Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο, αλλά τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο.

In the past it was difficult, but now it is easier.

Breakdown of Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο, αλλά τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο.

• είμαι: to be
• τώρα: now
• αλλά: but
• πιο: more
• δύσκολος: difficult
• εύκολος: easy
• παλιά: in the past

Questions & Answers about Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο, αλλά τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο.

What exactly does Παλιά mean here? Is it an adjective like “old” or an adverb like “in the past”?

In this sentence Παλιά is an adverb and means “in the past / back then / formerly.”

• It comes from the adjective παλιός (old), but when used alone like this at the beginning of a sentence it functions adverbially: it tells you when something was difficult.
• So Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο = “In the past, it was difficult.”
• Other near-synonyms are κάποτε, στο παρελθόν, but παλιά is very common in everyday speech.

As a capitalized word here (Παλιά), it’s just because it starts the sentence. Normally you would write παλιά in the middle of a sentence.

Why isn’t there a word for “it” in ήταν δύσκολο? In English we say “It was difficult.”

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns; it’s what linguists call a “pro‑drop” language.

• Ήταν δύσκολο literally is just “was difficult”, but the subject “it” is understood from context.
• The verb form ήταν already tells us it’s 3rd person singular (he/she/it), so adding αυτό (it) is usually unnecessary:
  
  • Ήταν δύσκολο = “It was difficult.”
  • Τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο = “Now it is easier.”

You would only add αυτό (it) or a specific noun if you wanted to be very explicit or for emphasis.

Which verb form is ήταν exactly? Why do we use ήταν and not είναι or something else for “was”?

Ήταν is the past tense of the verb είμαι (to be). More precisely, it is:

• 3rd person singular (and also plural) imperfect of είμαι.
• It corresponds to English “was / were” for background or general past states.

Basic forms of είμαι (to be) in the present and imperfect:

• Present:

  • (εγώ) είμαι – I am
  • (εσύ) είσαι – you are
  • (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) είναι – he/she/it is

• Imperfect (past):

  • (εγώ) ήμουν – I was
  • (εσύ) ήσουν – you were
  • (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) ήταν – he/she/it was

So Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο uses the imperfect to describe a state that existed in the past.

What gender and case are δύσκολο and εύκολο, and why are they in that form?

Both δύσκολο and εύκολο are neuter singular forms of adjectives.

• The dictionary forms are:
  
  • δύσκολος, δύσκολη, δύσκολο (difficult – masc, fem, neut.)
  • εύκολος, εύκολη, εύκολο (easy – masc, fem, neut.)

In the sentence:

• δύσκολο and εύκολο are neuter singular nominative (same form as accusative in neuter).
• They agree with an implied neuter subject, something like το πράγμα, το μάθημα, το να το κάνεις (“the thing / the lesson / doing it”).

So essentially:

• (Αυτό) ήταν δύσκολο – (It) was difficult.
• (Αυτό) είναι πιο εύκολο – (It) is easier.

Adjectives in Greek must match the (real or implied) noun or pronoun in gender, number, and case, even when that noun is not explicitly said.

How does πιο εύκολο mean “easier”? Is πιο always used for comparatives?

Πιο is the usual way to form the comparative degree in modern Greek.

• πιο + adjective = “more + adjective” / “-er”
  
  • πιο εύκολο = more easy = easier
  • πιο δύσκολο = more difficult = harder
  • πιο μεγάλο = bigger

Greek also has older, “synthetic” comparative forms with endings like -ότερος:

• εύκολος → ευκολότερος
• δύσκολος → δυσκολότερος

Both are correct, but in everyday modern Greek πιο + adjective is more common and more neutral:

• Τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο is the natural way to say “Now it is easier.”
• Τώρα είναι ευκολότερο sounds a bit more formal or written.

Could I also say Τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο, αλλά παλιά ήταν δύσκολο? Does changing the word order change the meaning?

Yes, Τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο, αλλά παλιά ήταν δύσκολο is completely correct.

• The basic meaning is the same: it was difficult before, now it’s easier.
• Greek word order is relatively flexible, especially for adverbs of time like παλιά (in the past) and τώρα (now).

What changes slightly is emphasis:

• Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο, αλλά τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο.
  
  • First you highlight the past situation, then contrast it with now.
• Τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο, αλλά παλιά ήταν δύσκολο.
  
  • First you highlight the present situation, then you look back to the past.

Both are natural; speakers choose one or the other depending on what they want to foreground.

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

In this sentence the comma before αλλά is used just like in English before “but”.

• You have two independent clauses:
  
  • Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο (In the past it was difficult)
  • τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο (now it is easier)

When αλλά (“but”) connects two full clauses, Greek normally uses a comma before αλλά:

• …, αλλά …

If αλλά just connects smaller phrases inside a single clause, you might not always see a comma, but in constructions like this one it’s standard and expected.

What’s the difference between αλλά, μα, and όμως for “but”? Could I replace αλλά here?

All three express contrast, but they differ in style and typical position:

• αλλά

  • The most neutral and standard word for “but”.
  • Common in both spoken and written Greek.
  • Used exactly like here: …, αλλά …

• μα

  • Feels more colloquial, emotional, or emphatic.
  • Often used at the beginning of a sentence:
    
    • Μα παλιά ήταν δύσκολο! – But it was difficult before!

• όμως

  • Closer to “however” / “though”.
  • Can move around in the sentence and often comes with commas:
    
    • Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο· τώρα, όμως, είναι πιο εύκολο.

In your sentence, you could hear:

• Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο, μα τώρα είναι πιο εύκολο. (more informal / expressive)
• Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο· τώρα, όμως, είναι πιο εύκολο. (slightly more formal, like “however”)

But αλλά is the most neutral and the best default choice.

Can Παλιά appear in other positions in the sentence, like Ήταν παλιά δύσκολο or Ήταν δύσκολο παλιά? Are those natural?

Yes, time adverbs like παλιά are quite flexible in Greek. All of these can occur:

• Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο.
• Ήταν παλιά δύσκολο.
• Ήταν δύσκολο παλιά.

They all basically mean “It was difficult in the past.”

However, in everyday speech:

• Παλιά ήταν δύσκολο and Ήταν δύσκολο παλιά sound more natural.
• Ήταν παλιά δύσκολο is not wrong but feels a bit more marked/stylistic; word order there gives a slightly different rhythm or emphasis.

Putting παλιά at the beginning (as in the original sentence) is very common when you want to set the time frame first and then say what was true back then.

Why don’t we use an article, like το δύσκολο or το πιο εύκολο, in this sentence?

Here δύσκολο and πιο εύκολο are adjectives used predicatively with the verb είμαι (to be):

• (Αυτό) ήταν δύσκολο. – (It) was difficult.
• (Αυτό) είναι πιο εύκολο. – (It) is easier.

In this kind of sentence:

• The adjective describes a quality of the subject; it normally does not take an article.

If you add an article (το δύσκολο, το πιο εύκολο), you are usually turning the adjective into a noun:

• το δύσκολο = the difficult thing / the difficult part
• το πιο εύκολο = the easier thing / the easiest thing

So the sentence would change its structure and meaning. For a simple “it was difficult, but now it’s easier,” the adjective without an article is correct and natural.

How do you pronounce Παλιά and εύκολο?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like hints and IPA):

• Παλιά → [paˈʎa]

  • Stress on the second syllable: πα‑λιά.
  • The λια sounds like “lya” in “million” + “ya” squashed together. Many learners just say something like pa-LYA and that’s fine.

• εύκολο → [ˈevkolo]

  • Stress on the first syllable: εύ‑κο‑λο.
  • ευ before a consonant often sounds like ev, so think EV‑ko‑lo.

Also, the written accent (´) in Greek always marks the stressed syllable, which is very important for correct pronunciation.