Learn Hardcore Greek: Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις.

So the English translation is singular (Greek is…), but the Greek grammar treats it as a plural noun phrase (τα ελληνικά → are in a literal word‑for‑word gloss).

Do I have to use the article Τα? Can I just say Ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις?

In everyday speech both can occur, but:

Τα ελληνικά is the neutral, most common way to talk about the Greek language.
Ελληνικά without the article can sound a bit more general or stylistic, and is less typical in a simple sentence like this.

For a learner, it is safest and most natural to keep the article:

Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα… ✅ (recommended)
Ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα… – possible, but less standard in this context.

Why is the adjective εύκολα and not εύκολο or εύκολοι?

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

τα ελληνικά is neuter plural, nominative.
The base adjective is εύκολος, -η, -ο (easy).
The neuter plural nominative form is εύκολα.

So:

το ελληνικό μάθημα είναι εύκολο – the Greek lesson is easy (neuter singular → εύκολο)
τα ελληνικά είναι εύκολα – Greek (the language) is easy (neuter plural → εύκολα)

The form εύκολοι would be masculine plural (for people, for example), so it does not fit τα ελληνικά, which is neuter.

What exactly does πιο do here, and is there another way to say “easier”?

πιο is a particle used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs, similar to “more” in English.

εύκολος – easy
πιο εύκολος – easier / more easy

In this sentence:

πιο εύκολα = easier

Greek also has synthetic comparatives, formed with -τερος:

ευκολότερος, -η, -ο – easier

So you could also say:

Τα ελληνικά είναι ευκολότερα από ό,τι νομίζεις.

Both πιο εύκολα and ευκολότερα are correct and natural. In modern spoken Greek, πιο + adjective is very common.

What does the combination από ό,τι mean here?

In this sentence, από ό,τι means “than (what)” and introduces the standard of comparison:

πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις
→ easier than (what) you think

Broken down:

από – from / than (in comparisons)
ό,τι – “whatever / what(ever)”, here functioning like “what”

Together they form something like: “than what you think”. In English we just say “than you think”, but Greek keeps the “what” idea.

Why is there a comma in ό,τι? How is ό,τι different from ότι?

This is a very common confusion.

ότι (without comma) is a conjunction meaning “that” in reported speech:
- Ξέρω ότι έχεις δίκιο. – I know that you are right.
ό,τι (with comma, stressed on ό) is an indefinite pronoun meaning “whatever / what(ever)”:
- Κάνε ό,τι θέλεις. – Do whatever you want.
- από ό,τι νομίζεις – than what you think.

In από ό,τι νομίζεις, it must be ό,τι with the comma, because it means “what(ever)”, not the conjunction “that”.

In practice, many native speakers omit the comma in casual writing, but for learners, it is good to keep the distinction clear.

Could I write από ότι νομίζεις without the comma?

Grammatically, that would be incorrect if you follow the standard rule, because:

You need the indefinite pronoun ό,τι (“what(ever)”),
Not the conjunction ότι (“that”).

So in correct standard writing, it should be:

από ό,τι νομίζεις
or, more colloquially spelled:
απ’ ό,τι νομίζεις (same words, but από is shortened before a vowel).

You will see από ότι a lot on the internet, but it is considered an orthographic mistake.

Can I say από όσο νομίζεις instead of από ό,τι νομίζεις?

Yes, από όσο νομίζεις (or απ’ όσο νομίζεις) is also used and is generally understood as “than you think”.

Nuances:

από ό,τι νομίζεις – literally “than what you think”
από όσο νομίζεις – literally “than as much as you think”

In many everyday contexts, they are practically interchangeable, and both are common in speech:

Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις.
Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα απ’ όσο νομίζεις.

For a learner, από ό,τι is a good pattern to master, because it appears very often with comparisons to a clause (…νομίζεις, …φαντάζεσαι, etc.).

What exactly does νομίζεις mean, and how is it different from σκέφτεσαι?

νομίζεις comes from νομίζω, which usually means “to think / to believe / to suppose” (a judgment or opinion).

Νομίζω ότι έχει δίκιο. – I think / I believe she is right.

σκέφτεσαι comes from σκέφτομαι, which is more about mental activity / consideration:

Σκέφτομαι τη δουλειά μου. – I’m thinking about my work.
Το σκέφτομαι. – I’m thinking it over.

In από ό,τι νομίζεις, νομίζεις means “you believe / you think (that it is)”.
You could also hear:

Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα απ’ όσο φαντάζεσαι. – …than you imagine.

από ό,τι σκέφτεσαι would sound strange here; νομίζεις (or φαντάζεσαι) is the natural choice.

Does νομίζεις refer to you (singular) or you (plural)?

νομίζεις is 2nd person singular:

εσύ νομίζεις – you (one person, informal) think.

If you want to address more than one person or be polite/formal, you use:

νομίζετε – 2nd person plural (also used as the formal “you”).

So you could say:

Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζετε. – Greek is easier than you (all) think / than you (formal) think.

Why is the present tense νομίζεις used, when in English we might also say “than you thought”?

Greek typically uses the present tense here because it refers to your current belief:

από ό,τι νομίζεις – than what you (now) think.

If you really want to talk about a past belief, you can use the past tense:

Τα ελληνικά ήταν πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νόμιζες.
– Greek was easier than you thought.

But in the original sentence, the idea is: Right now you believe Greek is hard, but actually it is easier than you (now) think. That’s why the present νομίζεις fits best.

Can I change the word order, for example Τα ελληνικά από ό,τι νομίζεις είναι πιο εύκολα?

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but not every possible order sounds natural.

Some acceptable variants:

Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις. ✅ (most natural)
Τα ελληνικά, από ό,τι νομίζεις, είναι πιο εύκολα. – with pauses, for emphasis

Your version:

Τα ελληνικά από ό,τι νομίζεις είναι πιο εύκολα

is understandable, but feels awkward and unnatural in normal speech. The standard and most idiomatic position for από ό,τι νομίζεις is after the comparative phrase (πιο εύκολα).

How would I pronounce Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις and where is the stress?

Stress marks show you where the main stress falls in each word:

Τα ελ·λη·νι·κά – ta e‑lli‑ni‑ká
εί·ναι – í‑ne
πιο – pio (one syllable, no written stress because it’s a monosyllable)
εύ·κο·λα – ÉV‑ko‑la
α·πό – a‑pó
ό,·τι – Ó,‑ti (stress on ό)
νο·μί·ζεις – no‑mí‑zis

Spoken smoothly, it sounds like:

Ta elliniká íne pio ÉVkola apó Óti nomízis

The main rhythm:
Τα ελληνικά / είναι / πιο εύκολα / από ό,τι νομίζεις.

Is there any difference in meaning between πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις and όχι τόσο δύσκολα όσο νομίζεις?

Both can express a similar idea, but there are nuances:

πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις
– “easier than you think”, emphasizing ease.
όχι τόσο δύσκολα όσο νομίζεις
– literally “not as difficult as you think”, emphasizing less difficulty.

So:

Τα ελληνικά είναι πιο εύκολα από ό,τι νομίζεις.
– Positive focus on “easy”.
Τα ελληνικά δεν είναι τόσο δύσκολα όσο νομίζεις.
– Negative focus on “not so difficult”.

Both are natural, but the original sentence is more upbeat and encouraging.