Learn Hardcore Greek: Σιγά σιγά οι ελληνικές λέξεις γίνονται γνωστές μου και δεν μου φαίνονται πια τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή. - Little by little the Greek words are becoming familiar to me and no longer seem as strange as at the beginning.

σιγά σιγά μαθαίνω ελληνικά = I am gradually learning Greek.
σιγά μαθαίνω ελληνικά is possible, but σιγά σιγά is the usual, natural expression for “gradually”.

So here Σιγά σιγά sets the scene: little by little something is happening.

Why do we say οι ελληνικές λέξεις with the article οι? Why not just ελληνικές λέξεις?

Greek uses the definite article more often than English.

οι ελληνικές λέξεις literally is the Greek words, but in context it often corresponds to English Greek words in general.

Here, οι ελληνικές λέξεις means roughly:

the Greek words (that I encounter / that I am learning)

If you said ελληνικές λέξεις without the article, it would sound more like:

Greek words in a very general, non‑specific way, e.g. in a list or title.

In everyday sentences that refer to things you are dealing with (words, people, objects), Greek tends to use the definite article, even when English doesn’t.

What does γίνονται γνωστές μου literally mean, and why use γίνονται instead of είναι?

γίνονται γνωστές μου literally is:

they become known to me / they are becoming familiar to me

Breakdown:

γίνονται = they become / are becoming
γνωστές = known, familiar (fem. plural, agreeing with λέξεις)
μου = to me / my

Using γίνονται emphasizes change over time (a process):

Οι ελληνικές λέξεις είναι γνωστές μου.
= Greek words are familiar to me. (state)
Οι ελληνικές λέξεις γίνονται γνωστές μου.
= Greek words are becoming familiar to me. (they didn’t use to be; now they are gradually becoming so)

So in this sentence, γίνονται fits perfectly with σιγά σιγά:
Σιγά σιγά … γίνονται γνωστές μου = Little by little, the words are becoming familiar to me.

Why is μου placed after γνωστές (γνωστές μου) and not before, like μου γνωστές?

The pattern noun/adjective + μου is extremely common in Greek and is usually the normal choice:

γνωστές μου = known to me / familiar to me
φίλος μου = my friend
το σπίτι μου = my house

μου γνωστές is grammatically possible but:

It sounds more formal, marked, or stylistic.
In everyday speech, γνωστές μου is much more natural.

Also, μου here is in the genitive and plays the role of:

an indirect object = to me
or
something like a possessor/experiencer = my (in the sense “my familiar words”)

So γνωστές μου is the standard colloquial way to say familiar to me.

Is there a difference between γνωστές μου and γνωστές σε μένα?

They are very close in meaning:

γνωστές μου = known/familiar to me (more idiomatic, compact)
γνωστές σε μένα = known/familiar to me (more explicit, slightly more formal or emphatic)

Examples:

Οι ελληνικές λέξεις γίνονται γνωστές μου.
Οι ελληνικές λέξεις γίνονται γνωστές σε μένα.

Both are correct. Native speakers more often use the shorter γνωστές μου, especially in speech.

How does μου φαίνονται work? Why is μου before φαίνονται?

μου φαίνονται literally means they seem to me / they appear to me.

Breakdown:

φαίνονται = they seem / they appear
μου = to me (indirect object, genitive clitic)

In Greek, object pronouns like μου, σου, του normally go before the verb in a simple sentence:

μου φαίνονται = they seem to me
σου φαίνονται = they seem to you
δεν μου φαίνονται = they don’t seem to me

Putting μου after the verb (φαίνονται μου) is wrong in this structure.

So δεν μου φαίνονται πια… = they no longer seem to me…

What exactly does πια mean here, and how is it different from words like πλέον or άλλο?

In this sentence, πια means anymore / any longer in a negative context:

δεν μου φαίνονται πια τόσο άγνωστες
= they don’t seem so unknown to me anymore
= they no longer seem so unknown to me

Key points:

πια is very common in speech, especially with negatives.
In negative sentences, it often equals English any more / any longer.

You could also say:

δεν μου φαίνονται πλέον τόσο άγνωστες (a bit more formal)
δεν μου φαίνονται άλλο τόσο άγνωστες (less common here, but possible)

Among these, πια is the most neutral and conversational choice.

How does the pattern τόσο … όσο … work in τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή?

τόσο … όσο … is a standard comparative structure:

τόσο X όσο Y = as X as Y / so X as Y

In this sentence:

τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή
literally: so unknown as at the beginning

Because of the δεν and πια, the overall meaning becomes:

δεν … πια τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή
= they are no longer as unknown as at the beginning

So the logic is:

τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή → as unknown as at the beginning
with δεν … πια → not that unknown any more.

Why is άγνωστες in the feminine plural form?

Adjectives in Greek agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.

Here:

λέξεις = words (feminine plural, nominative)
So the adjective must also be feminine plural nominative:
- γνωστές (known, familiar)
- άγνωστες (unknown)

That’s why we have:

οι ελληνικές λέξεις γίνονται γνωστές μου
δεν μου φαίνονται πια τόσο άγνωστες

Both adjectives match λέξεις in feminine plural.

Why is μου used twice: once in γνωστές μου and again in δεν μου φαίνονται? Is that necessary?

Yes, both μου have different roles and are both natural:

γνωστές μου
- describes a quality relative to me: familiar to me
δεν μου φαίνονται
- marks the experiencer of the verb φαίνονται: they seem to me

So the full idea is:

The Greek words are becoming familiar to me,
and they don’t seem to me so unknown anymore as at the beginning.

You can’t drop either μου without slightly changing the meaning or making the sentence less clear/natural. Greek often repeats such pronouns where English would only mention me once.

Could the clause δεν μου φαίνονται πια τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή be ordered differently?

The neutral, most common order is:

δεν μου φαίνονται πια τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή

Possible but marked/less usual variants:

πια δεν μου φαίνονται τόσο άγνωστες όσο στην αρχή (emphasis on πια = “anymore they don’t seem…”)
δεν μου φαίνονται τόσο άγνωστες πια όσο στην αρχή (still understandable, but πια usually goes before or right after the verb)

You cannot move μου after the verb here:
✗ δεν φαίνονται μου πια τόσο άγνωστες… (incorrect in standard Greek)

Clitic pronouns (μου, σου, του…) normally stay before the verb in such sentences.

What does στην αρχή add, and can it be replaced by another expression?

στην αρχή = at the beginning / at first.

Here it refers to the start of the learning process, when the words really were very unknown.

You could replace it with similar expressions:

στην αρχή (at first, at the beginning) – very common, neutral
αρχικά (initially) – a bit more formal
όταν ξεκίνησα (when I started) – more explicit, slightly different style

For example:

… δεν μου φαίνονται πια τόσο άγνωστες όσο όταν ξεκίνησα.

But in the original sentence, όσο στην αρχή is compact and natural:
as they were at the beginning.