Learn Hardcore Greek: Η σημερινή μέρα είναι ιδιαίτερη, γιατί κλείνω έναν χρόνο που μαθαίνω ελληνικά. - Today is a special day because it’s one year since I started learning Greek.

Σήμερα είναι μια ιδιαίτερη μέρα = Today is a special day.
- More neutral, very common.
Η σημερινή μέρα είναι ιδιαίτερη = Today’s day is special / This day (today) is special.
- Sounds a bit more formal or emphatic.
- Literally: The today’s day is special.

Η σημερινή μέρα focuses on “this particular day (the one that is today)”, rather than just the time adverb “today”. It’s like the difference between:

“Today is special”
and
“This day, today, is special.”

So it’s a stylistic choice, not a grammatical obligation.

Why is there an article Η before σημερινή μέρα?

In Greek, nouns almost always need an article when you talk about a specific thing.

η μέρα = the day
η σημερινή μέρα = the (specific) day that is today

Without the article, σημερινή μέρα would sound incomplete or more like a title/label. In normal sentences, you would say:

Η σημερινή μέρα είναι…
Η παλιά μου φίλη ήρθε. (My old friend came.)

So the pattern is:
article + adjective + noun → η σημερινή μέρα.

Why is the adjective σημερινή before μέρα and not after it?

Greek usually puts descriptive adjectives before the noun:

η μεγάλη πόλη (the big city)
ο καλός φίλος (the good friend)
η σημερινή μέρα (today’s day / the day of today)

Putting the adjective after the noun is also possible in some structures, but then you normally repeat the article:

η μέρα η σημερινή
This is more literary/poetic or very emphatic: “the day, the one that is today”.

So the neutral, everyday order is: article + adjective + noun → η σημερινή μέρα.

What exactly does ιδιαίτερη mean, and how is it different from ειδική or just “special”?

Ιδιαίτερη means “special” in the sense of:

unique
out of the ordinary
personally meaningful

So Η σημερινή μέρα είναι ιδιαίτερη = “Today is special / Today is a special day.”

Ειδική is used more in technical or formal contexts:

ειδική επιτροπή = special/standing committee
ειδική αγωγή = special education

Using ειδική μέρα would sound more like a “designated day” (e.g. by an institution) rather than “this day is emotionally special for me.”

So ιδιαίτερη μέρα is the natural choice for a personally meaningful special day.

Why is there a comma before γιατί?

In Greek, γιατί (“because/why”) often starts a new clause that explains the reason for something, and it’s normally separated by a comma from the main clause if it comes after it:

Δεν ήρθα, γιατί δούλευα. (I didn’t come, because I was working.)
Η σημερινή μέρα είναι ιδιαίτερη, γιατί κλείνω έναν χρόνο…

If the “because” clause comes first, you usually don’t add a comma:

Γιατί δούλευα δεν ήρθα. (Because I was working, I didn’t come.)

So the comma in your sentence is standard punctuation.

Why is the verb κλείνω (“I close”) used for “I complete one year”?

This is an idiomatic use of κλείνω in Greek. Besides “to close”, it can mean “to complete / to reach (a period of time)”:

κλείνω έναν χρόνο = I complete one year / it’s been one year
κλείνω τα 30 = I turn 30 (years old)
η εταιρεία κλείνει δέκα χρόνια = the company is marking/completing ten years

So in your sentence:

γιατί κλείνω έναν χρόνο που μαθαίνω ελληνικά
≈ “because it’s (now) one full year that I’ve been learning Greek.”

It’s a very natural, everyday way to talk about an anniversary in Greek.

Why is it έναν χρόνο and not ένας χρόνος?

Χρόνος is a masculine noun.
Here it is the direct object of the verb κλείνω, so it must be in the accusative case:

Nominative (subject): ένας χρόνος (a year)
Accusative (object): έναν χρόνο (a year)

Since it is the thing being “completed”, it’s the object:

κλείνω έναν χρόνο
not
κλείνω ένας χρόνος

You might also see ένα χρόνο (without -ν), which is also correct in spoken Greek. έναν χρόνο is a bit more careful/formal.

Why are both verbs κλείνω and μαθαίνω in the present tense, even though the action covers the past year?

Greek often uses the present tense for actions that started in the past and are still continuing, especially with expressions like έναν χρόνο, εδώ και έναν χρόνο, etc.

Μαθαίνω ελληνικά εδώ και έναν χρόνο.
= I’ve been learning Greek for a year.

So:

κλείνω έναν χρόνο που μαθαίνω ελληνικά
≈ “I am (now) completing a year during which I have been learning Greek.”

If you used a past tense (έκλεισα έναν χρόνο), it would sound like the one-year period is already fully in the past. Here, the action is still current (today is the anniversary), so present tense fits well.

What is the role of που in έναν χρόνο που μαθαίνω ελληνικά?

Here που acts like a relative pronoun, roughly “that” or “during which”:

έναν χρόνο που μαθαίνω ελληνικά
≈ “a year (that / during which) I have been learning Greek”

So the structure is:

έναν χρόνο (a year)
που μαθαίνω ελληνικά (in which I learn Greek)

This is a very common pattern in Greek:

η μέρα που γνώρισα τη Μαρία = the day when/that I met Maria
ο χρόνος που έζησα στην Αθήνα = the year (that) I lived in Athens

In English we might translate it with “that”, “when”, or “during which”, depending on the sentence.

Could I say εδώ και έναν χρόνο μαθαίνω ελληνικά instead? Is it the same meaning?

Yes, that’s another very natural way to say it, and it’s extremely common:

Εδώ και έναν χρόνο μαθαίνω ελληνικά.
Literally: “For a year now I learn Greek.”
Meaning: “I’ve been learning Greek for a year.”

Your original sentence:

κλείνω έναν χρόνο που μαθαίνω ελληνικά
emphasizes the idea of completing that one year.

Εδώ και έναν χρόνο… just states the duration up to now, without the “anniversary” nuance being as strong. Both are correct; they just feel a bit different stylistically.

Why is there no εγώ (“I”) before κλείνω?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is usually omitted because the verb ending already shows the person:

κλείνω = I close / I complete
κλείνεις = you close
κλείνει = he/she/it closes

So:

(Εγώ) κλείνω έναν χρόνο…

saying εγώ is only needed when you want to emphasize “I (as opposed to someone else)”. In a neutral sentence, you simply drop it.

Why is it μαθαίνω ελληνικά and not μαθαίνω τα ελληνικά?

Both can exist, but the nuance is different:

μαθαίνω ελληνικά
= I’m learning Greek (the language, in general).
The article is often left out when talking about learning/knowing a language.
μαθαίνω τα ελληνικά
= I’m learning the Greek (words, material, lessons).
Feels more like you’re learning the specific content of a course / the actual “stuff”.

So in your sentence, μαθαίνω ελληνικά is the most natural: you’re learning the Greek language in general.

Where does σημερινή come from, and how does it change with gender and number?

Σημερινή is an adjective meaning “today’s / of today”. It comes from σήμερα (today) + an adjective-forming suffix.

Its forms:

Masculine: σημερινός
- ο σημερινός καιρός = today’s weather
Feminine: σημερινή
- η σημερινή μέρα = today’s day
Neuter: σημερινό
- το σημερινό μάθημα = today’s lesson

Plural:

σημερινοί (m.), σημερινές (f.), σημερινά (n.)

So in your sentence, μέρα is feminine, so the adjective must also be feminine: η σημερινή μέρα.