Learn Hardcore Greek: Νιώθω μικρή ευτυχία κάθε φορά που καταλαβαίνω μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση. - I feel a small happiness every time I understand a difficult Greek sentence.

Νιώθω already tells us “I feel” because the ending -ω is the 1st person singular present ending.
If you explicitly said Εγώ νιώθω μικρή ευτυχία…, it would sound like “I (as opposed to others) feel a small happiness…”, adding extra emphasis on I.

So the simple Νιώθω… is the normal, natural way to say “I feel…” here.

What is the difference between νιώθω and αισθάνομαι?

Both mean something like “to feel”, but they’re used slightly differently:

νιώθω
- Very common, everyday verb.
- Used for emotional and often physical feelings:
  - Νιώθω χαρά. – I feel joy.
  - Νιώθω πόνο. – I feel pain.
- Can also mean “I sense / I realize” in some contexts.
αισθάνομαι
- A bit more formal / careful in tone.
- Often used like “I feel (emotionally)” or “I sense”:
  - Αισθάνομαι άσχημα. – I feel bad / I feel awful.
  - Αισθάνομαι ότι κάτι δεν πάει καλά. – I sense that something is wrong.

In this sentence, Νιώθω μικρή ευτυχία… is very natural and colloquial.
You could also say Αισθάνομαι μια μικρή ευτυχία…, which is correct but may sound slightly more formal or introspective.

Why is it μικρή ευτυχία and not something like λίγη ευτυχία or μικρό ευτυχία?

Three things are happening here:

Agreement in gender, number, case
- ευτυχία (happiness) is feminine, singular, here in the accusative case.
- The adjective μικρή must agree:
  - feminine, singular, accusative → μικρή
- So μικρό ευτυχία is wrong because μικρό is neuter, but ευτυχία is feminine.
Why “μικρή” and not “λίγη”?
- μικρή ευτυχία literally: “small happiness” (a small amount or modest kind of happiness; a small burst).
- λίγη ευτυχία: “a little happiness / some happiness”, focusing more on quantity.
  Both are grammatically possible, but:
- μικρή ευτυχία sounds more natural for a small, specific feeling of happiness each time.
- λίγη ευτυχία could sound a bit more like “at least some happiness”.
Why not use the article here?
- We have (νιώθω) μικρή ευτυχία, no article before μικρή or ευτυχία.
- This is normal in Greek with abstract, uncountable feelings in a general sense:
  - Νιώθω χαρά. – I feel joy.
  - Νιώθω μικρή ευτυχία. – I feel a small happiness.

So μικρή ευτυχία is grammatical, idiomatic, and fits the idea: a small burst of happiness each time.

What does κάθε φορά που mean exactly, and why is που used here?

κάθε φορά που means “every time (that/when)”.

κάθε = every
φορά = time / occurrence
κάθε φορά = every time
που here is a conjunction / relative word, functioning like “that / when”:
- κάθε φορά που καταλαβαίνω…
  = every time (that / when) I understand…

Greek uses που very often where English might use that, who, when, or which, depending on context. In this structure, κάθε φορά που + verb is a fixed, very common pattern:

Κάθε φορά που σε βλέπω, χαίρομαι. – Every time I see you, I’m happy.
Κάθε φορά που βρέχει, μένουμε σπίτι. – Every time it rains, we stay at home.

Could I change the word order and start with Κάθε φορά που… instead?

Yes. Both of these are correct:

Νιώθω μικρή ευτυχία κάθε φορά που καταλαβαίνω μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση.
Κάθε φορά που καταλαβαίνω μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση, νιώθω μικρή ευτυχία.

They mean the same thing.

Starting with Νιώθω… emphasizes the feeling.
Starting with Κάθε φορά που… emphasizes the repeated situation (“Every time that this happens…”).

Greeks very often use structure (2) in speech, because it flows naturally: Κάθε φορά που X, Y.

Why is it μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση and not έναν δύσκολο ελληνικό πρόταση?

This is about gender and agreement:

πρόταση (sentence) is feminine in Greek.
The indefinite article:
- masculine accusative: έναν
- feminine accusative: μια (or μία in more careful writing)
The adjectives must match the noun’s gender, number, and case.

In μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση:

μια – feminine, singular, accusative (indefinite article)
δύσκολη – feminine, singular, accusative (adjective: difficult)
ελληνική – feminine, singular, accusative (adjective: Greek)
πρόταση – feminine, singular, accusative (noun: sentence)

So έναν δύσκολο ελληνικό πρόταση is wrong because it uses masculine forms (έναν, δύσκολο, ελληνικό) with a feminine noun (πρόταση).

How does the adjective order work in μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση? Could I say μια ελληνική δύσκολη πρόταση?

Both are grammatically possible, but the natural order here is:

μαθαίνω μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση
→ “a difficult Greek sentence”

In Greek, when you have more than one adjective before a noun, the default order tends to be:

Descriptive / evaluative adjective (difficult, nice, interesting, etc.)
More “inherent” or classifying adjective (Greek, mathematical, political, etc.)
Then the noun.

So:

μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση ≈ a sentence in Greek which is difficult.
μια ελληνική δύσκολη πρόταση is theoretically possible but sounds awkward and unusual; you’d only use a reversed order in very marked, poetic, or contrastive contexts.

Why is it ελληνική πρόταση and not πρόταση στα ελληνικά? Are they different?

Both can be used, but they feel slightly different:

ελληνική πρόταση
- Literally: “Greek sentence”
- Treats Greek as an adjective describing the kind of sentence.
- Shorter, more compact, and perfectly natural.
πρόταση στα ελληνικά
- Literally: “a sentence in Greek”
- Uses the prepositional phrase στα ελληνικά (“in Greek”).
- Also correct and common.

In your sentence, both are fine:

… που καταλαβαίνω μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση.
… που καταλαβαίνω μια δύσκολη πρόταση στα ελληνικά.

The first is a bit more compact and adjective-like; the second explicitly highlights the language (“in Greek”). Stylistically, the original is very natural.

What’s the difference between μια and μία? Which one should I write here?

Formally:

μία (accented on the -ία) is the numeral “one” in the feminine.
μια (often written without an accent) is the indefinite article “a / an” in the feminine.

So in theory:

μία πρόταση = one sentence (numeral)
μια πρόταση = a sentence (indefinite article)

In modern everyday writing, many people do not strictly distinguish them in spelling, and you will often see μια for both. Context usually makes the meaning clear.

In your sentence, the meaning is “a difficult Greek sentence”, so the indefinite article is intended:

μια δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση is the most typical modern spelling.
μία δύσκολη ελληνική πρόταση is also accepted by many, but may be read as slightly more careful / traditional.

Why is καταλαβαίνω in the present tense? Could it be καταλάβω instead?

καταλαβαίνω is present tense, indicative, 1st person singular: “I understand”.

The phrase κάθε φορά που + [present tense] normally describes a repeated action:

κάθε φορά που καταλαβαίνω…
= every time (whenever) I understand…

The form καταλάβω is the aorist subjunctive, not a simple “past” or “present”:

It appears after words like να, όταν, αν, etc., to express a single, complete event, often with uncertainty or future time.

Examples:

Όταν καταλάβω αυτήν την άσκηση, θα το πω.
When I understand this exercise, I’ll say so.
Χαίρομαι όταν καταλαβαίνω κάτι δύσκολο.
I’m happy when(ever) I understand something difficult. (repeated, present)

In your sentence, we’re talking about a repeated situation: every time I (happen to) understand a difficult Greek sentence.
So κάθε φορά που καταλαβαίνω… with the present is exactly right.
κάθε φορά που καταλάβω… would not sound natural here.

How can I tell that νιώθω and καταλαβαίνω are 1st person singular and not something else?

In modern Greek, the personal ending on the verb usually tells you the subject:

Present tense endings (active), for most verbs:

1st singular: -ω → νιώθω, καταλαβαίνω → I feel, I understand
2nd singular: -εις → νιώθεις, καταλαβαίνεις → you feel, you understand
3rd singular: -ει → νιώθει, καταλαβαίνει → he/she/it feels, understands
1st plural: -ουμε / -με → νιώθουμε, καταλαβαίνουμε → we feel, we understand
2nd plural: -ετε → νιώθετε, καταλαβαίνετε → you (pl./formal) feel, understand
3rd plural: -ουν(ε) → νιώθουν(ε), καταλαβαίνουν(ε) → they feel, understand

So -ω on νιώθω and καταλαβαίνω clearly indicates “I”.

What exactly does πρόταση mean? Is it always “sentence”?

πρόταση has several related meanings, depending on context:

Sentence (in grammar and language)
- Μια ελληνική πρόταση. – A Greek sentence.
- Αυτή η πρόταση είναι πολύ δύσκολη. – This sentence is very difficult.
Proposal / suggestion / offer
- Έχω μια πρόταση για σένα. – I have a proposal / suggestion for you.
- Μου έκανε πρόταση γάμου. – He/she proposed marriage to me.

In your sentence, because we are clearly talking about understanding Greek, πρόταση means “sentence” (as in grammar).

Why is μικρή ευτυχία in the accusative case, and how can I see that?

The verb νιώθω takes a direct object in the accusative case:

νιώθω (τι;) μικρή ευτυχία
– I feel (what?) a small happiness.

However, in this specific noun pattern, the form of the feminine singular in nominative and accusative is often identical (without the article), so you don’t see a shape change.

What tells you it’s accusative is the function:

It is what you feel → direct object → accusative.

If we added a definite article, you’d see the case more clearly:

Nominative: η μικρή ευτυχία (subject)
Accusative: τη(ν) μικρή ευτυχία (object)

In your sentence, μικρή ευτυχία is clearly the object of νιώθω, so it’s accusative even if it looks the same as the nominative.