Learn Hardcore Greek: Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων για τη στήριξη που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου. - I feel very grateful for the support my friends give me.

Νιώθω is slightly more informal and very widely used in spoken language.
Αισθάνομαι also means I feel, but it can sound a bit more formal or emotional/psychological.

In this sentence, both Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων… and Αισθάνομαι πολύ ευγνώμων… are grammatically correct. Νιώθω just sounds more natural in casual speech.

Why is it πολύ ευγνώμων and not πολύ ευγνώμονας or something else?

Ευγνώμων is an adjective of an older type that doesn’t follow the very regular -ος / -η / -ο pattern.

Masculine / feminine nominative singular: ευγνώμων
Neuter nominative singular: ευγνώμον

So for I am/feel grateful, you say:

(Εγώ) είμαι / νιώθω ευγνώμων (whether the speaker is male or female)

Πολύ here is an adverb meaning very, so πολύ ευγνώμων = very grateful. The form of ευγνώμων is correct and doesn’t change to agree with the speaker’s gender in the way you might expect from more regular adjectives.

Is ευγνώμων masculine or feminine here? How would a woman say this?

In Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων, ευγνώμων can be used for both a man and a woman.

A man can say: Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων.
A woman also says: Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων.

The form doesn’t change with gender in the nominative singular. Context (who is speaking) tells you whether the subject is male or female.

Why do we use για with ευγνώμων? Could we leave it out?

With ευγνώμων, Greek normally uses the preposition για to introduce what you’re grateful for.

Είμαι / νιώθω ευγνώμων για κάτι = I am / feel grateful for something.

So:

Είμαι ευγνώμων για τη στήριξη.
= I am grateful for the support.

You normally cannot just say Είμαι ευγνώμων τη στήριξη; the για is needed.

Why is it τη στήριξη and not η στήριξη?

Στήριξη is a feminine noun:

Nominative: η στήριξη (the support – as subject)
Accusative: τη(ν) στήριξη (the support – as object)

After για, we use the accusative case:

για τη στήριξη = for the support

So τη is the accusative form of the feminine article.
You might also see it written as την στήριξη; the ν is often dropped in writing before some consonants, so τη στήριξη is very normal spelling.

What exactly does στήριξη mean here? Is it the same as υποστήριξη or βοήθεια?

Στήριξη literally means support, and in this context it usually means emotional / practical support from friends.

στήριξη = support (general word, emotional, moral, practical)
υποστήριξη = support, backing (often more formal, can be political, legal, technical)
βοήθεια = help, assistance (more about concrete help with problems/tasks)

In this sentence, στήριξη is very natural, but you could also hear:

…για την υποστήριξη που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου.
…για όλη τη βοήθεια που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου.

Each choice slightly shifts the nuance, but all are understandable.

What is the function of που in τη στήριξη που μου δίνουν?

Here που is a relative pronoun, like that / which in English.

η στήριξη που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου
= the support that my friends give me

So:

στήριξη = support
που = that/which (introduces the relative clause)
μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου = my friends give (to) me

In modern Greek, που is the normal, very common relative word in such sentences. It is not the same as πού with an accent, which means where or interrogative where?

How does μου δίνουν work? Why is μου before the verb?

Μου is the weak (clitic) pronoun meaning to me (indirect object).

δίνουν = they give
μου δίνουν = they give me / they give to me

In Greek, these weak pronouns normally go before the verb in simple statements:

Μου δίνουν χρήματα. = They give me money.
Μου δίνουν στήριξη. = They give me support.

You can also say δίνουν σε μένα, but:

μου δίνουν is shorter and more natural in everyday speech.
σε μένα is more emphatic: to me (as opposed to someone else).

Why does μου appear twice: που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου? Is that repetition correct?

Yes, the two μου are different and the repetition is correct:

First μου (before δίνουν) = to me (indirect object)
- που μου δίνουν = that they give to me
Second μου (after φίλοι) = my (possessive, my friends)
- οι φίλοι μου = my friends

So the phrase literally is:

the support that (to-me) give my-friends

In normal English: the support that my friends give me.
This kind of repetition with weak pronouns is very common in Greek.

Why is it δίνουν and not a past tense like έδωσαν? How does the tense compare with English?

Δίνουν is the present tense, 3rd person plural (they give).

Greek present tense is flexible and can correspond to:

English they give (simple present)
English they are giving (present continuous), depending on context.

Here, που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου means roughly:

that my friends give me / are giving me (now / in general)

If you wanted to talk about past support, you’d say:

τη στήριξη που μου έδωσαν οι φίλοι μου
= the support that my friends gave me.

Can we change the word order in που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου?

Greek word order is relatively flexible, but you must keep pronouns like μου close to the verb.

Possible variants:

…τη στήριξη που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου. (very natural)
…τη στήριξη που οι φίλοι μου μού δίνουν. (more emphasis on οι φίλοι μου; note the written accent on μού)

You cannot separate μου far from the verb or place it in a random position.
The given order is the most neutral and common in everyday speech.

Why is it οι φίλοι μου and not τους φίλους μου?

Οι φίλοι μου is in the nominative plural because it is the subject of the verb δίνουν (they give).

οι φίλοι μου δίνουν… = my friends give…

Τους φίλους μου would be accusative plural, used if my friends were the object of the verb:

Βλέπω τους φίλους μου. = I see my friends.

Here, my friends are the ones doing the action (they give), so nominative οι φίλοι μου is correct.

Could we say Είμαι πολύ ευγνώμων instead of Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can also say:

Είμαι πολύ ευγνώμων για τη στήριξη που μου δίνουν οι φίλοι μου.

Both are correct. The nuance is:

Είμαι πολύ ευγνώμων = I am very grateful (more of a state).
Νιώθω πολύ ευγνώμων = I feel very grateful (slightly more personal and emotional, focusing on the feeling).

In many contexts, they are interchangeable and both sound natural.

Is ευγνώμων common in everyday speech, or is there a simpler way to say this?

Ευγνώμων is correct and widely understood, but it can sound somewhat formal or elevated, especially in spoken language.

Very common, natural alternatives:

Νιώθω πάρα πολύ ευχαριστημένος / ευχαριστημένη για τη στήριξη…
(I feel very pleased/grateful for the support…)
Σας / σας είμαι πολύ ευγνώμων. (more formal / polite)
Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ για τη στήριξη. (Thank you very much for the support.)

So your sentence is perfectly good Greek, just slightly more on the “careful” / polite side of everyday speech.