Learn Hardcore Greek: Είμαι ακόμα αρχάριος στα ελληνικά, αλλά νιώθω ότι προχωράω. - I am still a beginner in Greek, but I feel that I am making progress.

In the sentence, είμαι ακόμα αρχάριος implies the speaker is male.
A female speaker would normally say: Είμαι ακόμα αρχάρια στα ελληνικά, αλλά νιώθω ότι προχωράω.

Is αρχάριος here an adjective or a noun?

Grammatically it’s an adjective, but in Greek (just like in English) adjectives can often be used as nouns.

As an adjective: είμαι αρχάριος μαθητής = I am a beginner student
Used on its own: είμαι αρχάριος = I am a beginner

In this sentence it functions like a noun in meaning (“a beginner”), but structurally it’s a predicate adjective after είμαι (“I am”). Greek doesn’t need to add a word like μαθητής here.

What exactly does ακόμα mean, and is it different from ακόμη?

Ακόμα means still / yet and here it has the sense of still:
Είμαι ακόμα αρχάριος = I am still a beginner.

Ακόμα and ακόμη are essentially the same word; ακόμα is a bit more colloquial, ακόμη a bit more formal or written, but both are completely acceptable in modern Greek and interchangeable in this sentence.

So you could also say: Είμαι ακόμη αρχάριος στα ελληνικά…

Where can ακόμα go in the sentence? Is είμαι ακόμα αρχάριος the only correct order?

The most natural order is:

Είμαι ακόμα αρχάριος στα ελληνικά…

Other possible, still natural options:

Ακόμα είμαι αρχάριος στα ελληνικά… (slightly more emphasis on “still”)
Είμαι αρχάριος ακόμα στα ελληνικά… (less common, but you will hear it)

It’s best to keep ακόμα close to είμαι or to αρχάριος; putting it very far away can sound awkward.

Why is it στα ελληνικά and not something like σε τα ελληνικά?

Σε τα contracts to στα in Greek. This contraction is standard and almost always used:

σε + τα → στα
σε + το → στο
σε + τη(ν) → στη(ν)

So στα ελληνικά literally means in the Greek (things), idiomatically in Greek (the language).
You wouldn’t say σε τα ελληνικά in normal speech or writing; στα ελληνικά is the correct form.

Why is ελληνικά plural and neuter? I thought “Greek” is singular.

In Greek, names of languages are usually in the neuter plural:

τα ελληνικά = Greek
τα αγγλικά = English
τα γαλλικά = French

So στα ελληνικά literally means in the Greek [things/words], but functionally it just means in Greek.
This is a fixed pattern you can memorize: language names = neuter plural with the article.

What is the difference between ελληνικά, ελληνική, and Έλληνας / Ελληνίδα?

ελληνικά: neuter plural, means Greek (language) → Μιλάω ελληνικά = I speak Greek.
ελληνική (feminine singular adjective): Greek describing a feminine noun
- η ελληνική γλώσσα = the Greek language
Έλληνας (m.), Ελληνίδα (f.): a Greek person (nationality)
- Είμαι Έλληνας / Ελληνίδα = I am Greek.

In the sentence, στα ελληνικά refers to the language, not nationality.

Should ελληνικά be capitalized, like Ελληνικά?

In modern Greek, names of languages are written with a lowercase initial:

τα ελληνικά, τα αγγλικά, τα ισπανικά

Nation words and proper adjectives referring to people or countries are capitalized:

Έλληνας, Ελληνίδα, Ελληνικός στρατός

So στα ελληνικά (lowercase) is the standard spelling for in Greek (the language).

What does νιώθω mean, and how is it different from αισθάνομαι?

Νιώθω means I feel, both emotionally and sometimes physically:

Νιώθω καλά. = I feel good.
Νιώθω ότι προχωράω. = I feel that I’m making progress.

Αισθάνομαι also means I feel, but it sounds slightly more formal or neutral.
In this sentence you could also say Αισθάνομαι ότι προχωράω, but νιώθω is very natural and common in everyday speech.

What is the role of ότι here? Is it the same as English “that”?

Yes. Ότι in this sentence is a conjunction meaning that, introducing a subordinate clause:

νιώθω ότι προχωράω = I feel that I am making progress.

It works much like English: you can’t easily drop it in Greek the way you sometimes can in English.
So νιώθω προχωράω (without ότι) would sound incomplete or non‑native.

What is the difference between ότι and ό,τι?

They are different words:

ότι (without comma) = that, introducing a clause
- Ξέρω ότι έχεις δίκιο. = I know that you are right.
ό,τι (with comma) = whatever / anything that
- Κάνε ό,τι θέλεις. = Do whatever you want.

In νιώθω ότι προχωράω, you must use ότι without a comma, because it is just that.

Could I use πως instead of ότι here?

Yes. In many cases πως and ότι both mean that and are interchangeable:

Νιώθω ότι προχωράω.
Νιώθω πως προχωράω.

Both are correct and natural. Ότι is slightly more neutral; πως can feel a bit more informal or conversational, but the difference is small in this kind of sentence.

What exactly does προχωράω mean in this context?

Literally, προχωράω means I move forward / I go ahead, often in a physical sense:

Προχωράω στον δρόμο. = I’m walking ahead on the road.

By extension, it also means I’m advancing / I’m making progress in some activity.
So in νιώθω ότι προχωράω, it means I feel that I’m making progress (in Greek).

Is there a difference between προχωράω and προχωρώ?

These are two forms of the same verb in the present tense:

προχωράω – more common in everyday speech.
προχωρώ – a bit shorter, slightly more formal or “standard”.

Both mean I move forward / I make progress, and both are correct in this sentence:

…νιώθω ότι προχωράω.
…νιώθω ότι προχωρώ.

Do I need to say εγώ (I) anywhere, like αλλά εγώ νιώθω…?

No, you don’t need εγώ here. The subject “I” is already clear from the verb endings:

είμαι = I am
νιώθω = I feel
προχωράω = I am progressing

You would add εγώ only for emphasis or contrast, e.g. Οι άλλοι δεν το βλέπουν, αλλά εγώ νιώθω ότι προχωράω. = The others don’t see it, but I feel that I’m progressing.

Is the whole sentence natural and common in modern Greek?

Yes, it’s very natural and something a native speaker might genuinely say.

A couple of equally natural variants you might also hear:

Είμαι ακόμα αρχάριος στα ελληνικά, αλλά νιώθω πως προχωράω.
(female speaker) Είμαι ακόμα αρχάρια στα ελληνικά, αλλά νιώθω ότι προχωράω.

Your original sentence is perfectly idiomatic modern Greek.