Learn Hardcore Greek: Βλέπω ότι μαθαίνω περισσότερα ελληνικά απ' όσο νομίζω, κάθε φορά που περιγράφω απλά πράγματα όπως ένα κατάστημα, μια μπαταρία ή μια μικρή έκπτωση, χάρη σε αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση. - I see that I learn more Greek than I think, every time I describe simple things like a store, a battery, or a small discount, thanks to this daily practice.

ότι vs πως
- After verbs of saying, thinking, feeling etc., ότι and πως are usually interchangeable:
  - Ξέρω ότι έχεις δίκιο. / Ξέρω πως έχεις δίκιο.
- ότι feels a bit more neutral/formal in writing; πως is often more colloquial.
- In this sentence, Βλέπω πως μαθαίνω… would also be fine.
ότι vs ό,τι
- ότι (no comma) = that (conjunction).
- ό,τι (with comma) = whatever / anything that:
  - Ό,τι θέλεις. = Whatever you want.

In your sentence it must be ότι (conjunction “that”), not ό,τι.

Why is it περισσότερα ελληνικά and not περισσότερο ελληνικά?

Greek distinguishes between “more (things)” and “more (in degree)”:

περισσότερος, -η, -ο (with plural forms like περισσότερα) → adjective: more (of something, more items/amount)
περισσότερο (neuter singular) → adverb: more (to a greater extent / longer / harder)

In the sentence:

μαθαίνω περισσότερα ελληνικά
= I’m learning more Greek (more vocabulary, more grammar, more content).
Here ελληνικά is treated as a neuter plural noun (“Greek [things]”, like τα ελληνικά), so you use περισσότερα (neuter plural) to match it.

Contrast:

Τώρα διαβάζω περισσότερο ελληνικά.
= Now I study Greek more (more than before; longer time).
Here περισσότερο is adverb, modifying the verb διαβάζω.

So in your sentence the focus is on amount of Greek you’re learning, so περισσότερα ελληνικά is the natural choice.

Why is it just ελληνικά and not τα ελληνικά after μαθαίνω?

With languages, Greek often omits the article when you mean the language in general:

Μαθαίνω ελληνικά. = I’m learning Greek.
Μιλάω αγγλικά. = I speak English.

Using the article τα ελληνικά is not wrong, but it slightly shifts the feel:

Μαθαίνω τα ελληνικά.
This can sound like “I’m learning the Greek language (as a subject)” – a bit more like a specific course or “the Greek language” as a whole, more formal/“textbooky”.

In everyday speech for “I’m learning (some/ more) Greek”, μαθαίνω (περισσότερα) ελληνικά without the article is the natural pattern.

What does απ' όσο νομίζω literally mean, and how does this comparison work?

απ' όσο νομίζω comes from από όσο νομίζω and corresponds to “than I think”:

από = from / than
όσο = as much as / how much (a relative/comparative word)
νομίζω = I think

So:

μαθαίνω περισσότερα ελληνικά απ' όσο νομίζω
literally: I’m learning more Greek than I think (I am).

This από όσο + verb pattern is very common for comparisons:

Είναι πιο δύσκολο απ' όσο φαντάζεσαι.
= It’s harder than you imagine.
Τρώω λιγότερο απ' όσο παλιά.
= I eat less than I used to.

Why is από written as απ' with an apostrophe?

This is elision: dropping a vowel at the end of a word when the next word starts with a vowel, to make pronunciation smoother.

από όσο → απ' όσο

Rules of thumb:

από → απ' before a vowel:
- απ' όσο, απ' όλα, απ' έξω
The apostrophe replaces the missing vowel.

In speech, you would almost always say it in one breath, like “apóso”, so writing απ' όσο matches natural pronunciation.

What’s the difference between κάθε φορά που and όταν?

Both can translate “when”, but they have slightly different flavour:

κάθε φορά που = every time (that)
Emphasizes repetition: something happens on each occasion.
- Κάθε φορά που μιλάω, μαθαίνω κάτι νέο.
  = Every time I speak, I learn something new.
όταν = when / whenever
More general, used for:
- single events: Όταν ήρθες, έφυγα. = When you came, I left.
- repeated events: Όταν διαβάζω, ησυχάζω. = When(ever) I study, I calm down.

In your sentence:

κάθε φορά που περιγράφω απλά πράγματα…
stresses that on every single occasion that you describe simple things, you learn more Greek.
You could use όταν περιγράφω απλά πράγματα…, but you would lose a bit of that “each time” emphasis.

In περιγράφω απλά πράγματα, is απλά an adjective (“simple things”) or an adverb (“I simply describe things”)?

Here απλά is an adjective:

απλά πράγματα = simple things

Grammar:

πράγματα is neuter plural.
The adjective απλός in neuter plural is απλά.
- απλός (m) / απλή (f) / απλό (n)
- plural: απλοί, απλές, απλά

So απλά πράγματα = simple things (neuter plural agreement).

Note: In modern Greek, many people also use απλά as an adverb meaning “simply / just”, instead of the more formal απλώς:

Απλά λέω. ≈ I’m just saying.

But in your sentence, because it clearly modifies the noun πράγματα, it is functioning as an adjective: “simple things”, not “I simply describe things”.

Why is it ένα κατάστημα, μια μπαταρία ή μια μικρή έκπτωση — what are the genders and cases here?

All three nouns are direct objects of περιγράφω (I describe), so they are in the accusative case:

(περιγράφω) ένα κατάστημα
- κατάστημα = shop / store, neuter
- ένα = neuter, singular, accusative
(περιγράφω) μια μπαταρία
- μπαταρία = battery, feminine
- μια = feminine, singular, accusative (same form as nominative in modern spelling)
(περιγράφω) μια μικρή έκπτωση
- έκπτωση = discount, feminine
- μικρή = feminine, singular, accusative (agrees with έκπτωση)
- μια = feminine, singular, accusative

In the feminine singular, the nominative and accusative forms of the noun and adjective often look the same (only the article changes: η vs τη(ν)), which is why you can’t see the case just from the word ending.
You know it’s accusative because the whole phrase is the object of περιγράφω.

Why is the adjective μικρή placed between μια and έκπτωση (→ μια μικρή έκπτωση)? Is that the normal order?

Yes, this is the normal word order in Greek for an indefinite noun phrase:

[article] + [adjective] + [noun]

So:

μια μικρή έκπτωση = a small discount
ένας μεγάλος δρόμος = a big road
ένα ωραίο κατάστημα = a nice store

When there is no article, adjectives usually still come before the noun:

απλά πράγματα = simple things
δύσκολα ελληνικά = difficult Greek

Greek rarely puts an adjective after the noun in everyday speech, unless it’s for special emphasis or in fixed expressions. So μικρή μια έκπτωση would be unusual here.

What does όπως do in όπως ένα κατάστημα, μια μπαταρία ή μια μικρή έκπτωση? How is it different from σαν?

Here όπως introduces examples, similar to English “such as / like”:

…απλά πράγματα όπως ένα κατάστημα, μια μπαταρία ή μια μικρή έκπτωση…
= …simple things such as a shop, a battery, or a small discount…

Comparison with σαν:

όπως is the usual choice when you list examples.
σαν is more for comparisons / “like, as if”:
- Τρέχει σαν τρελός. = He runs like crazy.
- Μιλάει σαν καθηγητής. = He talks like a professor.

You can sometimes hear όπως in comparisons too, but in “such as X, Y, Z” lists, όπως is the natural, standard word.

What exactly does χάρη σε mean, and what case does it take?

χάρη σε means “thanks to / owing to” and it usually has a positive or at least neutral sense, like English “thanks to”:

Χάρη σε αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση
= Thanks to this daily practice

Grammar:

χάρη σε always takes the accusative:
- χάρη σε εσένα (you – acc.)
- χάρη στη δουλειά του (στη = σε + τη, acc.)
- χάρη σε αυτή την εξάσκηση (all in acc.)

Contrast with λόγω:

λόγω = because of / due to (more neutral or often negative) and takes the genitive:
- λόγω κούρασης = because of tiredness
- λόγω της βροχής = because of the rain

In your sentence the idea is positive, so χάρη σε fits perfectly.

In χάρη σε αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση, why do we have both αυτή and την? What are their roles, and why no final -ν in αυτή?

The phrase is:

αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση

Breakdown:

εξάσκηση = practice, feminine, singular, accusative
την = the definite article, feminine, singular, accusative
καθημερινή = daily, feminine, singular, accusative (agrees with εξάσκηση)
αυτή = this, feminine, singular, accusative (demonstrative)

Structure:

[demonstrative] + [article] + [adjective] + [noun]
→ αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση = this daily practice

About the final -ν:

Feminine forms like αυτή(ν) and την traditionally keep the final -ν before vowels and certain consonants (κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ).
Here we have αυτή την: the next word starts with τ, but there’s already a space and another word (την) in between.
In practice, Greeks often drop the -ν in αυτή in this position: αυτή την… is very common in writing.
την καθημερινή correctly keeps the -ν (before κ).

So:

αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση is perfectly standard and idiomatic.

Why are there commas around κάθε φορά που… and before χάρη σε… in this sentence?

The commas help divide the sentence into logical parts and reflect natural pauses:

Βλέπω ότι μαθαίνω περισσότερα ελληνικά απ' όσο νομίζω,
→ main statement
κάθε φορά που περιγράφω απλά πράγματα όπως ένα κατάστημα, μια μπαταρία ή μια μικρή έκπτωση,
→ time clause (when / every time something happens)
χάρη σε αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση.
→ cause (thanks to this daily practice)

In Greek, it’s common (and often clearer) to:

put a comma before a dependent clause that follows the main clause, especially if it’s quite long:
- …απ' όσο νομίζω, κάθε φορά που περιγράφω…
separate a final phrase of cause or explanation with a comma:
- …, χάρη σε αυτή την καθημερινή εξάσκηση.

You might see slightly different comma choices in other texts, but this punctuation is very natural and helps the reader parse the long sentence.

Why is the present tense used (μαθαίνω, νομίζω, περιγράφω) instead of a past or perfect tense?

Modern Greek often uses the present tense to describe:

Ongoing processes:
- μαθαίνω περισσότερα ελληνικά = I am (in general) learning more Greek.
General habits / repeated actions:
- κάθε φορά που περιγράφω… = every time I describe… (habit)

So:

μαθαίνω here is not a single action right now, but a continuous process over time.
περιγράφω with κάθε φορά που describes a repeated, habitual action.
νομίζω expresses your usual opinion or impression.

If you wanted a past perspective, you could change the tenses:

Είδα ότι είχα μάθει περισσότερα ελληνικά απ' όσο νόμιζα…
= I saw that I had learned more Greek than I thought…

But the original sentence talks about your current, ongoing experience, so the present tense is exactly what you want.