Learn Hardcore Greek: Στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου. - In practice you learn better when you speak Greek with your friend female.

Στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου.

In practice you learn better when you speak Greek with your friend (female).

Breakdown of Στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου.

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Questions & Answers about Στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου.

What does Στην πράξη mean exactly? Is it just “in practice,” and how is it used?

Στην πράξη literally means “in the act / in the doing”, and idiomatically “in practice” (as opposed to “in theory”).

You use it the same way as in English:

Στην πράξη, είναι πιο δύσκολο.
In practice, it’s harder.
Στην πράξη δεν το κάνουμε έτσι.
In practice we don’t do it like that.

It usually introduces a more realistic, experience-based point, contrasting with what is supposed to happen “in theory” (θεωρητικά).

Why is it Στην and not σε την? What is going on grammatically?

Σε (in/at/to) + the feminine article την contract to στην:

σε + την = στην
σε + τον = στον
σε + το = στο
σε + τις = στις
σε + τα = στα
σε + τους = στους

So:

σε την πράξη → στην πράξη (in practice)
σε την πόλη → στην πόλη (in the city)

This contraction is normal, standard Greek and is almost always written this way.

Why is πράξη in this form? What case is it, and why?

πράξη here is feminine singular accusative.

The preposition σε always takes the accusative case in Modern Greek. Since πράξη is feminine:

Nominative: η πράξη (the act / practice)
Accusative: την πράξη → στην πράξη (in practice)

So the case is determined by σε, not by the English meaning “in practice.” Greek uses σε + accusative almost everywhere for “in/on/at/to”.

What exactly is μαθαίνεις? What tense and person is it, and how would it change with other subjects?

μαθαίνεις is:

Verb: μαθαίνω (to learn)
Person: 2nd person singular
Tense: present simple (imperfective aspect)
Mood: indicative

Basic present tense forms:

(εγώ) μαθαίνω – I learn
(εσύ) μαθαίνεις – you learn (singular, informal)
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) μαθαίνει – he/she/it learns
(εμείς) μαθαίνουμε – we learn
(εσείς) μαθαίνετε – you learn (plural or polite)
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) μαθαίνουν(ε) – they learn

So μαθαίνεις καλύτερα = you learn better (habitually / generally).

Why is καλύτερα used instead of πιο καλά? Is there a difference?

Both are correct:

καλά → καλύτερα (good → better)
καλά → πιο καλά (good → more well/better)

In everyday Greek:

καλύτερα is the common, one-word comparative, very natural here.
πιο καλά is also used and means essentially the same, but sounds a bit more “analytic”.

So you could also say:

Μαθαίνεις πιο καλά όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου.

Meaning does not really change; καλύτερα is just more compact.

Why is it όταν μιλάς (present tense) and not όταν θα μιλάς? When do you use present after όταν?

In Greek, for general truths, habits, and repeated situations, you normally use the present tense after όταν, even if in English you’d sometimes think of the future.

Μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά…
You learn better when you speak Greek… (whenever you do it, generally)

Όταν θα μιλάς is possible but different:

Όταν θα μιλάς ελληνικά, θα σε καταλαβαίνουν όλοι.
When you will be speaking Greek, everyone will understand you.

That sounds more specifically future and more “situational”, not a general rule.
In your sentence, we’re talking about a general learning principle, so όταν μιλάς (present) is the natural choice.

Why is ελληνικά in the neuter plural? How do you generally talk about languages in Greek?

In Greek, languages are usually expressed as the neuter plural of the corresponding adjective:

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

So:

Μιλάω ελληνικά. – I speak Greek.
Ξέρεις αγγλικά; – Do you know English?
Μαθαίνει γερμανικά. – He/she is learning German.

Grammatically, ελληνικά here behaves like a neuter plural noun meaning “Greek (as a language)”.
You wouldn’t usually say μιλάς την ελληνική; the natural phrase is μιλάς ελληνικά or more formally μιλάς την ελληνική γλώσσα (you speak the Greek language).

Why do we see με τη φίλη σου and not με την φίλη σου? What happened to the final -ν in την?

The feminine article την often drops the final -ν before certain consonants. Traditional spelling rules say you keep -ν before:

vowels, and the consonants κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ

and you may drop it before other consonants like φ, β, γ, δ, θ, λ, μ, ν, ρ, σ, χ.

Since φ (in φίλη) is not in the “keep -ν” group, you commonly write:

τη φίλη σου (normal modern spelling)

Writing την φίλη σου is not wrong and many people keep the -ν always, especially in more formal writing, but school grammar and most modern style guides prefer τη φίλη here.

What exactly does σου do in τη φίλη σου? Is it like “your”? Could it go anywhere else in the sentence?

Here σου is the weak (clitic) possessive pronoun, meaning “your”:

η φίλη σου – your (female) friend
ο φίλος σου – your (male) friend
το βιβλίο σου – your book

As a possessive, it normally comes after the noun:

η φίλη σου, το σπίτι σου, η μητέρα σου

You cannot move this σου somewhere else in the sentence and keep the same meaning;
for example, μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με σου is wrong.

There is another use of σου as an object pronoun (to you):

Σου μιλάω ελληνικά. – I speak Greek to you.

But in your sentence, it’s clearly possessive: with your friend → με τη φίλη σου.

Can we change the word order, e.g. start with Όταν μιλάς ελληνικά…? Would the meaning change?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible. All of these are natural and mean the same:

Στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου.
Όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου, στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα.
Μαθαίνεις καλύτερα στην πράξη, όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου.

The differences are about emphasis:

Starting with Στην πράξη highlights the contrast “in practice (as opposed to in theory)”.
Starting with Όταν μιλάς ελληνικά… emphasizes the condition “when you speak Greek with your friend”.

But the core meaning – you learn better in practice when you speak Greek with your friend – stays the same.

How informal or formal is μιλάς? When would I use μιλάτε instead?

μιλάς is 2nd person singular, used:

with one person, and
in informal/friendly situations (friends, family, peers, children).

μιλάτε can be:

2nd person plural (you all speak)
or polite singular “you” (like vous in French or usted in Spanish)

Examples:

To a friend: Μιλάς πολύ καλά ελληνικά!
You speak Greek very well!
To a group: Μιλάτε ελληνικά στο σπίτι;
Do you (all) speak Greek at home?
Politely to one stranger: Μιλάτε αγγλικά;
Do you speak English?

In your sentence, μιλάς fits because we’re imagining you talking with one friend, informally.

Should any of these words be capitalized in Greek? For example, should ελληνικά be capitalized?

In Modern Greek:

Names of languages are not capitalized.
Nationality adjectives (ελληνικός, αγγλικός) are also normally lowercase.
The nouns for nationalities (Έλληνας, Ελληνίδα, Άγγλος, Γάλλος) are capitalized.

So in your sentence:

ελληνικά → correctly lowercase
στην, πράξη, μαθαίνεις, καλύτερα, όταν, μιλάς, με, τη, φίλη, σου → all correctly lowercase at the start or after a comma.

You would only capitalize at the very beginning of the sentence:

Στην πράξη μαθαίνεις καλύτερα όταν μιλάς ελληνικά με τη φίλη σου. ✅