Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος, αλλά τώρα προχωράω.

Back then I was a beginner, but now I am making progress.

Breakdown of Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος, αλλά τώρα προχωράω.

• είμαι: to be
• τώρα: now
• αλλά: but
• προχωράω: to make progress
• τότε: back then
• ο αρχάριος: the beginner

Questions & Answers about Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος, αλλά τώρα προχωράω.

What does τότε mean exactly, and how is it different from τώρα?

Τότε means then / at that time / back then and refers to a past point in time.
Τώρα means now and refers to the present moment.

So the contrast τότε … αλλά τώρα … is very natural in Greek and works just like back then … but now … in English.

Why is there no εγώ (I) before ήμουν or προχωράω?

In Greek, subject pronouns (εγώ, εσύ, αυτός etc.) are usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• ήμουν can only mean I was
• προχωράω here clearly means I am progressing / I move forward

You only add εγώ when you want to emphasize the subject, e.g.:

• Εγώ τότε ήμουν αρχάριος, αλλά τώρα προχωράω.
  I was a beginner back then, but now I’m progressing. (emphasis on I)

Why is it ήμουν and not ήμουνε or ήμουνα? Are those wrong?

Ήμουν is the standard past tense (imperfect) form of είμαι (to be), 1st person singular: I was.

• ήμουν – standard, neutral, correct everywhere
• ήμουνα / ήμουνε – colloquial variants you will hear, especially in speech

In careful writing and in most textbooks, you should use ήμουν.

What tense is ήμουν, and why is it used here?

Ήμουν is the imperfect of είμαι (to be). The imperfect in Greek describes:

• a past state or situation
• something that lasted for some time in the past

So τότε ήμουν αρχάριος means at that time I was (for a period) a beginner, not just at one instant. This fits the idea that you used to be a beginner.

What gender and form is αρχάριος, and what if the speaker is a woman?

Αρχάριος is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

If the speaker is male, ήμουν αρχάριος is correct.
If the speaker is female, you normally say:

• Τότε ήμουν αρχάρια, αλλά τώρα προχωράω.
  (Back then I was a beginner, but now I’m progressing.)

So:

• male: αρχάριος
• female: αρχάρια

Is αρχάριος an adjective or a noun in this sentence?

Formally, αρχάριος is an adjective meaning beginner / inexperienced.

In the sentence Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος:

• Grammatically it works as a predicative adjective (a complement of the verb είμαι).
• In meaning it’s very close to a noun a beginner, because in English we usually say I was a beginner, not I was beginner-ish.

Greek often uses adjectives with είμαι in this way:
είμαι κουρασμένος (I am tired), είμαι έτοιμος (I am ready), etc.

Why is there no article (ένας) before αρχάριος?

Greek can omit the indefinite article ένας / μία / ένα in cases where English would use a/an.

So:

• Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος.
• Τότε ήμουν ένας αρχάριος.

Both are possible. The version without ένας is very natural and neutral. Adding ένας may sound a bit more like I was a (total) beginner / just a beginner, with a slight nuance, but often there’s no big difference in everyday speech.

What exactly does προχωράω mean here?

The verb προχωράω literally means I move forward / I go ahead.

In context, it often has a more abstract meaning:

• to make progress
• to advance / to move forward (in learning, in life, in a project)

So αλλά τώρα προχωράω here means but now I’m making progress or but now I’m moving forward (in my learning).

What is the difference between προχωράω and προχωρώ?

They are essentially the same verb:

• προχωράω – more common in everyday spoken Greek
• προχωρώ – a bit more formal / written style

Both are present tense, 1st person singular. You can say either:

• τώρα προχωράω
• τώρα προχωρώ

They both mean now I’m progressing / now I move forward.

Why is προχωράω in the present tense when the English feels like “I’m getting better / I’m improving”?

Greek uses the present tense for both:

• simple present (I progress) and
• present continuous (I am progressing)

So προχωράω can be translated as:

• I progress
• I am progressing
• I’m moving forward
• I’m making progress

English chooses between simple and continuous forms; Greek does not make that distinction in the present.

Why is there a comma before αλλά?

Αλλά means but and introduces a contrast between two clauses:

• Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος, αλλά τώρα προχωράω.

The comma separates the two clauses and marks the contrast:

• back then: ήμουν αρχάριος
• now: προχωράω

In Greek, it is standard to put a comma before conjunctions like αλλά (but) that join two independent clauses.

Can I move τώρα to a different position? For example, αλλά προχωράω τώρα?

Yes. Τώρα (now) is quite flexible:

• … αλλά τώρα προχωράω. (neutral, very common)
• … αλλά προχωράω τώρα. (similar meaning, slight emphasis on the time now)
• … αλλά τώρα εγώ προχωράω. (emphasizing I and now)

All are grammatically correct; word order mainly changes emphasis, not basic meaning.

How do you pronounce Τότε ήμουν αρχάριος, αλλά τώρα προχωράω?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-style phonetics):

• Τότε → TO-teh (stress on TO)
• ήμουν → EE-moon (stress on EE)
• αρχάριος → ar-HA-ree-os (stress on HA)
• αλλά → a-LA (stress on LA)
• τώρα → TO-ra (stress on TO)
• προχωράω → pro-ho-RA-o (stress on RA, χ is a rough h sound)

So the whole sentence:

ΤΌ-τε Í-moon ar-HÁ-ree-os, a-LÁ TÓ-ra pro-ho-RÁ-o.