Δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στη μετάφραση· προσπαθώ να συνδυάζω το διάβασμα με την ακρόαση.

Βασίζομαι here means I rely or I depend.

It looks like a passive verb because it has middle/passive endings, but in Modern Greek some verbs normally appear in this form even when they are not passive in meaning. Βασίζομαι is one of them.

A useful pattern is:

• βασίζομαι σε κάτι = I rely on something

So in this sentence, Δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στη μετάφραση means I don’t rely only on translation.

Because βασίζομαι normally takes the preposition σε:

• βασίζομαι σε κάτι = rely on something

So Greek does not say this as a direct object. It uses σε + accusative.

That is why you get:

• στη μετάφραση = on translation / on the translation

Στη is the contracted form of σε την.

So:

• σε την μετάφραση → στη μετάφραση

Because μετάφραση is a feminine noun, the article is την in the accusative. In everyday Greek, σε + την is very often shortened to στη.

You may also see στην. The final -ν is often kept or dropped depending on style, pronunciation, and the next sound. So both στη μετάφραση and στην μετάφραση are possible.

Because μόνο is modifying that whole phrase.

• Δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στη μετάφραση = I don’t rely only on translation

So the idea is not that the speaker does not rely at all; the idea is that translation is not the only thing they rely on.

Placing μόνο right before the phrase it affects is very natural in Greek.

Many Greek verbs are followed by να plus another verb. Προσπαθώ is one of them.

• προσπαθώ να κάνω κάτι = I try to do something

So:

• προσπαθώ να συνδυάζω = I try to combine / I try to be combining

In Modern Greek, να introduces the dependent verb form often called the subjunctive.

This is about aspect, which is very important in Greek.

• να συνδυάζω = imperfective; repeated, ongoing, habitual
• να συνδυάσω = perfective; one complete act, or achieving the combination

Here the speaker is talking about a general learning habit, so να συνδυάζω fits well:

• προσπαθώ να συνδυάζω το διάβασμα με την ακρόαση
• I try to combine reading with listening, as a regular practice

If you said να συνδυάσω, it would sound more like one particular attempt or one complete combination.

Greek often uses article + verbal noun to talk about activities in a general way.

So:

• το διάβασμα = reading / studying
• η ακρόαση = listening

This is very natural Greek. It makes the two activities sound like paired methods or study tools.

You could also express the idea with verbs, but the noun version is neat and idiomatic here.

Because the nouns have different genders.

• το διάβασμα is neuter
• η ακρόαση is feminine

Also, ακρόαση comes after με, which takes the accusative, so η ακρόαση becomes την ακρόαση.

So the forms reflect both gender and case.

Because συνδυάζω normally works like this:

• συνδυάζω Α με Β = I combine A with B

So:

• το διάβασμα = reading
• με την ακρόαση = with listening

This is the standard way to say that two things are being used together.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In everyday Greek, διάβασμα often means studying in general. But in a sentence about language learning methods, it can also very naturally mean reading.

Here, because it is paired with ακρόαση, the sense is probably something like:

• reading
• or reading/study through text

So both ideas are close, and the exact English wording depends on context.

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

For example, you could also say:

• Προσπαθώ να συνδυάζω την ακρόαση με το διάβασμα
• Δεν βασίζομαι στη μετάφραση μόνο

But the original version is very natural and well-balanced. Word order changes usually affect emphasis, not the core meaning.

That mark is the Greek upper dot, often called άνω τελεία.

It works roughly like a semicolon or a strong pause in English. So here it separates two closely connected ideas:

• I don’t rely only on translation;
• I try to combine reading with listening.

It is not the Greek question mark. The Greek question mark looks like ;.