Learn Hardcore Greek: Όπως κι αν νιώθω, συνεχίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα. - However I feel, I keep reading Greek every day.

Together όπως κι αν is a common pattern meaning “however / in whatever way (something happens)”. With νιώθω, you get the sense of: “In whatever way I may feel / however I might be feeling.”

What is the function of κι here? Is it different from και?

κι is just a shortened form of και. It appears:

mainly before vowels (for easier pronunciation)
in several fixed expressions.

In όπως κι αν, the κι:

doesn’t literally mean “and” here
forms part of a set phrase: όπως κι αν, ό,τι κι αν, όσο κι αν, all meaning “however / whatever / no matter how much”.

You could write όπως και αν, but όπως κι αν is more natural and standard in modern usage.

Is νιώθω here indicative or subjunctive, and why this form?

Formally, νιώθω is the present form, and in the 1st person singular the indicative and present subjunctive look the same: νιώθω.

Syntactically, after όπως κι αν, Greek uses a subjunctive-like environment (it expresses possibility / variation: however I may feel).

So:

Morphologically: νιώθω = present (same shape for indicative and subjunctive in 1st person).
Functionally: it behaves like a subjunctive here: “however I may (happen to) feel,” not a plain factual “I feel.”

You might also encounter όπως κι αν νιώσω in other contexts. Then:

νιώθω (imperfective) = however I may be feeling (state, ongoing)
νιώσω (aorist) = however I may feel at some point / in a particular instance.

Here, the imperfective νιώθω fits the general, open-ended idea of mood or state.

Why is it συνεχίζω να διαβάζω and not just συνεχίζω διαβάζω or an infinitive?

Modern Greek does not have an infinitive like English “to read.” Instead, it uses να + verb.

συνεχίζω να διαβάζω literally: “I continue to read / reading.”
You cannot say συνεχίζω διαβάζω without να.
You also cannot use a bare infinitive, because Greek doesn’t have forms like διαβάζειν in everyday modern use.

So the standard pattern is:

συνεχίζω να + [verb]
e.g. συνεχίζω να μαθαίνω = I continue learning.

Why is it να διαβάζω and not να διαβάσω?

Greek distinguishes two aspects in the subjunctive-like form:

να διαβάζω (imperfective aspect)
– focuses on the ongoing / repeated / habitual nature of reading.
να διαβάσω (aorist aspect)
– focuses on one completed action of reading.

In συνεχίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα:

We are talking about a habit and ongoing activity.
So the imperfective διαβάζω is correct: “I keep on reading / I continue reading.”

να διαβάσω would sound more like “I continue in order to read (once, to finish some reading),” which isn’t the idea here.

What exactly does συνεχίζω contribute? Could we just say διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα?

διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα = I read Greek every day (simple statement of habit).
συνεχίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα = I keep reading Greek every day / I continue to read Greek every day.

So συνεχίζω adds:

the idea of persistence,
maybe in spite of difficulties, changes in mood, etc.

In this sentence, it contrasts with Όπως κι αν νιώθω: no matter how I feel, I still continue with this habit.

Why is ελληνικά in the plural? Isn’t a language singular?

In Modern Greek, names of languages are usually:

neuter plural in form
e.g. ελληνικά (Greek), αγγλικά (English), γαλλικά (French)
but they act like a mass noun in meaning: Greek (language), not Greeks.

So:

διαβάζω ελληνικά = I read Greek (language).
Μιλάω ελληνικά = I speak Greek.

This is a standard pattern; you don’t normally say διαβάζω ελληνική for “I read Greek (language)”—that would sound incorrect.

Could we move ελληνικά or κάθε μέρα around, and would it change the meaning?

Yes, Greek word order is flexible. Some possibilities:

συνεχίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα (original)
συνεχίζω να διαβάζω κάθε μέρα ελληνικά
συνεχίζω κάθε μέρα να διαβάζω ελληνικά

All are grammatical and mean essentially the same: “I keep reading Greek every day.”

Subtle tendencies:

Keeping ελληνικά close to διαβάζω feels natural: what do I read? Greek.
κάθε μέρα can move around more freely to emphasize the regularity.

But in everyday speech, the original order is very typical and easily understood.

Why is there a comma after νιώθω?

The comma separates:

a subordinate clause: Όπως κι αν νιώθω (However I feel)
from the main clause: συνεχίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα (I keep reading Greek every day).

In Greek, when a dependent clause comes first and introduces the main clause, it is usually followed by a comma, just like in English:

“However I feel, I keep reading Greek every day.”

Why is there no word for “I” in the sentence?

Greek is a pro‑drop language, meaning:

Subject pronouns (εγώ, I; εσύ, you, etc.) are often omitted when the verb ending makes it clear who the subject is.

Here:

νιώθω already tells you “I feel.”
συνεχίζω already tells you “I continue.”

Adding εγώ is only needed for emphasis:

Όπως κι αν νιώθω εγώ, συνεχίζω να διαβάζω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα.
= However I feel (as opposed to someone else), I keep reading…

In neutral statements, you leave εγώ out.

What’s the nuance of νιώθω? Is it only emotional feeling or also physical?

νιώθω covers both:

Emotional:
- Νιώθω χαρούμενος. = I feel happy.
- Νιώθω λυπημένος. = I feel sad.
Physical / general state:
- Νιώθω κουρασμένος. = I feel tired.
- Νιώθω άσχημα. = I feel bad / unwell.

In Όπως κι αν νιώθω, it’s deliberately broad:

It can include both mood and physical state: however I’m feeling, whether good, bad, tired, motivated, etc.

How is the whole sentence pronounced, especially νιώθω and κι αν?

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with ´):

Όπως → Ó‑pos [ˈopos]
κι αν → kjan [cjan] (the sounds run together)
νιώθω → N‑YÓ‑tho [ˈɲoθo]
- νι before ώ is palatalized: like Spanish ñ
  - o, “nyo‑tho”
συνεχίζω → si‑ne‑HÍ‑zo [sineˈxizo]
να → na
διαβάζω → thia‑VÁ‑zo [ðʝaˈvazo]
- δια → like “thya” (soft d + y), not “dia” in English.
ελληνικά → e‑li‑ni‑KÁ [eliniˈka]
κάθε → KÁ‑the [ˈkaθe]
μέρα → MÉ‑ra [ˈmera]

Spoken smoothly:
Ópos kjan NÝO‑tho, sineHÍzo na thiaVÁzo eliniKÁ KÁthe MÉra.

Are there similar expressions to Όπως κι αν νιώθω that I should know?

Yes, some very common parallel structures:

Ό,τι κι αν γίνει, συνεχίζω…
= Whatever happens, I continue…
Ό,τι κι αν κάνω, δεν…
= Whatever I do, I don’t…
Όσο κι αν προσπαθώ, δεν μπορώ…
= No matter how much I try, I can’t…
Όσο κι αν κουράζομαι, συνεχίζω…
= No matter how tired I get, I keep going…

They all use [ό,τι / όσο / όπως] κι αν + verb to express “no matter what / how / how much”, just like Όπως κι αν νιώθω.