Learn Hardcore Greek: Ένας συμμαθητής μου αγχωνόταν στην πρώτη πρόβα, αλλά μετά κινούνταν φυσικά και χαμογελούσε. - A male classmate of mine was stressed at the first rehearsal, but later he moved naturally and smiled.

ένας = a / one (masculine, singular, nominative)
συμμαθητής = classmate (masculine noun)
μου = my (literally of me, a weak/unstressed possessive pronoun in the genitive)

In Greek, the usual position for the weak possessive pronoun is after the noun:

ο φίλος μου = my friend
η μητέρα μου = my mother
ένας συμμαθητής μου = a classmate of mine

So the order συμμαθητής μου is the standard, neutral way to say my classmate in Greek. Putting μου before the noun is possible in some special patterns (for example ένας μου φίλος, ο δικός μου φίλος) but that has a different, often more emphatic feel. The neutral everyday form is noun + μου.

Why does the sentence use the indefinite article ένας and not the definite article ο before συμμαθητής?

ένας indicates that we are talking about one, unspecified classmate among several possible classmates:

Ένας συμμαθητής μου… = A classmate of mine… / One of my classmates…

If the speaker said:

Ο συμμαθητής μου… = My classmate…

that would sound like:

either there is just one classmate (which is unusual in real life), or
it is clear from the earlier context exactly which specific classmate is meant.

So ένας here matches the English a / one of my classmates and suggests he is introducing this person for the first time in the story.

What tense and aspect is αγχωνόταν, and why is that form used here?

αγχωνόταν is:

tense: past
aspect: imperfective (the imperfect tense in Greek)
person/number: 3rd person singular
voice: middle/passive (for this verb, this is the normal form)

It comes from αγχώνομαι = to be/get stressed, to feel anxious.

Imperfect forms of αγχώνομαι:

εγώ αγχωνόμουν
εσύ αγχωνόσουν
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό αγχωνόταν
εμείς αγχωνόμασταν
εσείς αγχωνόσασταν
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά αγχώνονταν

The imperfect (παρατατικός) describes ongoing, repeated or background actions/states in the past.
Here, αγχωνόταν στην πρώτη πρόβα means he was (getting/feeling) stressed during the first rehearsal, not just at one instant but as a state or process throughout that period.

If you used an aorist like αγχώθηκε, that would sound more like he got stressed (at some point), a single event, rather than a continuous nervous state during the whole rehearsal.

Why do we use αγχωνόταν (middle voice) instead of an active form meaning something like he stressed?

In Greek, many verbs that describe emotional or physical states are used in the middle/passive form when the subject is the one experiencing the state.

αγχώνομαι is the normal way to say I am stressed / I get stressed / I feel anxious.

You could theoretically use the active άγχω with an object:

Το διάβασμα τον άγχωνε. = Studying was stressing him (out).

Here the verb means to cause stress to someone.
But when the focus is simply on how he felt, Greek prefers the middle:

Αγχωνόταν στην πρώτη πρόβα.
= He was feeling stressed during the first rehearsal.

So αγχωνόταν is appropriate because the classmate himself is the experiencer of the emotion.

Could we say Ήταν αγχωμένος στην πρώτη πρόβα instead of αγχωνόταν? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say Ήταν αγχωμένος στην πρώτη πρόβα. Both sentences are correct but they have a slightly different feel:

Αγχωνόταν στην πρώτη πρόβα
– focuses more on the process / experience of being stressed, as something he was going through.
– can imply that he was getting worked up, worrying continuously.
Ήταν αγχωμένος στην πρώτη πρόβα
– presents a state: he was stressed at that time.
– a bit more static and descriptive.

In many contexts they are almost interchangeable, but αγχωνόταν often gives a more vivid sense of him actively being in a state of anxiety, while ήταν αγχωμένος sounds more like a calm description of a state.

What exactly does πρόβα mean here? How is it different from words like δοκιμή or τεστ?

In this context, πρόβα means rehearsal, especially for:

a play
a concert
a dance performance
a show, etc.

It is specifically used for practising a performance.

Other words:

δοκιμή = test / trial / attempt, very general.
- δοκιμή μηχανής = engine test
- δοκιμή ρούχων = trying on clothes
τεστ (loanword) = a test / quiz / exam in the evaluative sense.

So στην πρώτη πρόβα is during the first rehearsal, which fits a performance or show context, not an exam or technical test.

How is στην πρώτη πρόβα constructed grammatically, and why is στην used?

στην πρώτη πρόβα breaks down as:

σε = in / at / on / to (very general preposition)
την = the (feminine, accusative singular)
πρώτη = first (feminine, accusative singular, agreeing with πρόβα)
πρόβα = rehearsal (feminine noun)

σε + την contracts to στην in speech and writing:

σε την πρόβα → στην πρόβα

So στην πρώτη πρόβα = in/at/during the first rehearsal.

Greek uses σε + accusative for a wide range of spatial and temporal meanings. In time expressions, it often corresponds to at / in / during in English. Here it means during that rehearsal.

The verb κινούνταν looks like a plural form. Is it correct with a singular subject, and are there alternative forms?

Yes, κινούνταν is correct with a singular subject here.

It comes from κινούμαι = to move (intransitive, middle/passive form).

Imperfect forms commonly used:

εγώ κινούμουν
εσύ κινιόσουν
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό κινούνταν or κινούταν
εμείς κινούμασταν
εσείς κινιόσασταν
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά κινούνταν

So κινούνταν can function as both:

3rd person singular (he/she/it was moving)
3rd person plural (they were moving)

Context tells you which is meant.
With Ένας συμμαθητής μου as the subject, we understand it as he was moving.

An alternative 3rd singular form κινούταν also exists and is quite common. Both κινούνταν and κινούταν are accepted; the sentence could also be:

…αλλά μετά κινούταν φυσικά και χαμογελούσε.

Why is κινούνταν in the imperfect tense instead of the aorist κινήθηκε?

κινούνταν (imperfect) describes an ongoing, continuous way of moving:

He was moving naturally (throughout that period).

If we said κινήθηκε φυσικά, that would sound more like:

He moved naturally (once / as a single completed action).

Since the sentence contrasts his initial stress with his later overall behaviour during the rehearsal (moving naturally and smiling), the imperfect is the natural choice. It paints a picture of what he was doing for some time, not just at one moment.

What does φυσικά mean in this sentence, and does it ever mean of course in Greek?

Here φυσικά is an adverb of manner modifying κινούνταν:

κινούνταν φυσικά = he was moving naturally
(in a natural, relaxed way, not stiff or awkward)

Yes, φυσικά can also mean of course / naturally as a discourse particle:

Θες καφέ; – Φυσικά! = Do you want coffee? – Of course!
Φυσικά και θα έρθω. = Of course I will come.

In your sentence, the grammar and position (right after the verb, before και χαμογελούσε) show that it is an adverb describing how he was moving, not a comment like of course.

Why is there no explicit he before κινούνταν and χαμογελούσε? How do subject pronouns work in Greek?

Greek is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb endings already show the person and number.

(Αυτός) κινούνταν φυσικά και χαμογελούσε.
Both forms are 3rd person singular, so αυτός is normally dropped.

Since Ένας συμμαθητής μου is clearly the subject at the beginning of the sentence, Greek does not repeat he later. The subject is understood to stay the same until there is a reason to change it.

You only use explicit pronouns (like αυτός, αυτή, αυτοί) when:

you want to emphasise the subject, or
you need to disambiguate who is doing the action.

Is there a difference between χαμογελούσε and χαμογέλασε here?

Yes:

χαμογελούσε = imperfect
- he was smiling, he kept smiling, he would smile (ongoing or repeated action in the past)
χαμογέλασε = aorist
- he smiled (once, completed action)

In the sentence, χαμογελούσε matches κινούνταν in aspect: both are imperfect, describing how he generally behaved after the first rehearsal:

He was moving naturally and (was) smiling.

If you said …κινήθηκε φυσικά και χαμογέλασε, that would focus more on single, completed actions:

He moved naturally and smiled (once).

How would the sentence change if the classmate was female?

You would need a feminine noun and feminine article:

Μια συμμαθήτριά μου αγχωνόταν στην πρώτη πρόβα, αλλά μετά κινούνταν φυσικά και χαμογελούσε.

Changes:

Ένας συμμαθητής μου → Μια συμμαθήτριά μου
- μια = feminine form of ένας
- συμμαθήτρια = female classmate
- the accent on συμμαθήτριά moves because of the added enclitic μου (stress stays on the same syllable of the base word)

The verbs stay the same (Greek verbs in the 3rd person singular do not change for gender).

Where is the stress in αγχωνόταν, κινούνταν, and χαμογελούσε, and how are they roughly pronounced for an English speaker?

Stress (marked with capital letters on the stressed syllable):

αγχωνόταν → a-gho-NO-tan
κινούνταν → ki-NUN-tan (with u as in put)
χαμογελούσε → ha-mo-ye-LU-se (again u like put)

Notes:

γ before χ in αγχωνόταν is a soft, voiced sound ([ɣ], similar to a very soft gh in the back of the throat).
χ is a voiceless sound made in the throat, like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch.
ου is pronounced like English oo in book, not like too.
Stress in Greek is important: length and pitch of the stressed syllable help distinguish words and forms, so make sure to keep the stress where shown above.