Learn Hardcore Greek: Φυσικά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά.

In everyday speech, Φυσικά is a very common, neutral way to say of course or sure.
It can also carry a nuance of obviously or as you’d expect, depending on tone.

Position-wise, you can move it around a bit:

Φυσικά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά.
Of course I can help you with Greek.
Μπορώ φυσικά να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά.
Slightly different emphasis, but still natural.
Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά, φυσικά.
Like adding of course at the end in English for reassurance.

What does μπορώ mean, and how is it used?

Μπορώ means I can / I am able (to). Unlike English, Greek does not use a separate modal verb like can; μπορώ itself is a normal verb that conjugates.

Present tense forms (indicative):

μπορώ – I can
μπορείς – you (singular) can
μπορεί – he/she/it can
μπορούμε – we can
μπορείτε – you (plural/formal) can
μπορούν(ε) – they can

It usually takes a να-clause:

Μπορώ να διαβάσω. – I can read.
Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω. – I can help you.

So in your sentence, μπορώ is simply I can.

What is the function of να in να σε βοηθήσω? Why is it there?

Να introduces a verb in the subjunctive mood. In modern Greek, many things that English expresses with to + verb, that + verb, or modal structures are expressed with να + subjunctive.

After many verbs like μπορώ (I can), θέλω (I want), πρέπει (I must), you almost always need να before the next verb:

Θέλω να φάω. – I want to eat.
Πρέπει να φύγω. – I must leave.
Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω. – I can help you.

You cannot drop να here; Μπορώ σε βοηθήσω is ungrammatical.

Why is it βοηθήσω and not βοηθάω? What’s the difference?

Both forms come from the verb βοηθάω / βοηθώ (to help), but:

βοηθάω is present (imperfective): focuses on ongoing, repeated or general action.
βοηθήσω is aorist (perfective) subjunctive: focuses on the action as a single, complete event.

With μπορώ να…, Greek usually prefers the aorist subjunctive when we mean do it (as an act):

Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω. – I can help you (do it, get it done).
Μπορώ να σε βοηθάω. – I can be helping you / I am able to keep helping you (more ongoing, habitual).

In this context, help you with Greek is seen as doing something (helping) rather than focusing on a continuous process at this moment, so βοηθήσω is the natural choice.

How does σε work here? What’s the difference between σε, εσένα, and σας?

Σε is the unstressed object pronoun for you (singular, informal) as a direct object.

In your sentence:

να σε βοηθήσω = to help you.

Key forms for you:

εσύ – you (subject, singular, informal)
σε – you (object, singular, informal, unstressed)
εσένα – you (object, singular, informal, stressed/emphatic)
εσάς / σας – you (plural or formal)

Examples:

Σε βλέπω. – I see you.
Εσένα σε βλέπω, όχι αυτόν. – You I see, not him. (emphasis on you)
Μπορώ να σας βοηθήσω; – Can I help you? (to one person formally, or to more than one person)

So in your sentence, σε is the normal, unstressed you as object. A more emphatic version could be:

Μπορώ να βοηθήσω εσένα με τα ελληνικά.
I can help you (as opposed to someone else) with Greek.

Can σε move somewhere else in the sentence? Why not say να βοηθήσω σε?

Σε here is a clitic pronoun, and Greek has specific rules for where it can appear.

In main clauses like this one, with να, the pronoun goes:

before the verb, usually right after the particle να:
- Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω. ✅
- Μπορώ να βοηθήσω σε. ❌ (wrong in this sense)

You can also place σε before μπορώ:

Σε μπορώ να βοηθήσω – very unusual and basically not used in modern Greek; natural modern placement is να σε βοηθήσω.

Enclitic placement (after the verb, e.g. βοηθήσω σε) generally happens with imperatives and a few special structures, not here. So:

Βοήθησέ με. – Help me.
But with να: να με βοηθήσεις, να σε βοηθήσω, etc.

So να σε βοηθήσω is the correct and natural order.

Why is it με τα ελληνικά and not στα ελληνικά?

Με and σε are different prepositions:

με = with
σε (often contracted as σε/στο/στην/στα, etc.) = in, at, to depending on context

Με τα ελληνικά here means with Greek (the language), in the sense of helping you with your studies/skills:

Θα σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά. – I’ll help you with Greek.

Στα ελληνικά normally means in Greek (as the language you use to say something):

Μίλα στα ελληνικά. – Speak in Greek.
Πες το στα ελληνικά. – Say it in Greek.

So:

να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά = help you with learning/understanding Greek.
να το πω στα ελληνικά = say it in the Greek language.

Why do we say τα ελληνικά (neuter plural)? Why not something singular?

In Greek, many language names are used as neuter plural nouns with the article τα:

τα ελληνικά – Greek (language)
τα αγγλικά – English
τα γαλλικά – French
τα ισπανικά – Spanish

Literally, it’s like saying the Greek things (the Greek words/expressions), but idiomatically it just means the Greek language.

You can also say:

η ελληνική γλώσσα – the Greek language (more formal/literal)
η ελληνική on its own is typically an adjective (Greek as feminine singular), not the usual way to mean Greek (language) in everyday speech.

So τα ελληνικά is the standard, natural way to say Greek when you mean the language.

Can I change the word order in this sentence? For example, where can Φυσικά go?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbs like φυσικά. All of these are possible, with small differences in emphasis and tone:

Φυσικά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά.
Neutral: Of course I can help you with Greek.
Μπορώ φυσικά να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά.
Slightly emphasizes μπορώ (the ability): I can, of course, help you with Greek.
Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά, φυσικά.
Sounds like adding of course at the end for reassurance.
Φυσικά με τα ελληνικά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω.
Emphasizes with Greek (as opposed to something else), and sounds a bit more marked.

The original order is the most neutral and common.

How do I make this sentence more formal or address more than one person?

To be formal (speaking politely to one person) or to talk to more than one person, replace σε with σας:

Φυσικά μπορώ να σας βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά.
Of course I can help you (formal or plural) with Greek.

Σας can mean:

you (plural)
you (singular, formal/polite)

The rest of the sentence stays the same.

How do you pronounce Φυσικά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με τα ελληνικά?

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with bold syllable, English-like respelling):

Φυσικά – fi-si-KA
μπορώ – bo-RO (the μπ sounds like b)
να – na (short a, as in father)
σε – se (like se in set)
βοηθήσω – vo-i-THI-so
- the η is like ee, θ like th in think
με – me (like me in met, shorter)
τα – ta (short a)
ελληνικά – e-li-ni-KA

Said smoothly, it sounds roughly like:

fi-si-KA bo-RO na se vo-i-THI-so me ta e-li-ni-KA.