Learn Hardcore Greek: Θέλω να αυξάνω λίγο λίγο τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα. - I want to increase little by little the time I speak Greek every day.

αυξάνω = imperfective aspect (ongoing/repeated: I increase / I am increasing).
αυξήσω = perfective aspect (one whole, completed action: I (will) increase once / I complete the increase).

With Θέλω να αυξάνω λίγο λίγο…, the speaker is focusing on a gradual, ongoing process: they want to be in the situation where, over time, they keep increasing the amount of time.

If you said Θέλω να αυξήσω τον χρόνο…, it would sound more like you want to reach a higher amount once, to achieve a specific increase (for example, from 10 minutes to 30 minutes), not so much the continuous step‑by‑step process.

So:

Θέλω να αυξάνω λίγο λίγο… → I want to be gradually increasing it (process).
Θέλω να αυξήσω λίγο λίγο… → possible, but feels more like a series of discrete increases leading to a result; many speakers still prefer the imperfective here with λίγο λίγο to emphasize continuity.

What does λίγο λίγο mean, and why is it repeated?

Λίγο means a little. The repetition λίγο λίγο is an idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning little by little, gradually.

Literally, it is like saying a little, a little, but in Greek this pattern of repeating an adverb is common to express:

gradual change: λίγο λίγο, σιγά σιγά
repeated / drawn‑out action: αργά αργά (very slowly), κάπου κάπου (from time to time)

You might also see it written as λίγο-λίγο. A near‑synonym you will hear very often is σιγά σιγά, which has essentially the same meaning in this context: Θέλω να αυξάνω σιγά σιγά τον χρόνο….

Why do we say τον χρόνο with the article, instead of just χρόνο?

In Greek, the definite article (ο, η, το) is used more often than in English, especially with abstract nouns like χρόνος (time).

Here, τον χρόνο means the amount of time / the time period you spend speaking Greek. The article makes it a specific quantity that can be increased:

αυξάνω τον χρόνο = I increase the time (a particular measurable time span)

Without any article or determiner, αυξάνω χρόνο is not natural Greek. Αυξάνω normally needs a specific object:

αυξάνω τον μισθό μου = I increase my salary
αυξάνω τις ώρες = I increase the hours

Similarly, here: αυξάνω τον χρόνο = I increase the (amount of) time.

What is the role of που in τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά?

Here που is a relative pronoun, similar to English that / which / when in this kind of sentence.

τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά
≈ the time that I speak Greek / the time when I speak Greek

It links τον χρόνο with the relative clause (εγώ) μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα.

More formal Greek could use τον χρόνο κατά τον οποίο μιλάω ελληνικά, but everyday speech almost always uses που for that/which/when/where/who in relative clauses.

Does κάθε μέρα go with τον χρόνο or with μιλάω? What exactly does που μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα describe?

Syntactically, κάθε μέρα is inside the relative clause and modifies the verb μιλάω:

[που μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα] = that I speak Greek every day

So the whole phrase τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα means:

the time that I spend speaking Greek each day

In other words, it is the daily speaking‑Greek time that you are gradually increasing. The increasing happens over a longer period (weeks, months), but what is being increased is the per‑day amount.

Why is it μιλάω and not μιλώ? Are they different?

Both μιλάω and μιλώ are correct present tense forms of the same verb μιλάω / μιλώ (to speak).

μιλάω is slightly more colloquial / everyday.
μιλώ is slightly more formal or neutral.

Meaning and grammar are the same. You could say:

τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα
τον χρόνο που μιλώ ελληνικά κάθε μέρα

Both are fine; in casual speech μιλάω is a bit more common.

Why is ελληνικά in the neuter plural and without an article?

Ελληνικά here is the neuter plural form of the adjective ελληνικός used as a noun meaning the Greek language.

For languages, Greek typically uses:

neuter plural: αγγλικά, ελληνικά, γαλλικά, ισπανικά, etc.
without an article when talking about the language in general:
- Μιλάω ελληνικά. = I speak Greek.
- Μαθαίνω γαλλικά. = I am learning French.

You can use an article in other contexts (for example τα ελληνικά μου είναι καλά – my Greek is good), but for I speak X language, the usual pattern is μιλάω + language (no article).

Can κάθε μέρα be placed somewhere else in the sentence? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible. These are all grammatically fine:

Θέλω να αυξάνω λίγο λίγο τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα.
Θέλω να αυξάνω λίγο λίγο τον χρόνο που κάθε μέρα μιλάω ελληνικά. (less common)
Κάθε μέρα θέλω να αυξάνω λίγο λίγο τον χρόνο που μιλάω ελληνικά.

The basic meaning stays the same: you want to gradually increase the daily time you spend speaking Greek.

What changes is the emphasis:

Starting with Κάθε μέρα stresses your daily routine: Every day, I want to…
Keeping κάθε μέρα right after μιλάω ελληνικά keeps the focus on speaking Greek every day.

Why do we use να after θέλω instead of something like an infinitive, as in English I want to increase?

Modern Greek does not use an infinitive form the way English, French, or Spanish do. Instead, it uses να + subjunctive.

So where English has:

I want to increase the time…

Greek has:

Θέλω να αυξάνω τον χρόνο…

The particle να plus the verb (να αυξάνω, να διαβάζω, να μιλήσω, etc.) functions like an infinitive‑clause:

θέλω να… = I want to…
πρέπει να… = I must / I have to…
μπορώ να… = I can…

In this sentence, να αυξάνω is the verb phrase that θέλω governs, just as to increase is what want governs in English.

How is αυξάνω pronounced? The spelling looks confusing.

Αυξάνω is pronounced approximately [afˈksano]:

αυ before a voiceless consonant (like ξ, κ, π, τ, σ, φ, θ, χ) is pronounced [af], not [av].
ξ is pronounced [ks].

So you get:

αυ → af
ξ → ks
άνω → áno

All together: af‑ksá‑no → αυξάνω.

By contrast, in words like αύριο (tomorrow), where αυ is before a vowel, it is pronounced [av]: [ˈavrio].