Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

Little by little I am making progress in Greek.

Breakdown of Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

• στα ελληνικά: in Greek
• προχωράω: to make progress
• λίγο λίγο: little by little

Questions & Answers about Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

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

Λίγο means a little / a bit.

When you repeat it (λίγο λίγο), it becomes an idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning little by little / bit by bit / gradually.

So literally it’s like saying “a little a little”, but the meaning is “little by little”, expressing small, gradual progress over time.
English does something similar with “step by step”, “bit by bit”, “day by day”.

Is there any difference between λίγο λίγο and σιγά σιγά?

Both are very common and often interchangeable:

• λίγο λίγο = little by little, bit by bit
  – Focuses slightly more on small amounts of progress.

• σιγά σιγά = slowly, slowly / slowly but surely
  – Focuses slightly more on the slowness or gentleness of the process.

In your sentence:

• Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.
  = Little by little, I’m making progress in Greek.

You could also say:

• Σιγά σιγά προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

The meaning in everyday speech is practically the same: gradual, steady progress.

Where can λίγο λίγο go in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like λίγο λίγο.

All of these are possible and natural:

• Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.
• Προχωράω λίγο λίγο στα ελληνικά.
• Προχωράω στα ελληνικά λίγο λίγο.

The most frequent versions in speech would probably be:

• Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.
• Προχωράω λίγο λίγο στα ελληνικά.

The meaning doesn’t really change; it’s mainly a matter of rhythm and emphasis.

What exactly does προχωράω mean here, and what is its basic form?

Προχωράω comes from the verb προχωράω / προχωρώ, which literally means:

• to move forward, to go ahead, to advance

In a metaphorical sense, it also means:

• to make progress, to advance (in something)

So in this sentence:

• προχωράω στα ελληνικά
  = I’m making progress in Greek / I’m advancing in Greek.

Grammar points:

• It’s 1st person singular, present tense:
  • (εγώ) προχωράω = I move forward / I’m progressing.
• There are two common present forms, both correct:
  • προχωράω and προχωρώ
    (similar to some English verbs having variant forms, like “learned/learnt”).

In everyday modern Greek, προχωράω is very frequent in speech; προχωρώ sounds a bit more formal or written, but both are fine.

Why is the subject pronoun εγώ (“I”) missing? How do we know it’s “I”?

In Greek, the verb ending usually shows the subject, so subject pronouns are often omitted unless they’re needed for emphasis or contrast.

• προχωράω ends in -ω, which marks 1st person singular (I).
• So (εγώ) προχωράω literally means “I move forward / I progress”.

You can say:

• Εγώ λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

This adds emphasis on εγώ (“I, little by little, am making progress in Greek” – maybe contrasting with someone else). But the neutral, natural version just leaves εγώ out:

• Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

What does στα in στα ελληνικά mean exactly?

Στα is a contraction of:

• σε + τα
  
  • σε = in, at, to
  • τα = the (neuter plural definite article)

So στα ελληνικά is literally:

• σε + τα ελληνικά → στα ελληνικά
  = in/to the Greek (things)

Here, τα ελληνικά is the standard way to say “the Greek language” (literally “the Greek [things]”).

So στα ελληνικά means:

• in Greek (language) / in the Greek language.

Why is ελληνικά in the neuter plural? Why not just a singular like ελληνική?

In modern Greek, names of languages are usually expressed as neuter plural adjectives functioning as nouns:

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

So ελληνικά is the neuter plural form of the adjective ελληνικός, -ή, -ό (Greek).

You can talk about the language in a more explicit, almost “textbook” way:

• η ελληνική γλώσσα = the Greek language (feminine singular)

But in everyday speech, people almost always say:

• μιλάω ελληνικά – I speak Greek
• μαθαίνω ελληνικά – I’m learning Greek
• προχωράω στα ελληνικά – I’m making progress in Greek.

Using ελληνική on its own (προχωράω στην ελληνική) would sound incomplete or odd unless you explicitly add γλώσσα: στην ελληνική γλώσσα.

Why is it στα ελληνικά and not σε ελληνικά?

Because Greek normally uses the article with language names when they appear as nouns in prepositional phrases like this.

• σε + τα ελληνικά → στα ελληνικά

Without the article (σε ελληνικά) sounds ungrammatical here.
It would be like saying “I make progress in Greek” but dropping the article where Greek strongly expects it: literally “I make progress in Greek” but as if “Greek” were bare and un‑noun‑like.

So:

• ✅ προχωράω στα ελληνικά – correct, natural.
• ❌ προχωράω σε ελληνικά – wrong in this sense.

Should ελληνικά be capitalized here? I often see “Greek” capitalized in English.

In English, language names are capitalized: Greek, English, French.

In modern Greek, they are normally not capitalized in standard spelling when used as common nouns/adjectives:

• ελληνικά, αγγλικά, γαλλικά etc.

You might occasionally see Ελληνικά with a capital Ε (especially in titles, course names, or informal writing), but the standard rule in normal text is:

• τα ελληνικά – lower case.

Could προχωράω στα ελληνικά be misunderstood as something physical like “I’m walking on the Greeks”?

In isolation, προχωράω can be physical (“I move forward / I walk on”), but:

• στα ελληνικά is a fixed way of saying “in Greek (language)”.

So προχωράω στα ελληνικά will naturally be interpreted as “I’m advancing / making progress in Greek (as a language)”, not literally walking on Greek people.

To mean something physical like “I move on the Greeks” (as in “against Greek people”), Greek would phrase it quite differently (and it would sound strange in most contexts anyway). So in practice, there’s no ambiguity.

What tense or aspect is προχωράω? Does it mean “I progress” or “I am progressing”?

Προχωράω is present tense, imperfective aspect.

Greek does not have a separate present continuous form like English. One form covers both:

• προχωράω = I progress and I am progressing.

So:

• Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά.
  can be understood as:
  • Little by little, I progress in Greek.
    or more naturally in English:
  • Little by little, I’m progressing in Greek.
  • I’m making progress in Greek little by little.

Context usually makes the “ongoing” meaning clear.

Could I use other verbs instead of προχωράω here, like μαθαίνω or βελτιώνομαι?

Yes, there are several natural alternatives with slightly different nuances:

• Λίγο λίγο μαθαίνω ελληνικά.
  = Little by little, I’m learning Greek.
  – Focus on acquiring knowledge/skills.

• Λίγο λίγο βελτιώνομαι στα ελληνικά.
  = Little by little, I’m improving in Greek.
  – Focus on your performance level getting better.

• Λίγο λίγο κάνω πρόοδο στα ελληνικά.
  = Little by little, I’m making progress in Greek.
  – Very close in meaning to προχωράω στα ελληνικά.

Προχωράω στα ελληνικά sounds natural and idiomatic, with a metaphor of “moving forward” in your Greek. The others are also perfectly correct and common; which one you choose depends on what nuance you want.

How do you pronounce Λίγο λίγο προχωράω στα ελληνικά?

Approximate pronunciation, syllable by syllable (stressed syllables in CAPS):

• Λίγο → LEE-gho

  • λ = l
  • ί = ee (as in “see”)
  • γ before ο is like a soft “gh” in the back of the throat.

• λίγο → again LEE-gho

• προχωράω → pro-ho-RA-o

  • πρ = pr
  • ο = o (like “not”)
  • χ = a hard “h” in the throat (like German “Bach”)
  • ρά is stressed: RA
  • ω here sounds like “o” in “go”, but quickly joined to the previous syllable.

• στα → sta

  • σ = s
  • τ = t
  • α = a as in “father”.

• ελληνικά → e-lli-ni-KA

  • ε = e as in “bed”
  • λλ = a double l, held slightly longer
  • η and ι both sound like “ee”
  • stress on κά: KA.

So, loosely: LEE-gho LEE-gho pro-ho-RA-o sta e-lli-ni-KA.