Learn Hardcore Greek: Κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια κάθε πρωί να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά, προκειμένου να συνηθίσω την προφορά. - Every morning I make a small effort to speak Greek out loud, in order to get used to the pronunciation.

Προσπαθώ (κάθε πρωί να μιλάω...) = I try (every morning to speak...)
Focus is directly on the action of trying.
Κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια (κάθε πρωί να μιλάω...) = I make a small effort (every morning to speak...)
Here, προσπάθεια is treated as a “thing” (an effort), and κάνω is the light verb “to do/make”.

The phrase κάνω προσπάθεια (να...) is very common in Greek and slightly more descriptive. Using μικρή also adds nuance, suggesting the effort is not very big.

You could also say:

Κάνω μια μικρή προσπάθεια... (with μια) – also natural
Κάνω προσπάθεια... (without μικρή) – neutral, just “I make an effort”

Why is it μικρή προσπάθεια and not μικρό προσπάθεια or something else?

Because adjectives in Greek must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.

προσπάθεια is:
- gender: feminine
- number: singular
- case: accusative (object of κάνω)
The adjective μικρός has forms:
- masculine: μικρός (nom.), μικρό (acc.)
- feminine: μικρή (nom. & acc.)
- neuter: μικρό (nom. & acc.)

So you need the feminine singular accusative form:

μικρή προσπάθεια ✅
Not μικρό προσπάθεια ❌ because μικρό is neuter/masculine accusative, but the noun is feminine.

Could we say λίγη προσπάθεια instead of μικρή προσπάθεια? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say both, but they have slightly different nuances:

μικρή προσπάθεια = “a small effort”
Focus on the size/importance of the effort.
λίγη προσπάθεια = “a little effort / not much effort”
Focus on the amount/quantity of effort.

In many contexts they overlap, but:

Κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια – sounds like “the effort is small, not very significant.”
Κάνω λίγη προσπάθεια – sounds like “I don’t try very hard; I only put in a little effort.”

Both are grammatically correct.

Why is it κάθε πρωί and not something like κάθε πρωινά?

With κάθε (“every”), Greek uses the singular form of the noun:

κάθε πρωί = every morning
κάθε μέρα = every day
κάθε χρόνο = every year

Using a plural here (κάθε πρωινά) would be wrong. So the pattern is:

κάθε + singular noun

Can I change the word order, e.g. say Κάθε πρωί κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια...?

Yes. Greek word order is fairly flexible. These are all natural:

Κάθε πρωί κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά...
Κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια κάθε πρωί να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά...

The meaning is the same. Placing κάθε πρωί at the beginning slightly emphasizes when you do it (every morning), but it’s a subtle difference, not a change in meaning.

Why is it να μιλάω and not να μιλήσω?

This is an aspect difference:

να μιλάω (imperfective aspect) = “to be speaking / to speak habitually”
Focus on ongoing or repeated action.
να μιλήσω (aorist aspect) = “to speak (once, as a complete event)”
Focus on one whole event, not its duration.

In this sentence, you’re describing a habitual practice and an ongoing activity (speaking Greek a bit every morning), so:

να μιλάω ελληνικά fits better: to speak Greek (as an activity; to be speaking).

να μιλήσω ελληνικά would sound more like “so that I speak Greek (at some point / in one instance)”, which doesn’t match the idea of daily practice as well.

Is να μιλάω some special tense or mood?

Yes. να μιλάω is the subjunctive form of μιλάω (I speak).

In modern Greek:

The particle να usually introduces the subjunctive.
The form μιλάω here is the present subjunctive (imperfective aspect).

You typically see να + verb after verbs/expressions of:

desire: θέλω να μιλάω... (I want to speak...)
effort/attempt: προσπαθώ να μιλάω... (I try to speak...)
purpose: για να μιλάω..., προκειμένου να μιλάω... (in order to speak...)

Why is ελληνικά in the neuter plural, and why is there no article (τα)?

In Greek, names of languages are usually:

neuter plural:
- τα ελληνικά (Greek)
- τα αγγλικά (English)
- τα γαλλικά (French)

When you say “to speak a language”, you normally omit the article:

Μιλάω ελληνικά. = I speak Greek.
Μιλάω αγγλικά και ισπανικά. = I speak English and Spanish.

You use the article when you talk about the language as a subject/thing in general:

Τα ελληνικά μου είναι ακόμα αρχάριο επίπεδο.
My Greek is still at a beginner level.
Τα ελληνικά είναι δύσκολα.
Greek is difficult.

So here:

να μιλάω ελληνικά = to speak Greek (no article, because it’s the object of “speak”).

What exactly does δυνατά mean here? Is it “strongly” or “loudly”?

In this context, δυνατά means “loudly / out loud”.

δυνατός (adj.) = strong / loud
δυνατά (adv.) = strongly / loudly / out loud, depending on context

So:

να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά = to speak Greek out loud / in a loud voice.

This is close to English “I speak Greek out loud every morning”.

Could we say να μιλάω δυνατά ελληνικά instead of να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά?

You could say it, but it sounds odd or marked. The usual and most natural order is:

να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά

In Greek, adverbs like δυνατά tend to come after the verb phrase they modify. If you say να μιλάω δυνατά ελληνικά, it might confuse the listener briefly (it sounds like you’re describing a kind of Greek: “loud Greek”), even though context would clarify it.

Stick with:

να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά ✅

What does προκειμένου να mean, and how is it different from για να?

προκειμένου να means “in order to / so as to” and introduces a purpose.

προκειμένου να συνηθίσω την προφορά
= in order to get used to the pronunciation

Differences:

για να = very common, neutral, everyday:
- Μιλάω δυνατά για να με ακούσεις.
  I speak loudly so you can hear me.
προκειμένου να = sounds a bit more formal / careful:
- Often used in writing, instructions, more formal speech.

In your sentence, both are possible:

..., προκειμένου να συνηθίσω την προφορά. (slightly more formal)
..., για να συνηθίσω την προφορά. (more everyday)

What form is συνηθίσω, and why not συνηθίζω?

συνηθίσω is the aorist subjunctive, 1st person singular of the verb συνηθίζω (to get used to / to be used to).

συνηθίζω (present) = I am used to / I get used to (as an ongoing process)
να συνηθίσω (aorist subjunctive) = to get used to (as a result, completion of the process)

After προκειμένου να, we choose the aspect based on what we want to emphasize:

προκειμένου να συνηθίζω την προφορά
= in order to be (constantly) getting used to the pronunciation
(focus on an ongoing process)
προκειμένου να συνηθίσω την προφορά
= in order to (eventually) get used to the pronunciation
(focus on reaching the state of “being used to it”)

In this sentence, the goal is to reach the point where you’re used to the pronunciation, so να συνηθίσω is the natural choice.

Why is there a definite article in την προφορά? Why not just προκειμένου να συνηθίσω προφορά?

In Greek, you almost always use the definite article with a specific noun, including abstract ones, much more than in English.

την προφορά = the pronunciation (here, clearly “the Greek pronunciation”)

Without the article (να συνηθίσω προφορά) sounds wrong or at least very unnatural in this context. Some abstract nouns can appear without an article, but προφορά here clearly refers to a specific, known thing: the pronunciation of Greek.

So:

να συνηθίσω την προφορά ✅
να συνηθίσω προφορά ❌ (unnatural)

Is the tense κάνω (present) used here the same way as in English “I make” for habits?

Yes. Greek present can express habitual actions, like the English present simple:

Κάνω μικρή προσπάθεια κάθε πρωί...
= I make a small effort every morning...

Other examples:

Πηγαίνω γυμναστήριο κάθε μέρα.
I go to the gym every day.
Τρώω πρωινό στις 8.
I eat breakfast at 8.

So here, κάνω describes a repeated, regular habit, not just something happening right now.

Could I remove μικρή and just say Κάνω προσπάθεια κάθε πρωί...?

Yes, absolutely:

Κάνω προσπάθεια κάθε πρωί να μιλάω ελληνικά δυνατά, προκειμένου να συνηθίσω την προφορά.

This means:

“I make an effort every morning to speak Greek out loud, in order to get used to the pronunciation.”

Without μικρή, the sentence sounds more neutral about the size of the effort.
With μικρή, you add the nuance that the effort is not huge, maybe modest or limited.