Learn Hardcore Greek: Τώρα η κρίση έχει περάσει λίγο, αλλά πολλοί άνθρωποι πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο κάθε μήνα. - Now the crisis has passed a bit, but many people still pay the loan every month.

Πέρασε = simple past (aorist): “the crisis passed” (seen more as a finished event in the past).
Έχει περάσει = present perfect: “the crisis has passed” (focus on the result now).

Using έχει περάσει emphasizes:

The crisis is more or less over now (or at least not as intense).
Its passing is relevant to the current situation.

So Τώρα η κρίση έχει περάσει λίγο suggests: “Now the crisis has passed a bit / somewhat (compared to before),” with emphasis on the present state.

What does λίγο do in η κρίση έχει περάσει λίγο? Is it “a little” about time or about intensity?

Here λίγο modifies the verb phrase έχει περάσει and adds the idea of degree, not time.

Literally: “the crisis has passed a little.”
Meaning: the crisis is somewhat over, things are a bit better, but not completely.

It does not mean “a short time ago.” For “a little while ago,” Greek would normally use something like πριν λίγο (“a little earlier / a short while ago”).

Why is it η κρίση and not την κρίση?

Because η κρίση is the subject of the verb έχει περάσει.

η κρίση: nominative (subject) – “the crisis”
την κρίση: accusative (object) – “the crisis” as something affected by an action

In this sentence:

Η κρίση (subject) + έχει περάσει (verb) = “The crisis has passed.”

If the crisis were the object, you would see την κρίση, for example:

Θυμάμαι την κρίση. – “I remember the crisis.”

Why is η κρίση feminine? Is there a rule?

In Greek, every noun has a grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and it is often arbitrary from an English point of view.

η κρίση is feminine because nouns ending in -ση are very often feminine.
Other examples:
- η γνώση – knowledge
- η άσκηση – exercise
- η κίνηση – movement, traffic

So you memorize the noun κρίση together with its article: η κρίση.

Why is it πολλοί άνθρωποι and not πολύ άνθρωποι?

Because πολλοί is the correct plural adjective “many,” and it must agree in gender, number, and case with άνθρωποι.

πολύ (without ending) is mainly an adverb: “very / a lot.”
- Τρέχει πολύ. – “He runs a lot / very fast.”
πολλοί άνθρωποι:
- πολλοί: masculine nominative plural of πολύς, πολλή, πολύ = “much / many”
- άνθρωποι: masculine nominative plural = “people”

So πολλοί άνθρωποι = “many people.”

Why is άνθρωποι masculine plural, even though it can refer to men and women?

In Greek, the masculine plural is the default for mixed or unspecified groups of people.

άνθρωπος (singular) = “human being / person” (grammatically masculine)
άνθρωποι (plural) = “people” (can be men, women, or mixed)

So πολλοί άνθρωποι naturally means “many people,” without saying anything specific about gender. Greek uses masculine plural for:

All men: οι άντρες
Mixed or unknown gender groups: οι άνθρωποι, οι μαθητές, etc.

Why is ακόμα used here, and where can it appear in the sentence?

Ακόμα means “still” in this sentence: the action continues up to now.

πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο = “they still pay the loan / they are still paying off the loan.”

Position:

Very common: πολλοί άνθρωποι ακόμα πληρώνουν το δάνειο
Also common: πολλοί άνθρωποι πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο (as in the sentence)
Less common but possible: πολλοί άνθρωποι πληρώνουν το δάνειο ακόμα, often with a slight emphasis on still at the end.

In spoken Greek, word order with adverbs like ακόμα is fairly flexible, but your original version is totally natural.

What is the difference between ακόμα and πια / πλέον?

Roughly:

ακόμα = still (a continuing situation)
- Πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο.
  “They still pay the loan / They are still paying off the loan.”
πια / πλέον = (no) longer / anymore (usually in negative or contrastive contexts)
- Δεν πληρώνουν πια το δάνειο.
  “They no longer pay the loan / They don’t pay the loan anymore.”
- Δεν πληρώνουν πλέον το δάνειο. – same idea, πλέον is a bit more formal.

So:

If something continues → ακόμα
If something has stopped → πια / πλέον, usually with δεν.

Why is it το δάνειο with the definite article? In English we might say “a loan.”

Greek uses the definite article much more frequently than English.

Here το δάνειο implies:

A specific, known loan: for example, a mortgage or a particular bank loan taken during the crisis.

In Greek, when it’s clear from context what we mean, we often use το / η / ο:

Πληρώνουν το δάνειο. – “They are paying off the loan (the one we know about).”

If you really wanted to stress “an unspecified loan,” you might say:

ένα δάνειο – “a loan,” but that would sound like you don’t have a particular one in mind.

In the context of “the crisis,” το δάνειο naturally refers to their (known) loan(s), not just any random loan.

Why is πληρώνουν in the present tense? Could it mean “pay” or “are paying”?

Greek present tense covers both:

English simple present (“they pay” – habitual action)
English present continuous (“they are paying” – ongoing action)

In this sentence:

πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο κάθε μήνα
means “they still pay the loan every month” or “they are still paying off the loan every month.”

Because we also have κάθε μήνα (“every month”), the meaning is clearly habitual / repeated action over time.

Why is it κάθε μήνα and not κάθε μήνας or τον κάθε μήνα?

With κάθε (“each / every”), the noun usually appears:

in the accusative singular, and
without an article.

So:

κάθε μήνα (accusative of ο μήνας) = “every month”
Parallel examples:
- κάθε μέρα – every day
- κάθε χρόνο – every year
- κάθε πρωί – every morning

Forms like τον κάθε μήνα can exist but are used in special emphatic contexts, e.g.:

Τον κάθε μήνα έχει κι άλλα έξοδα. – “Each and every month he has more expenses.” This is more marked/emphatic. Your sentence correctly uses the neutral, standard κάθε μήνα.

Can αλλά be replaced by μα or όμως here? Are there differences?

Yes, you can replace αλλά with others, but each has a slightly different feel:

αλλά = “but” (neutral, standard conjunction)
- … έχει περάσει λίγο, αλλά πολλοί άνθρωποι πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο…
- Most straightforward and common.
μα = also “but,” often more informal or emotional, like “but / yet / still”
- … έχει περάσει λίγο, μα πολλοί άνθρωποι πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο…
- Feels a bit more expressive.
όμως = “however / though”
- Often not at the very start of the clause, e.g.:
  - … έχει περάσει λίγο, όμως πολλοί άνθρωποι πληρώνουν ακόμα το δάνειο…
  - Or: … έχει περάσει λίγο. Πολλοί άνθρωποι, όμως, πληρώνουν ακόμα…
- Slightly more formal / contrastive.

All three are understandable; αλλά is the neutral choice and fits perfectly in your sentence.