightly more colloquial/common in everyday speech.
- μιλά can sound a bit more formal or shortened.
In this sentence, you could also say:
- Η δασκάλα μας μιλά κυρίως ελληνικά — same meaning.

Why is it κυρίως ελληνικά and not κυρίως ελληνική?

ελληνικά here is the (neuter) plural form used for the Greek language.
In Greek, many languages are normally used in the neuter plural, especially after μιλάω:
- μιλάω ελληνικά = I speak Greek
- μιλάω αγγλικά = I speak English
- μιλάω γαλλικά = I speak French
ελληνική is a feminine adjective (“Greek” describing a feminine noun), e.g.:
- ελληνική γλώσσα = Greek language
- ελληνική μουσική = Greek music
So:
- μιλάει ελληνικά = she speaks Greek
- μιλάει την ελληνική γλώσσα = she speaks the Greek language (more formal, heavier).

What exactly does κυρίως mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

κυρίως means “mainly, mostly, primarily”.
In this sentence:
- μας μιλάει κυρίως ελληνικά = she mostly speaks Greek to us.
Common positions:
- Η δασκάλα μας μιλάει κυρίως ελληνικά (neutral, very natural)
- Η δασκάλα μας κυρίως μιλάει ελληνικά (emphasizes that, as opposed to doing other things, she mostly speaks Greek)
The first version (as in the sentence) is the most natural for “she mostly speaks Greek”.

Why is there a comma before αλλά? Is that always required?

αλλά means “but” and introduces a contrast.
Greek normally uses a comma before αλλά when it connects two clauses, similar to English:
- ..., αλλά ... = ..., but ...
So:
- Η δασκάλα μας μιλάει κυρίως ελληνικά, αλλά προσωπικά δεν έχω πρόβλημα.
In short: when αλλά joins two full ideas/clauses, you almost always put a comma before it.

What does προσωπικά add to the sentence? Could we leave it out?

προσωπικά means “personally”.
It shows that the speaker is giving their own personal opinion or experience:
- Without it: αλλά δεν έχω πρόβλημα = but I don’t have a problem.
- With it: αλλά προσωπικά δεν έχω πρόβλημα = but personally, I don’t have a problem (maybe others do).
You can leave it out and the sentence is still correct; you just lose the nuance of “speaking only for myself”.
It can also move a bit:
- αλλά δεν έχω προσωπικά πρόβλημα (also possible, but the original word order is more common).

Why is it δεν έχω πρόβλημα without any article (a/the problem)?

Δεν έχω πρόβλημα literally = I do not have problem, but in Greek this means “I have no problem / I don’t mind”.
Greek often omits the article when speaking in general or in set expressions:
- έχω πρόβλημα = I have a problem
- δεν έχω χρήματα = I don’t have (any) money
If you used an article, the meaning changes:
- δεν έχω το πρόβλημα = I don’t have the problem (a specific problem someone mentioned).
So here, no article matches the general sense “I don’t have any problem with that.”

Why is μας μιλάει translated as “speaks to us” when σε εμάς doesn’t appear?

Is the word order fixed, or could we say Η δασκάλα μας κυρίως μιλάει ελληνικά or Η δασκάλα μας μιλάει ελληνικά κυρίως?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but changes in order may affect emphasis or naturalness.
All of these are grammatically possible:
- Η δασκάλα μας μιλάει κυρίως ελληνικά. (most natural; she mostly speaks Greek)
- Η δασκάλα μας κυρίως μιλάει ελληνικά. (emphasis slightly on the verb “mainly speaks Greek”)
- Η δασκάλα μας μιλάει ελληνικά κυρίως. (feels a bit heavier; adverb at the end)
For everyday speech, the original order μιλάει κυρίως ελληνικά is the smoothest and most typical.

How is μιλάει pronounced and where is the stress?

μιλάει is pronounced approximately: mee-LA-eh (often flowing together as mee-LAE).
The accent mark shows the stressed syllable: μι–λά–ει → stress on λά.
So it has three written syllables, but in fast speech the last two vowels often merge.