Learn Hardcore Greek: Μια μαμά σπρώχνει το καρότσι της αργά στον πεζόδρομο. - A mom is slowly pushing her stroller on the pedestrian street.

So Μια μαμά σπρώχνει… means A mom is pushing…, not The mom is pushing….
The choice of μια vs η is simply indefinite vs definite, just like a vs the in English.

I sometimes see Μία with an accent and sometimes Μια. Is there a difference?

In modern usage:

Μια and Μία can both function as the feminine “a/an”.
Μία with an accent is often used when you want to stress “one (single) woman / mother” rather than just “a”.

In everyday writing, many people just use μια (no accent) for the article a/an.
So here, Μια μαμά is simply a mom, and you could also see it written as Μία μαμά without changing the meaning in normal speech.

Where is the word “she” in this sentence? Why isn’t it written?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns when they are obvious from the verb ending.

σπρώχνει is 3rd person singular: he/she/it pushes / is pushing
From context (μαμά = mom), we understand it means she.

So:

(Εκείνη) σπρώχνει το καρότσι της…
literally “She pushes her stroller…”

But Εκείνη (she) is normally left out because the verb ending -ει already shows it’s he/she/it.
That’s why you don’t see a separate “she” in the sentence.

What tense is σπρώχνει, and is it “pushes” or “is pushing”?

σπρώχνει is:

verb: σπρώχνω = to push
form: 3rd person singular, present tense, active
(he/she/it pushes / is pushing)

In Greek, the present tense normally covers both:

She pushes the stroller (habitual)
She is pushing the stroller (right now)

So Μια μαμά σπρώχνει το καρότσι της… can correspond to “A mom is pushing her stroller…” or “A mom pushes her stroller…”, depending on context. In a picture description, we’d usually translate it as “is pushing”.

Why is it το καρότσι and not ένα καρότσι?

το is the definite article (neuter): το = the, and ένα would be a / one.

το καρότσι = the stroller
ένα καρότσι = a stroller

Greek often uses the definite article where English might allow either definite or indefinite, depending on how specific the speaker feels. Here, το καρότσι της is her stroller, a specific one that belongs to her, so using το sounds natural:

το καρότσι της = literally “the stroller of her” → her stroller

Why is the possessive written as το καρότσι της and not before the noun, like “her stroller”?

In Greek, the weak possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, our, their) usually comes after the noun:

το καρότσι της = her stroller
το σπίτι μου = my house
το βιβλίο σου = your book

So the typical pattern is:

[article] + [noun] + [possessive clitic]
→ το καρότσι της, το σπίτι μου, το παιδί του, etc.

You can say το δικό της καρότσι (literally “her own stroller”) for emphasis, but the normal, neutral way is το καρότσι της.

Why is the possessive της feminine, even though καρότσι is neuter?

The possessive pronoun agrees with the owner, not with the thing owned.

της refers to η μαμά (the mom), which is feminine.
καρότσι is neuter, but that doesn’t affect the form of της.

So:

το καρότσι της = the stroller of her (of the mom)
If the owner were a man: το καρότσι του (his stroller)
If the owner were plural (they): το καρότσι τους (their stroller)

What is the role of αργά in the sentence, and can it go in a different place?

αργά is an adverb meaning slowly.

In the sentence:

σπρώχνει το καρότσι της αργά
= (she) pushes her stroller slowly

Adverbs like αργά have flexible position in Greek. You can move it without changing the basic meaning:

Μια μαμά σπρώχνει αργά το καρότσι της στον πεζόδρομο.
Μια μαμά αργά σπρώχνει το καρότσι της στον πεζόδρομο.

The most common/neutral is probably:

Μια μαμά σπρώχνει το καρότσι της αργά στον πεζόδρομο.

Different positions can slightly change emphasis, but all are understandable.

What exactly is στον and why does πεζόδρομο end in -ο here?

στον is a contraction:

σε + τον → στον

σε is a very common preposition (in, at, on, to), and τον is the masculine accusative singular article τον = the.

So:

στον πεζόδρομο = σε + τον πεζόδρομο
→ on/along the pedestrian street

πεζόδρομο ends in -ο here because it’s in the accusative case (object of the preposition σε):

Nominative: ο πεζόδρομος (the pedestrian street – subject form)
Accusative: τον πεζόδρομο (after σε: to/on/along the pedestrian street)

What does πεζόδρομο literally mean, and what kind of place is it?

πεζόδρομος is a compound word:

πεζός = pedestrian / on foot
δρόμος = road / street

So πεζόδρομος literally means “pedestrian street” – a street where only people on foot are allowed (no cars).

In English we might say:

pedestrian street
pedestrian zone
pedestrian walkway

So στον πεζόδρομο = along the pedestrian street / in the pedestrian zone.

How does μαμά behave grammatically? Does it change form?

Yes, μαμά is a feminine noun and declines (changes with case):

Nominative (subject): η μαμά – the mom
Genitive (possession): της μαμάς – of the mom
Accusative (object): τη(ν) μαμά – the mom (as object)

In our sentence:

Μια μαμά is nominative, because she is the subject of σπρώχνει.
→ A mom is pushing…

Can the word order be changed? For example, could we start with Στον πεζόδρομο?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially for indicating emphasis. Some possible variants:

Στον πεζόδρομο, μια μαμά σπρώχνει το καρότσι της αργά.
Emphasis on the location first.
Μια μαμά αργά σπρώχνει το καρότσι της στον πεζόδρομο.
Slight extra focus on “slowly”.

The basic information remains the same:

Subject: (Μια) μαμά
Verb: σπρώχνει
Object: το καρότσι της
Adverbial: αργά στον πεζόδρομο

The original word order is natural and neutral, but small rearrangements are very common in Greek.