Μια γνωριμία από το πανεπιστήμιο με βοήθησε με την αίτηση.

Here μια γνωριμία means an acquaintance, a contact, or someone I know.

The noun γνωριμία can mean different things depending on context:

• acquaintance / contact → a person you know
• meeting / introduction → the act of getting to know someone

In this sentence, because it is the subject of helped me, it clearly means a person:

• Μια γνωριμία ... με βοήθησε = An acquaintance/contact ... helped me

A very natural English translation is:

• An acquaintance from university helped me with the application.
• A contact from the university helped me with the application.

Because γνωριμία is a feminine noun.

So the feminine form of a / one is used:

• masculine: ένας
• feminine: μια / μία
• neuter: ένα

Since γνωριμία is feminine, Greek uses:

• μια γνωριμία

You may also see μία γνωριμία. Both are correct; μία is just a more formal or emphatic spelling/pronunciation.

It means from the university or, more naturally in English here, from university / from my university / that I knew from university, depending on context.

In this sentence it describes where the acquaintance is known from:

• μια γνωριμία από το πανεπιστήμιο
  = an acquaintance from the university = someone I know from university

It does not necessarily mean the person physically came from the university at that moment. It usually means the connection is related to university.

Because the two με are doing different jobs.

1. με βοήθησε
   Here με is the object pronoun meaning me.

   • με βοήθησε = helped me

2. με την αίτηση
   Here με is the preposition meaning with.

   • με την αίτηση = with the application

So the full sentence is:

• An acquaintance from the university helped me with the application.

This is very normal in Greek, even though it may look repetitive at first.

βοήθησε is the aorist form of βοηθάω / βοηθώ, and it describes a completed action:

• βοήθησε = helped

So the sentence refers to one completed event:

• An acquaintance from the university helped me with the application.

By contrast:

• βοηθούσε = was helping / used to help

That would suggest an ongoing or repeated action, which is not the idea here.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence uses a very natural neutral order:

• Μια γνωριμία από το πανεπιστήμιο με βοήθησε με την αίτηση.

But other orders are possible, especially for emphasis, for example:

• Με βοήθησε με την αίτηση μια γνωριμία από το πανεπιστήμιο.
• Με την αίτηση με βοήθησε μια γνωριμία από το πανεπιστήμιο.

These are grammatically possible, but they shift the emphasis.

The original version is the most straightforward and easiest for a learner:

• subject first
• then verb with object pronoun
• then prepositional phrase

Την αίτηση is in the accusative singular.

That is because the preposition με takes the accusative:

• με την αίτηση = with the application

Also:

• η αίτηση = nominative (the application)
• την αίτηση = accusative (the application, as object or after certain prepositions)

So here Greek uses:

• με + accusative
• με την αίτηση

Την αίτηση means the application, usually referring to a specific application already known from context.

• με την αίτηση = with the application

Without the article, με αίτηση, it would sound unnatural here.

Greek often uses the definite article where English may or may not use it, but in this sentence the article is especially natural because it refers to a particular application.

So if someone is talking about a specific application form or submission, την αίτηση is exactly what you would expect.

Yes, but it has a particular nuance.

γνωριμία suggests:

• an acquaintance
• a contact
• someone known to me, but not necessarily a close friend

So it is weaker than:

• φίλος / φίλη = friend

and often useful when you want to say the person helped because they were a connection or contact, not because they were a close personal friend.

In English, depending on tone, you might translate it as:

• an acquaintance
• a contact
• someone I knew from university

Αίτηση usually means application, request, or form, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means:

• application

For example:

• a university application
• a job application
• an official application/request submitted to an institution

So:

• με την αίτηση = with the application

If the broader context were bureaucratic or official, αίτηση could also carry the sense of formal request.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Με βοήθησε με την αίτηση is broad and can cover things like:

• helping me fill it out
• explaining what to write
• checking it before submission
• helping me submit it
• giving advice or contacts related to it

So the phrase with the application does not specify exactly how the help happened; it just says the help was connected to the application.

A few natural English versions are:

• An acquaintance from university helped me with the application.
• A contact from the university helped me with the application.
• Someone I knew from university helped me with the application.

The best choice depends on tone:

• an acquaintance = most literal
• a contact = emphasizes usefulness/network
• someone I knew from university = very natural everyday English