Learn Hardcore Greek: Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση ήταν ήρεμη, αλλά μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά. - Your first reaction was calm, but then you reacted a bit nervously.

Η – the (feminine, nominative, singular definite article)
πρώτη – first (feminine form of the adjective πρώτος)
σου – your (unstressed possessive pronoun, “your” singular informal here)
αντίδραση – reaction (feminine noun)
ήταν – was (3rd person singular past of είμαι = to be)
ήρεμη – calm (feminine form of the adjective ήρεμος)
αλλά – but
μετά – afterwards / then / later
αντέδρασες – you reacted (2nd person singular, aorist / simple past of αντιδρώ = to react)
λίγο – a little, a bit
νευρικά – nervously (adverb from νευρικός = nervous)

Why is it «Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση» and not «η αντίδρασή σου πρώτη» like in English “your first reaction”?

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but there are typical patterns.

Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση is the most natural, neutral way to say “your first reaction”.
- Η πρώτη – “the first”
- σου – your
- αντίδραση – reaction

The possessive σου usually comes right after the noun (αντίδραση σου), but it very often appears between the adjective and the noun:

η πρώτη σου αντίδραση = literally “the first your reaction”

You will also hear and see:

η αντίδρασή σου ήταν ήρεμη – “your reaction was calm”

Here:

αντίδραση
- -ή (extra accent) + σου = normal when a clitic (σου) follows a word that already has an accent.

So:

η πρώτη σου αντίδραση – emphasizes “first reaction”
η αντίδρασή σου – emphasizes “your reaction”

Both are correct; the given sentence just focuses on “the first reaction.”

Why is «ήταν» used and not «ήσουν»? How does “to be” work in the past tense here?

Ήταν is the past tense (imperfect) of είμαι (to be) in 3rd person singular, used with η πρώτη σου αντίδραση (“your first reaction”):

(Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση) ήταν ήρεμη
Your first reaction was calm.

We use:

ήμουν – I was
ήσουν – you were (singular)
ήταν – he/she/it was, or “they were” (colloquial)

Since the subject is η αντίδραση (3rd person singular, “it”), ήταν is correct.
Ήσουν would agree with “you”, but “you” is not the grammatical subject of this clause; your reaction is.

Why is «πρώτη» and «ήρεμη» in the feminine form?

Both πρώτη (“first”) and ήρεμη (“calm”) agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe, which is:

η αντίδραση – “reaction”, a feminine noun in Greek.

So:

πρώτος (masc.) → πρώτη (fem.) → πρώτο (neut.)
ήρεμος (masc.) → ήρεμη (fem.) → ήρεμο (neut.)

Because αντίδραση is feminine:

η πρώτη αντίδραση – the first reaction
η αντίδραση ήταν ήρεμη – the reaction was calm

If the noun were masculine or neuter, the adjectives would change forms too.

What is the difference between «αντίδραση» and «αντέδρασες»?

They’re related but different parts of speech:

αντίδραση – noun, “reaction”
- η αντίδραση – the reaction
- οι αντιδράσεις – the reactions
αντέδρασες – verb, “you reacted”
- past simple (aorist) 2nd person singular of αντιδρώ (to react)
- stem: αντέδρασα (I reacted) → αντέδρασες (you reacted)

So in the sentence:

η πρώτη σου αντίδραση – your first reaction (noun)
αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά – you reacted a bit nervously (verb)

Why is the verb «αντέδρασες» in the aorist (simple past) and not in some continuous form?

Greek distinguishes aorist (simple past) from imperfect (continuous past):

αντέδρασες – aorist: “you reacted” (a single, complete reaction)
αντιδρούσες – imperfect: “you were reacting / you used to react”

In this sentence, we’re talking about two distinct events:

Your first reaction (calm) – a single incident.
Afterwards, you reacted a bit nervously – another incident.

So the aorist is natural:

μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά = later, you (then) reacted a bit nervously (one event).

If we said αντιδρούσες, it would sound like a repeated/ongoing behavior, which doesn’t fit the context of two separate reactions.

Why is it «νευρικά» and not «νευρικός» or «νευρική»?

νευρικός / νευρική / νευρικό = adjective (nervous), agreeing with a noun:
- είσαι νευρικός – you are nervous (to a man)
- είσαι νευρική – you are nervous (to a woman)
νευρικά = adverb (nervously), describing how someone does something:
- αντέδρασες νευρικά – you reacted nervously (the manner of reacting)

In the sentence, we are not saying “you are a nervous person”, but “you reacted in a nervous way”, so we need the adverb:

νευρικά modifies the verb αντέδρασες.

What is the role of «λίγο» before «νευρικά»? Does it change the meaning a lot?

Λίγο (“a little, a bit”) softens the adverb νευρικά:

αντέδρασες νευρικά – you reacted nervously
αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά – you reacted a bit nervously / somewhat nervously

Nuance:

With λίγο, the statement feels less strong, more polite or more nuanced:
- not “very nervous”, but “more nervous than calm”, or “slightly nervous.”

Grammatically:

λίγο here modifies νευρικά, forming a phrase: λίγο νευρικά = “a little nervously.”

How does «αλλά μετά» work here? Could we say just «αλλά» or just «μετά»?

αλλά = but (contrasts two clauses)
μετά = after(wards), then (indicates time sequence)

In the sentence:

… ήταν ήρεμη, αλλά μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά.
“…was calm, but then afterwards you reacted a bit nervously.”
αλλά introduces a contrast (from calm to nervous).
μετά adds temporal order (the nervous reaction came later).

Variations:

αλλά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά – but you reacted a bit nervously (contrast, no explicit “later”)
μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά – afterwards you reacted a bit nervously (time, but no explicit contrast with what came before)

Using both together gives both contrast and timing, which matches the English “but then” or “but afterwards”.

Could the pronoun «σου» be left out? What would change?

If you remove σου, you get:

Η πρώτη αντίδραση ήταν ήρεμη… – “The first reaction was calm…”

This still makes grammatical sense, but you lose the explicit “your”. It sounds more general or impersonal, referring to “the first reaction” in general, not clearly to your reaction.

With σου:

Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση = clearly “your first reaction”
It connects directly to the you form in αντέδρασες.

So σου is important to show ownership and keep both clauses clearly about the same person.

How do we know «σου» and «αντέδρασες» refer to singular “you” and not plural “you”?

Greek distinguishes singular and plural “you”:

Singular possessive: σου = your (one person, informal)
Plural possessive: σας = your (you all / or polite singular)
Singular verb: αντέδρασες = you reacted (one person)
Plural verb: αντιδράσατε = you reacted (more than one person, or polite “you”)

In the sentence:

σου
- αντέδρασες = 2nd person singular (“you” one person, informally).

If the speaker were addressing a group or being formal, it would be:

Η πρώτη σας αντίδραση ήταν ήρεμη, αλλά μετά αντιδράσατε λίγο νευρικά.

Why is there a comma before «αλλά»?

Greek punctuation with αλλά (“but”) works similarly to English:

We usually place a comma before coordinating conjunctions like αλλά when they join two clauses (each with its own verb).

Here we have:

Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση ήταν ήρεμη – clause 1 (verb: ήταν)
αλλά μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά – clause 2 (verb: αντέδρασες)

Because two independent clauses are connected by αλλά, a comma is used before it:

…, αλλά …

If αλλά only linked two short phrases without separate verbs, the comma might not be necessary, but in this sentence it clearly separates two statements.

How are «αντίδραση» and «αντέδρασες» pronounced and where is the stress?

Stress in Greek is important because it can change meaning.

αντίδραση – [an-TÍ-thra-si]
- Stress on the second syllable: -τί-
- Sounds like: an-TEE-thra-see
  (the ντ is like English “nd”/“d” depending on accent; θ is “th” as in “think”.)
αντέδρασες – [an-TÉ-thra-ses]
- Stress on the second syllable: -τέ-
- Sounds like: an-TEH-thra-ses

Note:

In writing, the accent mark (´) shows the stressed syllable:
- αντίδραση
- αντέδρασες

Keeping stress correct helps distinguish similar forms and keeps your speech natural.

Could the sentence be rephrased more literally to mirror English word order?

A closer-to-English word order would be:

Η αντίδρασή σου στην αρχή ήταν ήρεμη, αλλά μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά.
“Your reaction at first was calm, but then you reacted a bit nervously.”

Changes:

Η αντίδρασή σου – “your reaction”
στην αρχή – “at first”
Word order is now more similar to English, but the original sentence is already very natural Greek.

Your original:

Η πρώτη σου αντίδραση ήταν ήρεμη, αλλά μετά αντέδρασες λίγο νευρικά.
emphasizes “the first reaction” vs “later reaction”, which is a very idiomatic Greek way to express the contrast.