Learn Hardcore Greek: Στην αρχή του μαθήματος νιώθω μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες. - At the beginning of the lesson I feel confused with the new rules.

αρχή is feminine, nominative singular (η αρχή in dictionary form), but here it appears after the preposition σε, which requires the accusative case.

The form αρχή happens to be the same in nominative and accusative:

Nominative: η αρχή (the beginning – subject)
Accusative: την αρχή (the beginning – after a preposition)

So in στην αρχή it’s accusative, even though it looks like the nominative.

Why is it του μαθήματος? What is that structure?

του μαθήματος is the genitive singular of το μάθημα (the lesson).

The structure is:

η αρχή του μαθήματος = the beginning of the lesson

In Greek, possession or “of”-relationships are typically shown with the genitive:

η αρχή του μαθήματος – the beginning of the lesson
το τέλος της ταινίας – the end of the movie

So του μαθήματος depends on η αρχή and answers “of what?”.

Could I say στην αρχή το μάθημα instead of στην αρχή του μαθήματος?

No, that would be ungrammatical and also change the meaning.

στην αρχή το μάθημα sounds like two separate phrases: at the beginning, the lesson… (and needs something else to complete the sentence).
To express “at the beginning of the lesson”, you need the genitive: στην αρχή του μαθήματος.

What’s the difference between του μαθήματος and στο μάθημα?

They express different relations:

του μαθήματος (genitive) = of the lesson
- η αρχή του μαθήματος – the beginning of the lesson
στο μάθημα (σε + το μάθημα) = in/at the lesson
- νιώθω μπερδεμένος στο μάθημα – I feel confused in class / during the lesson

You can combine them, but the meaning changes slightly:

Στην αρχή του μαθήματος – specifically the beginning part of that lesson.
Στο μάθημα νιώθω μπερδεμένος – during the lesson in general I feel confused.

What is the subject of νιώθω here? Why is there no word for “I”?

The subject is the implied εγώ (I). Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending shows the person.

νιώθω = I feel
νιώθεις = you (sing.) feel
νιώθει = he/she/it feels

So νιώθω μπερδεμένος already means I feel confused; adding εγώ is only for emphasis:

Εγώ νιώθω μπερδεμένος… – I (as opposed to others) feel confused.

What’s the difference between νιώθω and αισθάνομαι?

Both can mean to feel (emotionally or physically), and they often overlap.

νιώθω is more common and slightly more colloquial.
αισθάνομαι can sound a bit more formal or careful, but is also very normal.

In this sentence you could also say:

Στην αρχή του μαθήματος αισθάνομαι μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες.

The meaning is practically the same.

Why is it μπερδεμένος and not some other form like μπερδεμένη or μπερδεμένο?

μπερδεμένος is an adjective (originally a participle) that agrees with the subject in gender, number, and case.

Here the subject is I (assumed male), so we use:

Masculine singular: μπερδεμένος

Other forms, depending on who is speaking:

Female speaker (singular): νιώθω μπερδεμένη
Group of people (mixed or all male): νιώθουμε μπερδεμένοι
Group of females: νιώθουμε μπερδεμένες

So you change μπερδεμένος according to who feels confused.

Could I say είμαι μπερδεμένος instead of νιώθω μπερδεμένος?

Yes.

είμαι μπερδεμένος = I am confused
νιώθω μπερδεμένος = I feel confused

In this context, they’re both natural. νιώθω μπερδεμένος slightly emphasizes the internal feeling, while είμαι μπερδεμένος sounds more like stating a condition, but in everyday speech the difference is minimal.

What does με do in μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες? Why “with” and not “about”?

με is the preposition with, but after adjectives like μπερδεμένος it often corresponds to English about or by:

μπερδεμένος με κάτι – confused about something / confused by something

This is just the normal Greek pattern:

είμαι θυμωμένος με σένα – I’m angry with you
είμαι ικανοποιημένος με το αποτέλεσμα – I’m satisfied with the result

So μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες is the natural way to say confused about the new rules.

What’s going on grammatically in τους νέους κανόνες?

τους νέους κανόνες is masculine plural accusative, and all three words agree:

Article: τους – the (masc. pl. acc.)
Adjective: νέους – new (masc. pl. acc.)
Noun: κανόνες – rules (masc. pl. acc.)

You get the pattern:

ο νέος κανόνας – the new rule (nom. sing.)
τον νέο κανόνα – the new rule (acc. sing.)
οι νέοι κανόνες – the new rules (nom. pl.)
τους νέους κανόνες – the new rules (acc. pl.)

Here it’s accusative because it is the object of the preposition με.

Can I change the word order, for example: Νιώθω μπερδεμένος στην αρχή του μαθήματος με τους νέους κανόνες?

Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible. All of these are grammatical:

Στην αρχή του μαθήματος νιώθω μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες.
Νιώθω μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες στην αρχή του μαθήματος.
Νιώθω, στην αρχή του μαθήματος, μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες. (with commas, more written style)

The differences are mostly in rhythm and emphasis:

Starting with Στην αρχή του μαθήματος emphasizes the time frame.
Putting στην αρχή του μαθήματος later may slightly stress the when as extra information.

For learners, the original word order is very natural and clear.

Why is the verb in the present tense (νιώθω) if this is a repeated situation?

In Greek, the simple present νιώθω is used both for:

What is happening now: Τώρα νιώθω μπερδεμένος. – Right now I feel confused.
General/habitual situations: Στην αρχή του μαθήματος νιώθω μπερδεμένος. – At the beginning of (every) lesson, I (usually) feel confused.

Context and time expressions (στην αρχή του μαθήματος) tell us it’s a habitual feeling. You don’t need a special tense for that; the present covers it.

How do I pronounce the tricky consonants in this sentence, like χ in αρχή?

Key points:

αρχή: χ is like the ch in German Bach or Spanish j in José.
- Approx: ar-HI (stress on ή, and h is strong, not like English h).
μάθημα:
- θ is like English th in think.
- Stress on μά → MÁ-thi-ma.
μπερδεμένος:
- μπ at the start sounds like b → ber‑de‑MÉ‑nos.
- δ is like English th in this.
κανόνες: stress on νό → ka‑NÓ‑nes.

You always put the main stress on the vowel with the accent mark: αρχή, μάθημα, μπερδεμένος, κανόνες.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Could I use it with a teacher?

The sentence is neutral and polite. You can use it in most contexts, including speaking to a teacher, another student, or writing it in an email.

If you wanted to sound a bit more formal, you could slightly adjust the verb:

Στην αρχή του μαθήματος αισθάνομαι μπερδεμένος με τους νέους κανόνες.

But the original version with νιώθω is perfectly acceptable and natural in everyday spoken and written Greek.