Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο δικός μου φίλος από την Ελλάδα μου λέει ότι προχωράω καλά, ενώ η δική του φίλη ζηλεύει λίγο την πρόοδό μου. - My friend from Greece tells me that I’m progressing well, while his female friend is a bit jealous of my progress.

In this sentence there is a contrast with η δική του φίλη (his friend), so δικός μου and δική του are used in parallel to highlight mine vs his.

You could also say:

Ο φίλος μου από την Ελλάδα μου λέει…
Ενώ η φίλη του ζηλεύει λίγο…

That would still be correct, just slightly less emphatic.

What exactly is δικός μου? Is it an adjective or a pronoun?

Δικός μου is a strong (stressed) possessive pronoun used like an adjective in front of a noun.

It has to agree in gender, number, and case with the noun:

Masculine: δικός μου φίλος (my male friend)
Feminine: δική μου φίλη (my female friend)
Neuter: δικό μου βιβλίο (my book)

In the sentence:

Ο δικός μου φίλος → masculine, singular, nominative
η δική του φίλη → feminine, singular, nominative

By contrast, the weak possessive pronoun μου after a noun is unstressed and doesn’t change form:

ο φίλος μου, η φίλη μου, το βιβλίο μου

Why do we have μου twice: μου λέει and την πρόοδό μου? Are they the same kind of “μου”?

They are the same pronoun (meaning “my / me”), but used in two different roles:

Μου λέει → here μου is an indirect object:
- μου λέει = he tells me.
- Verb: λέει (he says / tells), indirect object: μου (to me).
την πρόοδό μου → here μου is a possessive:
- την πρόοδό μου = my progress.
- Noun: πρόοδος (progress), possessive clitic: μου (my).

So μου can mean either:

to me (indirect object)
my (possessive)

The form is the same; the function depends on its position in the sentence.

Why is it μου λέει and not λέει μου?

Clitic pronouns like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους normally come before the verb in affirmative sentences:

μου λέει (he tells me)
του δίνω (I give him)
σας βλέπω (I see you)

They come after the verb mainly in:

Commands: πες μου, δώσ’ μου (tell me, give me)
Sometimes in questions or fixed expressions.

So in a normal statement like this, the natural order is μου λέει, not λέει μου.

What is the role of ότι here, and how is it different from τι and πως?

In this sentence, ότι is a conjunction meaning “that” (for reported speech):

μου λέει ότι προχωράω καλά
= he tells me that I’m doing well.

Differences:

ότι (with accent) = that introducing a clause:
- Ξέρω ότι έχεις δίκιο. = I know that you are right.
πως (no accent) can often replace ότι in this sense:
- μου λέει πως προχωράω καλά → also correct, same meaning.
τι (with accent) = what (question word or relative):
- Τι λες; = What are you saying?
- Δεν ξέρω τι θέλει. = I don’t know what he wants.

So here only ότι or πως are correct; τι would change the meaning completely.

Why is it από την Ελλάδα and not just από Ελλάδα?

In standard Greek, country names normally take the definite article:

η Ελλάδα = Greece
η Ιταλία, η Γαλλία, η Ισπανία, etc.

With the preposition από (from), the noun goes in the accusative and the article stays:

από την Ελλάδα (from Greece)
από την Ιταλία
από τη Γαλλία

You will hear απ’ Ελλάδα in casual speech, dropping the article, but the more standard form is από την Ελλάδα.

Why is it την Ελλάδα (accusative) after από, if the meaning is “from Greece”? Shouldn’t it be some “from-case”?

Modern Greek doesn’t have a separate “from-case” like Latin or German. The preposition από always takes the accusative:

από το σπίτι (from the house)
από την Ελλάδα (from Greece)
από τον φίλο μου (from my friend)

The “from” meaning is expressed by the preposition itself (από), not by a special case ending. So από + accusative is the normal pattern.

What does προχωράω καλά literally mean, and why use προχωράω and not πάω?

Literally:

προχωράω = I move forward / I advance / I make progress.
προχωράω καλά = I’m advancing well / I’m progressing well.

In this context (learning Greek), it naturally means:

I’m making good progress.

If you said πάω καλά (“I’m going well”), that’s also idiomatic, but slightly more general:

πάω καλά στα ελληνικά. = I’m doing well in Greek.
προχωράω καλά στα ελληνικά. = I’m progressing well in Greek (emphasis on progress/advancement).

Both are correct; προχωράω καλά just highlights the idea of progress over time.

Is there a difference between προχωράω and προχωρώ?

They are two forms of the same verb, both perfectly correct:

προχωράω (‑άω ending) – more colloquial, very common in spoken language.
προχωρώ (‑ώ ending) – slightly more formal/literary, but also common.

Meaning is identical: I move forward / I advance / I progress.

In the sentence you could say:

…μου λέει ότι προχωράω καλά…
…μου λέει ότι προχωρώ καλά…

Both are acceptable; the difference is style, not grammar.

What does ενώ do in this sentence? Is it “while” or “whereas”?

Ενώ is a conjunction that can mean both:

“while” (time)
“while/whereas” (contrast)

Here it clearly expresses contrast:

…μου λέει ότι προχωράω καλά, ενώ η δική του φίλη ζηλεύει λίγο… → …tells me I’m doing well, *whereas his (girl)friend is a bit jealous…*

So you can safely understand ενώ here as “while / whereas” introducing an opposite or contrasting fact.

Why η δική του φίλη and not just η φίλη του? And does it mean “girlfriend” or just “female friend”?

η φίλη του and η δική του φίλη are both correct:

η φίλη του = his female friend / his girlfriend (neutral)
η δική του φίλη = his friend, with emphasis/contrast.

Here, because we already have Ο δικός μου φίλος, there is a parallel structure:

Ο δικός μου φίλος … η δική του φίλη
= my friend … his friend.

As for meaning:

η φίλη του literally only says his female friend.
In many contexts it can mean “his girlfriend”, and that’s a very common interpretation.
If you absolutely want to say “girlfriend”, you often still say η φίλη του; there isn’t a separate everyday word like English “girlfriend” vs “female friend”. Context usually decides.

So here, “his girlfriend” is a natural translation, but grammatically it just means his female friend.

Why is it ζηλεύει λίγο την πρόοδό μου and not something like ζηλεύει για την πρόοδό μου?

The verb ζηλεύω is transitive and normally takes a direct object without a preposition:

ζηλεύω την πρόοδό σου = I’m jealous of your progress.
ζηλεύει τον αδερφό του = he is jealous of his brother.

So:

ζηλεύει λίγο την πρόοδό μου
= she is a bit jealous of my progress.

Using για (ζηλεύει για…) is not the normal pattern; Greek simply uses ζηλεύω + direct object.

The λίγο is just an adverb softening it: a little, a bit.

What is happening with the accent in την πρόοδό μου? Why is the stress on ‑δό?

The base noun is:

η πρόοδος (progress), stressed on the first syllable: ΠΡΟ‑ο‑δος.

Accusative singular (object form):

την πρόοδο – still stressed on the first syllable: πρόοδο.

When you add an enclitic pronoun like μου, σου, etc., the accent pattern can change: words originally stressed on the antepenultimate syllable often receive an extra accent or move the accent towards the end.

In practice, you learn and see it written as:

την πρόοδό μου

So you get a stress at the end because of the enclitic μου. The important takeaway for a learner is:

With enclitics, many longer words shift or add an accent toward the end.
την πρόοδό μου is the standard written form meaning my progress as a direct object.

Why do we say την πρόοδό μου with the definite article? In English we just say “my progress”, not “the my progress”.

In Greek, it is normal to use the definite article with possessives, even though English usually doesn’t:

το σπίτι μου = my house
ο φίλος μου = my friend
την πρόοδό μου = my progress

So the pattern (article) + noun + possessive clitic is standard:

η τσάντα μου (my bag)
τα παιδιά μας (our children)
την πρόοδό μου (my progress)

It doesn’t feel like “the my progress” to a Greek speaker; it’s just the regular way to express possession.