Learn Hardcore Greek: Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε, αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή. - The order was late today, but at least the pizza was hot.

Greek nouns normally need an article (definite or indefinite) in concrete, specific statements. Leaving the article out often sounds either poetic, telegraphic, or wrong.
Here both παραγγελία and πίτσα are specific things that both speaker and listener can identify (the order you placed, the pizza that arrived), so the definite article η is natural.

So η is there because:

παραγγελία and πίτσα are specific,
both are feminine singular nouns in the nominative, and η is the corresponding article:
- Feminine nominative singular definite article: η.

What grammatical case are η παραγγελία and η πίτσα in, and why?

Both η παραγγελία and η πίτσα are in the nominative singular.

η παραγγελία is the subject of άργησε (the order was late).
η πίτσα is the subject of ήταν ζεστή (the pizza was warm).

In Greek, the subject of a verb appears in the nominative case, so we get:

η παραγγελία (nominative, feminine, singular)
η πίτσα (nominative, feminine, singular)

The adjectives and verbs agree with these in number and (for adjectives/participles) gender and case.

Why is σήμερα placed between η παραγγελία and άργησε? Could I move it?

Yes, you can move σήμερα, and this is mostly about word order nuance and emphasis.

In the sentence:

Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε

σήμερα sits right after the subject and before the verb. Other natural options:

Σήμερα η παραγγελία άργησε
Η παραγγελία άργησε σήμερα

All three are grammatically correct. Differences:

Σήμερα η παραγγελία άργησε
Emphasis slightly on today as a time frame: Today the order was late (maybe unlike other days).
Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε
Feels very neutral in everyday speech; σήμερα is attached to the subject phrase.
Η παραγγελία άργησε σήμερα
A bit more like: The order was late *today (as opposed to some other day).*

Greek word order is flexible; σήμερα usually appears near the verb or subject, and changing its position changes nuance more than grammar.

What tense is άργησε, and how does it relate to the verb αργώ?

άργησε is the aorist (simple past) of the verb αργώ (to be late, to delay).

Present: αργώ = I am late / I am running late
Aorist (simple past): άργησα = I was late / I came late
3rd person singular aorist: άργησε = he/she/it was late / came late

So in the sentence:

η παραγγελία άργησε
literally: the order was late / arrived late (a completed event in the past).

The aorist here is used the way English uses simple past: a single, completed event in the past.

Why use άργησε and not something like ήταν αργή or ήρθε αργά?

All three ideas are related but not identical:

η παραγγελία άργησε
- Most natural and idiomatic for the order was late / arrived late.
- Focus is on the action of being late as an event.
η παραγγελία ήταν αργή
- Grammatically possible, but a bit odd here.
- It sounds more like the order was slow as a quality, not it arrived late.
- You’d use it more for something that is generally slow, not late on a particular occasion.
η παραγγελία ήρθε αργά
- Literally the order came late / came at a late hour.
- Also correct, but has a slightly stronger focus on the time of arrival, rather than simply stating it was late as a fact.

In everyday Greek, when talking about deliveries, buses, people, etc. being late, the usual verb is αργώ:

Το λεωφορείο άργησε. – The bus was late.
Άργησα στη δουλειά. – I was late to work.

Is the comma before αλλά necessary, and how does αλλά work in Greek?

In this sentence the comma is standard and natural:

Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε, αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή.

αλλά means but, and it introduces a contrast between two clauses:

Clause 1: The order was late.
Clause 2: But at least the pizza was warm.

In written Greek:

A comma is usually placed before coordinating conjunctions like αλλά when they connect two full clauses (each with its own subject and verb), exactly as here.
In shorter phrases without full clauses, the comma may be omitted, but here it’s the clear, standard choice.

What exactly does τουλάχιστον mean, and where can I place it in the sentence?

τουλάχιστον means at least and functions as a sentence adverb, expressing consolation or a minimum positive outcome.

In the sentence:

αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή
→ but at least the pizza was warm.

Common positions:

αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή (very natural)
αλλά η πίτσα ήταν τουλάχιστον ζεστή (emphasis on ζεστή)
αλλά η πίτσα, τουλάχιστον, ήταν ζεστή (more marked, with commas, focusing on η πίτσα as the consolation)

All are grammatical. The default, neutral position is before the subject or near the start of the clause, as in the original sentence.

Why is ζεστή in that exact form, and what does it agree with?

ζεστή is an adjective meaning warm / hot (in temperature). It appears here as:

ζεστή – feminine, singular, nominative

It must agree with the noun πίτσα, which is:

η πίτσα – feminine, singular, nominative

So we get:

η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή
- article: η (fem. nom. sg.)
- noun: πίτσα (fem. nom. sg.)
- adjective: ζεστή (fem. nom. sg.)

If the noun changed, the adjective would change:

το φαγητό ήταν ζεστό (neuter)
οι πίτσες ήταν ζεστές (feminine plural)

What’s the difference between ζεστή and καυτή for food like pizza?

Both describe temperature but with different strength and nuance:

ζεστή
- warm / hot (pleasantly), suitable for eating.
- In this context, the pizza was still warm (not cold).
καυτή
- very hot, often too hot to touch or eat comfortably.
- Stronger and more intense than ζεστή.

So:

Η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή. – The pizza was warm / nicely hot.
Η πίτσα ήταν καυτή. – The pizza was burning hot.

In the original sentence, the idea is that at least it wasn’t cold; ζεστή fits that consolation better than καυτή.

How would I say “my order” instead of “the order” in this sentence?

You add the possessive pronoun μου after the noun:

η παραγγελία μου = my order

So you could say:

Η παραγγελία μου σήμερα άργησε, αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή.
→ My order was late today, but at least the pizza was warm.

Important points:

In Greek, possessive pronouns follow the noun:
- η παραγγελία μου (not μου παραγγελία)
The article usually stays: you don’t drop η when adding μου.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun like αυτή (“she/it”) before άργησε or ήταν?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted when the subject is clear from:

The context and word order, and
The verb ending (which shows person and number).

In the sentence:

Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε
The subject is clearly η παραγγελία, so there is no need for a pronoun like αυτή.
η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή
Again, η πίτσα is explicit; adding αυτή would be redundant and usually unnatural here.

You’d typically add a subject pronoun only for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:

Αυτή άργησε, όχι η δική μου παραγγελία.
It was that one that was late, not my order.

Could I drop the article and say Παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε or Πίτσα ήταν ζεστή?

In normal, everyday Greek: no, that would sound wrong or extremely marked.

Παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε
Πίτσα ήταν ζεστή

These sound like headlines, telegram style, or very broken Greek. Greek almost always uses the definite article with specific countable nouns in sentences like this.

Correct, natural forms:

Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε.
Η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή.

Are there other natural word orders for the whole sentence, and do they change the meaning?

Yes, you can rearrange some parts without changing the basic meaning, only the emphasis. All of these are grammatical:

Η παραγγελία άργησε σήμερα, αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή.
Σήμερα η παραγγελία άργησε, αλλά τουλάχιστον η πίτσα ήταν ζεστή.
Η παραγγελία σήμερα άργησε, αλλά η πίτσα τουλάχιστον ήταν ζεστή. (emphasis on πίτσα)

Core meaning remains: The order was late today, but at least the pizza was warm.
The differences are subtle shifts in what you highlight (today, the order, at least the pizza, etc.), which Greek can express through flexible word order rather than only through intonation.