Learn Hardcore Greek: Μια απλή στρατηγική είναι να ακούς πρώτα και μετά να μιλάς. - A simple strategy is to listen first and then speak.

You may also see μία (with an accent). In modern usage here, μια and μία are pronounced the same; spelling μια is very common in this kind of sentence.

How can I tell that στρατηγική is feminine?

Mostly from:

Ending pattern
Many feminine nouns end in -η (like στρατηγική, πόλη, οθόνη). That’s a strong hint it is feminine.
Dictionary form
In a dictionary you’ll see it with its article: η στρατηγική = the strategy. The article η is the feminine singular nominative article.
Agreement
The adjective and article agree with it in gender:
- μια απλή στρατηγική
  μια (fem.) + απλή (fem.) + στρατηγική (fem.)

So the form of the article and adjective confirms that στρατηγική is feminine.

What is the structure είναι να ακούς… doing here? Is να ακούς like an infinitive “to listen”?

Yes, functionally it’s close to an English infinitive.

Greek no longer uses a true infinitive the way English does. Very often, English “to + verb” corresponds to Greek να + verb (subjunctive).

So:

Μια απλή στρατηγική είναι να ακούς πρώτα…
≈ A simple strategy is to listen first…

Here:

είναι = is
να ακούς ≈ to listen (literally: “that you listen / that one listens” – but in meaning it acts like “to listen”).

So the pattern X είναι να + verb is often translated as “X is to + verb” in English.

What exactly does να mean here?

Να is a particle that introduces the subjunctive mood. It does not have a direct one-word translation in English.

Common uses of να + verb include:

After verbs of wanting, needing, etc.:
Θέλω να ακούω. – I want to listen.
To talk about purpose or result:
Για να μάθεις, πρέπει να ακούς. – To learn, you must listen.
In structures that correspond to English infinitives:
Είναι καλό να ακούς. – It is good to listen.

In this sentence, να is best thought of as the “marker” that turns ακούς and μιλάς into “to listen / to speak” in a general, instructional sense. We usually do not translate να separately.

Why are ακούς and μιλάς in the second person singular? Could it be να ακούω or να μιλάω instead?

Ακούς and μιλάς are 2nd person singular forms: “you listen / you speak”.

They are used because the sentence is giving a general piece of advice directly to “you” (informal):

να ακούς – (for you) to listen
να μιλάς – (for you) to speak

Using other persons would change the tone:

να ακούω, να μιλάω – 1st person singular (for me to listen / speak). This would mean something like “A simple strategy is for me to listen first and then to speak”, which is not the point here.
να ακούμε, να μιλάμε – 1st person plural (for us to listen / speak). That makes the advice inclusive:
Μια απλή στρατηγική είναι να ακούμε πρώτα και μετά να μιλάμε.
≈ A simple strategy is for us to listen first and then speak.

So the original uses you (singular) for a direct, impersonal-sounding piece of advice, very common in Greek.

What is the difference between να ακούς and να ακούσεις, or να μιλάς and να μιλήσεις?

This is a difference in aspect: present vs aorist.

να ακούς, να μιλάς – present subjunctive
→ ongoing, repeated, or habitual action
→ roughly: to be listening / to (generally) listen; to (generally) speak
να ακούσεις, να μιλήσεις – aorist subjunctive
→ a single, whole, completed action
→ roughly: to listen (once, at a particular moment); to speak (once)

In our sentence, we are describing a general strategy / habit, not a one-time action. So:

να ακούς πρώτα και μετά να μιλάς
= that you listen first and then speak (as a rule / habit)

If you said:

να ακούσεις πρώτα και μετά να μιλήσεις,

that would sound more like: “for you to first listen and then speak this time / in this specific situation.” It’s more event-like, less general-principle.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun εσύ used? Would Εσύ να ακούς πρώτα και μετά να μιλάς be correct?

In Greek, subject pronouns (like εγώ, εσύ, αυτός…) are usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person:

ακούω – I listen
ακούς – you (sing.) listen
μιλάω / μιλώ – I speak
μιλάς – you (sing.) speak

So να ακούς clearly means “for you to listen”, even without εσύ.

You can add εσύ for emphasis or contrast:

Εσύ να ακούς πρώτα και μετά να μιλάς (όχι εγώ).
You should listen first and then speak (not me).

So Εσύ να ακούς πρώτα… is grammatically possible, but in a neutral, general statement of strategy it would normally sound too emphatic. The natural form is without εσύ.

Can the word order change, for example Πρώτα να ακούς και μετά να μιλάς? Are these the same?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible for adverbs like πρώτα and μετά.

Both are correct:

να ακούς πρώτα και μετά να μιλάς
πρώτα να ακούς και μετά να μιλάς

The meaning is essentially the same: listen first and then speak.

Putting πρώτα at the beginning (Πρώτα να ακούς…) slightly emphasizes the sequence: First listen, and then speak, but it’s a very small nuance. In everyday speech, both orders are natural.

What kind of words are πρώτα and μετά here?

Here they are adverbs of time / sequence:

πρώτα – first, firstly (in order)
→ describes when you should listen: to listen first
μετά – afterwards, then
→ describes when you should speak: to then speak / to speak afterwards

They are not adjectives here; they are modifying the verb (listen / speak), not a noun.

Compare:

Η πρώτη στρατηγική – the first strategy (πρώτη is an adjective, feminine form, agreeing with στρατηγική)
Να ακούς πρώτα – to listen first (πρώτα is an adverb, modifying ακούς)

Why is the adjective απλή placed before στρατηγική? Could I say Η στρατηγική είναι απλή instead?

Απλή is the feminine form of the adjective απλός – simple. It agrees with στρατηγική in:

Gender: feminine
Number: singular
Case: nominative

So we get: μια απλή στρατηγική – a simple strategy.

In Greek, the usual (unmarked) position for descriptive adjectives is before the noun:

μια απλή στρατηγική – a simple strategy
ένα καλό βιβλίο – a good book

You can certainly say:

Η στρατηγική είναι απλή. – The strategy is simple.

But that’s a different structure:

μια απλή στρατηγική = “a simple strategy” (adjective directly modifies the noun)
Η στρατηγική είναι απλή = “The strategy is simple” (adjective is a predicate after the verb είναι)

So the placement before the noun is normal in the phrase μια απλή στρατηγική; moving it after the noun changes the grammatical structure, not just the word order.