Η έγκριση δεν ήρθε σήμερα, αλλά ο προϊστάμενος είπε ότι το αίτημα μάλλον θα προχωρήσει αύριο.

This is a very natural Greek way to speak. Η έγκριση ήρθε literally means the approval came, but idiomatically it means the approval arrived / was received / came through.

Greek often uses everyday motion verbs in places where English prefers a more abstract verb. So δεν ήρθε σήμερα is a normal way to say that the approval was not received today.

Ήρθε is the aorist form, 3rd person singular, of έρχομαι (to come).

A few useful points:

• έρχομαι = I come / I am coming
• ήρθε = he/she/it came

It is an irregular verb, so the past stem does not look very similar to the dictionary form. In this sentence, η έγκριση is singular, so the verb is also singular: ήρθε.

Use δεν to negate ordinary statements in the indicative, including present, past, and future-style statements of this kind.

So:

• δεν ήρθε = did not come

Μη(ν) is used mainly with:

• commands
• prohibitions
• subjunctive structures
• certain non-indicative contexts

So here δεν is the correct negative.

Because αλλά means but, and in Greek it normally introduces a contrasting clause. Greek usually places a comma before αλλά, just as English often does before but.

So the structure is:

• Η έγκριση δεν ήρθε σήμερα, αλλά...
• The approval didn’t come today, but...

Ο προϊστάμενος means the supervisor, the manager, or the person in charge.

It comes from formal or workplace Greek and is very common in office or bureaucratic contexts. Depending on the situation, English translations can vary:

• supervisor
• manager
• department head
• boss

The article ο shows it is masculine singular.

The ï-type mark, called a diaeresis, shows that the ι is pronounced separately, not blended with the previous vowel.

So προϊστάμενος is pronounced roughly as:

• pro-i-STA-me-nos

not as one merged vowel sound.

That mark helps you avoid reading the οϊ as a single unit.

Greek uses the definite article much more often than English.

So Greek naturally says:

• η έγκριση
• ο προϊστάμενος
• το αίτημα

even where English might say:

• approval
• the supervisor
• the request

In this sentence, the article helps identify specific things already understood in the context: a particular approval, a particular supervisor, a particular request.

Here ότι means that and introduces a content clause:

• είπε ότι... = he said that...

It is different from ό,τι, which means whatever or anything that.

So:

• ότι = that
• ό,τι = whatever / anything that

Also, in many cases ότι can be replaced by πως in everyday Greek:

• είπε ότι...
• είπε πως...

Both can mean he said that...

Greek does not backshift tenses in the same way English often does.

In English, after a past reporting verb, we often say:

• He said that the request would move forward tomorrow

Greek commonly keeps the future marker θα if the action is future from the speaker’s or narrative point of view:

• είπε ότι το αίτημα θα προχωρήσει αύριο

This is completely normal Greek.

So even though είπε is past, the later action is still expressed with θα.

Here μάλλον means probably or most likely.

So:

• το αίτημα μάλλον θα προχωρήσει αύριο = the request will probably move forward tomorrow

Be careful: μάλλον can also mean rather in other contexts, but here it clearly has the sense of probability.

Θα προχωρήσει is the normal future form here and means will proceed / will move forward.

A few points:

• verb: προχωρώ
• future marker: θα
• form: προχωρήσει

This is a common kind of Greek future built with θα plus a form that corresponds to the perfective/subjunctive stem.

Here it suggests a single forward step or development of the request, not an ongoing repeated action. In context, it means something like:

• the request will go ahead
• the request will be processed further
• the request will move to the next stage

It is active.

The verb προχωρώ literally means to move forward, to advance, or to proceed. In office or administrative language, it often means that something is progressing through a process.

So το αίτημα θα προχωρήσει does not mean the request is passively acted upon in grammar terms; it means the request will proceed / move forward.

English may sometimes translate this more passively, such as the request will be processed further, but the Greek form itself is active.

It is the subject of θα προχωρήσει.

Structure:

• ο προϊστάμενος είπε = the supervisor said
• ότι το αίτημα μάλλον θα προχωρήσει αύριο = that the request will probably move forward tomorrow

So inside the ότι clause, το αίτημα is what will move forward.

This can be confusing because for neuter nouns like το αίτημα, nominative and accusative often look the same. But functionally here it is the subject.

Greek word order is fairly flexible, and adverbs can often move around for emphasis.

This sentence is neutral and natural:

• Η έγκριση δεν ήρθε σήμερα, αλλά ο προϊστάμενος είπε ότι το αίτημα μάλλον θα προχωρήσει αύριο.

But Greek could also shift some adverbs:

• Η έγκριση σήμερα δεν ήρθε...
• ...είπε ότι μάλλον το αίτημα θα προχωρήσει αύριο
• ...είπε ότι το αίτημα θα προχωρήσει μάλλον αύριο

These versions are not all equally neutral; moving words changes emphasis slightly. The original sentence sounds very natural and balanced.

Yes. Ήλθε is a more formal or literary variant of ήρθε.

In everyday Modern Greek, ήρθε is much more common. So in a sentence like this, ήρθε is the normal choice.

Both mean:

• came

But ήρθε is what you are more likely to hear in standard speech.